Yoder Smokers Community Forum

Trying my hand at Cold Smokin for the first time using cheddar Mont Jack,Colby,Gold Fishies. Lol. Nuts and Bacon

Looks awesome. Vacuum seal the cheese and nuts and let them sit for a couple of weeks to mellow and get happy. I'm due to smoke some pepperjack cheese and nuts really soon.

I usd the 18" A Maze N tube and filled about 3/4 full with Barbecue Delight Hickory and smoked for 4 hours. The nuts tasted real strong after. You think shrink wrappin for a few days will tone it down a bit?

Yes. I always let my cold smoked food (cheese, butter, nuts, etc) rest in a vacuum sealed bag for 2-4 weeks before I eat them. It's tough to wait, but it's worth it. The product will improve in that time.

Yeah i vacuum sealed the nuts and cheese and gonna wait a few weeks. Thanks Kirby for your input

Happy to help. Hopefully the results will be more to your liking after the rest.

Ok i opened a pack of mild cheddar thats been in the frig mellowing out 2 weeks now and shrink wrapped in foodsaver bags and even tho it tasted good it was a little strong on the hickory.I smoked the cheese 4 hours using the 18" A Maze N tube which i filled 1/2-3/4 full and the cheese smoked 4 hours. I noticed while smokin, the smoke came out the pipe of the smoker real thick. Should i smoke the same way next time but use less pellets for 4 hours or just cut the smokin time in half? Any advise would be appreciated

Hmmm, that's pretty much what I do. I would say the main difference is I don't use hickory to cold smoke due to its strength. If I do it's usually cut with a lighter wood like apple, maple or peach. What I also do is fill the tube about 3/4 full and the cover the open end with my hand and shake the tube so the pellets are even across the entire tube and therefore not crammed into the tube. I have no idea if this makes a difference, but I do that primarily to give me a short burn (4-5 hours) with the 18" tube. I also turn the fans on but never press start so the airflow doesn't allow the smoke it sit very long in the cooker, because it will be thicker than we like smoke it be.

Another trick you can try is to place the smoke tube on the far left-hand side of the heat damper rails under the heat deflector. This will make the smoke less direct with the food and may help with the strength.

Some people like to let food rest in a vacuum sealed bag for at least a month, but I've found two weeks to be sufficient for my method and combination of pellets, cooking environment, etc.

Just like anything relating to barbecue, trial and error and finding the results you like best is all a part of the process.

Thanks Kirby...yeah i do the same procedure by leveling the pellets and placement under the diffuser. So hit the power button but dont hit start will run the fans without burning?I prefer using hickory on my cheddar cheeses cause i make a baked mac n cheese whereas i love to use hickory smoked cheddar shredded on top to give it that "pop"!

Correct. Just flip the switch and do nothing else and the fans will run giving you airflow. Pellets will burn a little faster, but the smoke won't get stale since the fans will force it out.

Thanks Kirby