How to Smoke Cheese, Smoked Cinnamon Almonds, and Homemade Rib Rub

Описание: HOW TO SMOKE CHEESE

To make the best smoked cheese, start with an outdoor grill or smoker. You need a grill that has good ventilation (electric vault smokers don’t always work for smoking cheeses). You won’t be turning on your grill as a heat source, it is simply acting as the vessel for holding your cheese and keeping the smoke flowing around it.

Cheese is notoriously melty, so the first requirement of smoking cheese is cool temperatures. I use a Thermoworks thermometer inside my grill to be sure it stays under 90 degrees F. To make your grill into a cold smoker, I use a tube smoker. There are different sizes and varieties, but I find I get the most use out of this 12 inch tube smoker because it lasts long enough to smoke a bunch of cheese but doesn’t take up a lot of space in the grill.

As far as smoke, I prefer using mild wood varieties. My favorites are apple, cherry, maple or pecan.

Light your tube smoker according to the manufacturer’s instructions and place it in your smoker. Make sure the flame is extinguished and the smoke is rolling. Arrange your cheese bricks on the grates of your grill. Make sure they aren’t touching on the sides and there is air flow around each piece of cheese. Close the lid and let that wood smoke do its’ thing. I like to leave my cheese on for about 2 hours. I find that it takes on enough smoke flavor without becoming overwhelming. If you want lighter smoke flavor, only leave your cheese in for 1 hour.


Now comes the hard part. Waiting. Once your cheese is done smoking, remove it from the grill and wrap it in parchment or untreated butcher paper. It needs to breathe for a little bit. Put it in your fridge for 24-48 hours. From there, remove it from the paper and vacuum seal your cheese.

If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, place it in a zip top freezer bag and get out as much air as you can. I do this by submerging the bag in water, leaving the top seal above the water line. The water will force out a majority of the air and when the zip top is almost under water, you seal it tightly (don’t let any water in the bag). Now label and date those cheeses so you don’t forget which cheese is in which bag.

Place your sealed bags in the fridge and wait. For 2 weeks. Not kidding. If you sampled some of your cheese right after smoking, you will taste really really smoky, almost acrid, cheese. The smoke is heavy on the outside of that cheese. As it sits in the fridge, that smoke flavor will distribute throughout the cheese and mellow out significantly.

After 2 weeks, your cheese will be lovely and ready to munch on as is, mix into Mac and Cheese, or melt onto a glorious cheeseburger. Enjoy!

DRY RUB FOR RIBS

Ingredients
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Use a fork to crush any clumps of sugar or seasonings. Store in an airtight container for up to a month.

CINNAMON SMOKED ALMONDS

Ingredients
1 pound raw, unsalted almonds
1 egg white
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspooon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions
Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F using a mild wood like maple, pecan, or alder.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy. Mix in the 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

In a smaller bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Stir until the ingredients are evenly incorporated.

Pour the almonds into the egg white mixture and gently stir until the almonds are all evenly coated.

Pour the cinnamon sugar mixture over the almonds and stir again.

Once the almonds are covered in the sugar mixture, pour them onto a parchment lined cookie sheet that has been lightly coated in cooking spray. Spread the almonds into a single layer.

Place in your smoker and cook for 1 hour, or until the almonds are no longer sticky (this could take an extra 15-20 minutes, depending on your smoker). Remove them from the heat and allow them to cool slightly before breaking them up and enjoying them.

Make sure the almonds are completely cooled before transferring to any lidded or sealed container.

FULL RECIPE NOTES AND PRODUCT LINKS HERE:
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