Smoking Meats
(Page 5 of 6)
July/August 2008
Shirley Splittstoesser
Smoked Cheese
RELATED CONTENT
Smoked cheese is great for parties and snacks. The secret to smoking cheese is maintaining heat at less than 100°F. Above that, cheeses often melt. However, it is difficult to get wood to smoke at that low of a temperature. An easy solution is to make a box for smoking cheese that can be positioned on your smoker well away from the heat source. Smoke drifts upward from the smoker and vent hole and cools as it rises. Locate the box to catch the smoke but little heat.
A box for smoking cheese can be made by bending the flaps of a cardboard box inward. Cover box sides and bottom with aluminum foil inside and out. Turn the box to be open on the bottom to allow smoke to enter and closed on top. Five inches from the top of the box and 5 inches in from each side, drill holes to allow long skewers to enter and exit the box from front to back. On the skewers, set a cookie cooling rack.
Bricks or slices of cheese (Cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, colby and Pepper Jack are favorites, but most hard cheese smokes well. Some brands of American cheese smoke well.)
18 inches cheesecloth
Prepare smoker. Maintain smoker temperature near cheese at or below 100°F.
Lay cheesecloth on cookie cooling rack in cheese smoking box, or on smoker grate well away from heat source. Set bricks or slices of cheese on cheesecloth. If using a thermometer, lay it on the cheese.
Smoking time: About 2 hours or until desired smoky coating is achieved.
BBQ Tip 1: Seal cheese in original wrap or in plastic bags. Refrigerate.
BBQ Tip 2: Smoke continues to permeate the cheese for a few days, but cheese is delicious if eaten immediately.
Maple Glazed Smoked Ham
When smoking pre-cooked meats such as ham slices, your objective is to add extra flavor. Paint ham slices with Maple Glaze and put in smoker – what a difference it makes!
Maple Glaze (1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1/2 tablespoon paprika, 1/2 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar)
1 pre-cooked ham slice, 24 ounces, about 1 inch thick
2 tablespoons cooking oil
Stir together maple syrup, oil, paprika, onion powder and vinegar; set aside.
Prepare smoker. Maintain smoker temperature at 165°F.
Brush or spray all sides of ham with cooking oil. Transfer ham to smoker; insert meat thermometer into ham. Smoke until meat thermometer indicates ham is nearly cooked. Mop with Maple Glaze and continue smoking. The glaze is put on late since it will caramelize and darken during the smoking process.
Cooking time for uncooked ham: About 3 hours or until ham has reached 160°F, the USDA recommended safe minimum internal temperature for pork.
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