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GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => EQUIPMENT - Aging Cheese, Everything Except Caves => Topic started by: jimk on May 25, 2015, 07:24:00 PM

Title: Home made smoker
Post by: jimk on May 25, 2015, 07:24:00 PM

Used an old Brinkman smokey joe - dryer vent hose and a styrofoam cooler. Cooler stays nice and chill with ice blocks

Title: Re: Home made smoker
Post by: Kern on May 25, 2015, 08:44:30 PM

Very cool, jimk.  Shows ingenuity and the creative use common items.  The nice thing is that when the box gets really rank all you have to do is spend a couple of bucks and get a new one.  This is certainly worth a cheese!  :D

Title: Re: Home made smoker
Post by: jimk on May 25, 2015, 09:57:41 PM

Thanks Kern!

Title: Re: Home made smoker
Post by: Schnecken Slayer on May 26, 2015, 06:29:41 AM

I'll second that motion. ac4u

Cheers,
Bill

Title: Re: Home made smoker
Post by: shaneb on May 26, 2015, 06:31:52 AM

Looks great. How long do you smoke for and for what size cheese? I love King Island Smoked Cheddar. A cheese from me also.

Shane

Title: Re: Home made smoker
Post by: jimk on May 27, 2015, 01:17:47 AM

Shane, cheese is 2 pounds, I smoked it for 4 hours.

Title: Re: Home made smoker
Post by: shaneb on May 27, 2015, 01:23:40 AM

Thanks. Is the cheese fresh from drying or do you smoke it further along in life? I read on the King Island Dairy (an island between Australia's mainland and Tasmania) that the smoking provides a protective layer for maturing. Is this what you expect?

Shane

Title: Re: Home made smoker
Post by: jimk on June 01, 2015, 11:47:50 PM

Shane, I air dried the cheese for 2 days after brining before smoking it. The smoking does seem to give the cheese a better rind. I aired the cheese for a day before waxing to make sure it was not "sweating".

Title: Re: Home made smoker
Post by: jimk on June 01, 2015, 11:50:38 PM

I have ordered a 4 inch battery powered fan to insert at the cooler end of the dryer hose to help keep the wood chips burning.

Title: Re: Home made smoker
Post by: shaneb on June 02, 2015, 12:46:56 AM

Thanks for the info Jim. Maybe one day I'll be able to give it a try.

Shane