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SMOKING CHEESE USING THE PRO-Q FRONTIER / STACKER AND THE SMOKE PISTOL
OK... so firstly....the question needs to be asked and answered. I've heard it many times .... "What is smoking?" ... for example what is the difference between smoked ribs and smoked cheese or even more often, smoked salmon or lox.
"Smoked" foods, fish, cheese, meats, sausage, etc, typically refers to "cold smoked" foods. This means that the food is "cured" by exposing it to smoke molecules which adhere to the food and form a chemical reaction or bond with the surface layer of the food the result of which is often a "preserving" or even a "chemical cooking" of the food. These foods are smoked in a "smokehouse" ...a room filled with smoke. It is NOT HEATED or Cooked ... just exposed to smoke at room temp or below.
Barbecue is typically described as cooking food at a low temperature over a food fire exposing the food to heat and smoke for a period of time. So "barbecue" is sort of "smoke roasting" the food.
Now ... Fred wants smoked cheese .. hmmm how to get it ... If I put food on a cooker with smoke chips ..there is heat which will cook the food ... or in this case ..melt the cheese so that's not what I want. How to get smoke without heat? Enter the Smoke Pistol smoke generator device. This unit blows smoke into a vessel (the cooker). The smoke has very little heat. When doing "cold smoking" it is imperative that the smoke / food does not go over 90 degrees Farenheit.
So I decided to make myself a "cold smoker" using one of the new Pro-Q Frontier bullet / water type smoker. By adding the Smoke Pistol and it's mounting system to one of the additional stackers, I can just remove that section of the cooker when I am not using the Smoke Pistol. A great setup indeed. Here's how it's done.
Then I take the additional stacker and, using the plate from the Smoke Pistol as a template, carefully drill an oval shaped hole for the smoke tube and insert a screw to actual mount or "hang" the Smoke Pistol This oval hole allows me to push on the Smoke Pistol and then let it drop, engaging the keyhole type screw hole on the Smoke Pistol mounting plate, thusly mounting the Smoke Pistol to the Stacker unit.
The Smoke Pistol is positioned on the Stacker unit at such a location so that :
PICS OF HAND HERE
1. I can easily insert my hand through the door to use the "plunger" to clean out the smoke hole as per the instructions (below)
2. the smoke will enter the stacker UNDER the water pan. This is so I can add ice to the water pan if I need to cool the smoke even more.
Since it was around 45 degrees when I was smoking this cheese, I would not need the water pan and /or ice to cool things down. It is important that you do not let the smoke hit the food directly ...you want it to sort of surround the food but not blast it directly so I decided to add a "baffle" using aluminum foil. The smoke will enter below the foil and come up around the sides of it and fill the chamber with the cheese. (pics below)
Now it's time to fire up the Smoke Pistol. You light the cartridge good, stuff it in the tube on the unit, tap it a few times, use the plunger to clean out the smoke tube and smoke should start slowing coming out of the tube, into the smoke chamber.
Now just add the cheesey comestibles ... close the lid and come back every half-hour to do a sight/taste test.
Ummmm boy ...you're done. Many recipes for smoked cheese and some expert opinions suggest that after smoking, you let your cheese "rest" for up to a few weeks before eating. I typically vacuum pack mine in individual pieces keeping the different types of cheese separated, then open and serve in a week or more.
PS. I managed to wait a week until I tried this cheese. VERY GOOD. I think the pecan wood really made a nice mellow flavor that really complimented the cheese.
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Copyright 2008 Fred A. Bernardo , Fred's Music Shop Inc.
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