New forum member

[kaaskop]

Hello,

I just registered and now I want to introduce myself. I'm Niels and I'm from the Netherlands (hence my poor English, sorry about that)

I'm very much into the "grow or make your own food and drinks" hobbies.
I have been brewing my own beer for quite some time, I've grown my own fruits and I am one of the very few people in the Netherlands that own/made a smoker suitable for slow BBQ (I love pulled pork  ) 

Since a month or so I have also started to make my own cheese. Not Gouda or Edammer, (I can get those in any supermarket) but Pepper Jack. I have made a Chipotle Jack and a Habanero Jack, both are now aging. I can't wait to break them open and I will post more about them very soon.

Making cheese yourself is a very rare hobby in the Netherlands but I'm glad that there is this international forum for cheesemakers.

Niels
     

[Zinger]

Welcome kaaskop. My ancestry Dutch, I live in West Michigan which has a large population with Dutch ancestry. I know you will find this forum very helpful as well as enjoyable.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Why is home cheesemaking rare in the Netherlands?

[Gürkan Yeniçeri]

Welcome to cheeseforum.org Niels.

Sailor, probably shops in Netherland has all of the national cheeses cheaper and better quality that it wouldn't worth making them at home.

[Cheese Head]

Goedanavond (Good evening) Niels, welkom aan bord (Welcome Aboard)

Ik spreek geen Nederlands (I don't speak Dutch) but have worked with many Dutch over the years, great people!

There's several Nederlands based cheese making supply stores in our listing, so you can't be the only one !

Tot staks (see you later), John.

[DeejayDebi]

Welcomes Niels.

Many of us here also enjoy those hobbies and as you know it is a way of life for some of us - more than a hobby. I am curious about your smoking methods. I have never taked smoke with someone from the netherlands. I am always wonder how people may do things differently from other countries.

[michoutim]

Welcome!

[kaaskop]

Thank you all for your warm welcome!

En jij ook een goedenavond, John 

I really don't know why so little Dutch people make their own cheese. Compared to homebrewing it's just not that popular    Homemade cheese used to be very common here once, when farmers  used part of their milk to make their own cheese.
Fortunately cheese making supplies are available by mail order.

DeejayDebi, there is no Dutch way of slow BBQ. I learned everything from American websites (smoke ring) and experimenting myself. I made my own smoker/grill pit from a barrel, it's construction is specifically designed to be used as both a smoker or a grill by switching the grate and removing a heat shield / water tray.




Some things I can do exactly the same way as in the USA and some things are simply impossible here. For instance, there is no way I can make a decent brisket because the meat sold here is far to lean and will turn out dry and tough. It's also impossible to obtain Pecan wood here and Hickory is very expensive.

I'm sorry for this non cheese talk but I love my hobbies 

   

[DeejayDebi]

Niels -

Aw I was thinkig perhaps there was a special mx of spices that you may use there as a signature spice blend or something similar. Most coutries have there own special foods and spices.

One little trick I use for extra lean meats is to inject them with a base liquid of oil and a bit vinegar or apple juice then add some of my rub to the mix. Another of my tricks for pork is to inject with applesauce a bit of vinegar and a mix of my favor rub. It helps a lot! Nice to meet you!

[kaaskop]

No, there's no "Dutch rub" (yet) we just copy the classic paprika and brown sugar recepies on the internet and hope for the best.

I have tried the injecton trick with a mixture of apple juice and beef broth for my last attempt at making brisket. I also covered the brisket with aluminium foil after 2 hours of smoking, kept the (tiny) fat cap on top and filled the water tray with apple juice to keep the smoke moist. Sadly it did not work, the meat was tougher than a 2 year old cheddar 

For smoking you do need at least some white veins in the meat, if it's just plain red it will never work (unless you're making beef  jerky of course)

[DeejayDebi]

A good 2 to 6 kilo brisket generally smokes at 107 to 121°C  low and slow for 5 to 8 hours before it's tender.

[kaaskop]

I will stick to the ribs and pulled pork, they are always so tender and tasty 

[DeejayDebi]

You did a nice job on the smoker BTW!

[kaaskop]

Thank you DeejayDebi 

We all love Juicy (the smoker's name) very much.

We even dragged her all the way into a German forest during a camping weekend because we can not camp without juicy meat.

I will try to smoke a cheese in it in the future

[DeejayDebi]

Yes it can be rather addictive!