There is no doubt that cheese is one of the most widely loved dairy products. It’s an aromatic and delicious dish with a creamy taste that leaves many people yearning for more. Smoked cheese possesses a unique flavor with subtly earthy, toasted notes, which is one of the reasons people smoked cheese. Some choose to smoke cheese to enhance its shelf life. To accomplish this, having good smoking wood for the process can’t be understated.
Smoking cheese at home is relatively easy and fulfilling, with different types of wood readily available. You’ll need to prepare your smoker with a cold smoke adapter kit. This is an essential step in generating cold smoke for the cheese, which is otherwise impossible with a usual food smoker.
Best Cheese for Smoking
Before we discuss how to choose the best wood to smoke, it’s essential to first identify the best cheese to smoke. Ideally, most hard cheeses can easily be used as long as they don’t slip through the grid in the process. Cheddar and Parmesan are great options for delicious smoking results.
We recommend hard cheeses like Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Gouda, and Parmesan for beginners as they don’t easily become over smoked. But you will also have to maintain the temperatures under 90 °F to avoid completely melting the cheese.
Semi-soft cheese such as Gorgonzola and Provolone are not ideal for smoking as they absorb the smoke quickly, making them hard to place on the smoker. They also don’t take long to melt, which ruins the entire process.
How to Get the Best Wood for Smoking Your Cheese
The good thing is that most of the best and top food smoking woods are easily available at the store.
You will also want to pay attention to the cheese’s natural flavors and go for the right type of wood that would best complement the flavor. This is essential as it has a direct influence on the cheese’s flavor and taste.
Generally, the cheese’s flavor informs the type of wood you use. Fruitwood is the best and safest choice for smoking cheese that has a naturally mild flavor. Using fruitwoods to smoke your cheese can provide a tangy, mild, and sweet flavor that perfectly blends with the cheese’s natural flavors.
There are a variety of wood flavors that you can pick for the smoking process, and we are going to share some insight to help you decide on the best to pick.
Apple Wood
Applewood is one of the best woods for cold-smoking cheese. It has the highest concentration of mild flavors but still allows you to savor the cheese’s natural taste. You can go for our Bradley Smoker Apple Wood Bisquettes, which will perfectly enhance the cheese’s natural flavor with its mild, fruity, and sweet taste. Applewood smoked cheese is perfect for sandwiches and salads.
Maple Wood
Maple wood is perhaps one of the most popular woods for smoking cheese, with various proteins that perfectly match most cheese. It has a delicate, sweet palate that permeates the cheese, imparting a sweet aroma. If you’re unsure where to get it, you can get our Bradley Smoker Maple Wood Bisquettes that have a pure, delicious taste.
Cherry Wood
Like the fruit itself, cherry wood brings sweetness with its heavy smoke that quickly infuses the cheese. You can go for cherry wood if you are using cheeses that are naturally mild in flavor. Our Bradley Smoker Cherry Wood Bisquettes also provide a rosy tint to the finished product. It’s one of the unique features of cherry wood that makes it ideal for aesthetic purposes.
Hickory Wood
Hickory is the perfect wood for lovers of an intense aroma as it has a strong taste. Most people use hickory wood for meat smoking, but it’s also ideal for cheese smoking. It’s not a mild option like the cherry, apple, and maple, but the hickory flavor won’t overshadow the cheese’s natural flavors. You can go for our Bradley Smoker Hickory Wood Bisquettes.
Oak Wood
Oak is considered one of the most versatile wood flavors on the market. It’s known for its golden coating and is ideal for most hard cheeses like cheddar. This is because it doesn’t overpower the cheese and often leaves no aftertaste. Make sure to check out our Bradley Smoker Oak Wood Bisquettes.
In this video, Joe smokes four types of cheese, great to go with sandwiches or your favorite red wine:
Smoked Cheese Recipes
Feeling like trying some smoked cheese recipes at home? We’ve got you covered! Check out our amazing recipes on the links below:
Smoked Cheddar Cheese Recipe
Cold Smoked Cheese In The Bradley Smoker
Smoked Proscuitto Brie Cheese Dip
Smoked cheese is a delicious addition to any charcuterie board or served alongside a glass of wine. We highly recommend any fan of smoked cheese try to make their own at least once and reap the benefits.
For more great ideas on how to get the most out of your Bradley Smoker, check out the awesome articles on our Bradley Smoker Food Smoking Blog for more tips & tricks.
