Bull Need some advise on smoking cheese

[Mike Beaton]

Finally got my replacement probe that was broken in shipment on the smoker box. I put a block of cheddar and a block of guyere on the middle shelf. Set the 700 Bull on low or 180 degrees and added a smoke tube inside the grill (not the smoker box). Outside temps are 32 degrees here so I gave it 11/2 hours thinking it would be good. Problem was the cheese was nearly melted and sweating. Lower gauge was reading just over 100.
Was the smoke tube adding too much heat? Can Rec Teq lower the minimum heat from 180 to say 150 with a program?

 

[C. Keeper]

Finally got my replacement probe that was broken in shipment on the smoker box. I put a block of cheddar and a block of guyere on the middle shelf. Set the 700 Bull on low or 180 degrees and added a smoke tube inside the grill (not the smoker box). Outside temps are 32 degrees here so I gave it 11/2 hours thinking it would be good. Problem was the cheese was nearly melted and sweating. Lower gauge was reading just over 100.
Was the smoke tube adding too much heat? Can Rec Teq lower the minimum heat from 180 to say 150 with a program?

You may be able to lower temp by setting feed rate to lowest setting but beware of potential flame outs.

 

[Mike Beaton]

You may be able to lower temp by setting feed rate to lowest setting but beware of potential flame outs.

Thanks - will try that and putting an ice tray below the cheese

 

[rgreenberg2000]

@Mike Beaton, if you have the smoke tube, then just use that without the Bull turned on at all. A true cold smoke that won't melt your cheese. Make sure you package up your cheese and let it mellow for at least a week or two to get the maximum flavor out of the smoke.

I think that trying to get the Bull running low enough is not going to work. I recently tried to do that on mine, and while I could drop the Bull temp to a low of about 162F, it was much more erratic with spikes in temp as it fought to try to keep the fire lit. I determined via that experiment that there's a reason that 180F is the low from the factory.

YMMV, but if it were me, I'd just use the tube and cold smoke the cheese that way.

Good luck!

R

 

[Big Boy 73]

Finally got my replacement probe that was broken in shipment on the smoker box. I put a block of cheddar and a block of guyere on the middle shelf. Set the 700 Bull on low or 180 degrees and added a smoke tube inside the grill (not the smoker box). Outside temps are 32 degrees here so I gave it 11/2 hours thinking it would be good. Problem was the cheese was nearly melted and sweating. Lower gauge was reading just over 100.
Was the smoke tube adding too much heat? Can Rec Teq lower the minimum heat from 180 to say 150 with a program?

Mike, I smoked cheese using the smoke tube only and it came out great. Don't even turn the grill on. Leave it off and smoke the cheese four hours on a cool or cold day. I use apple wood pellets. After four hours of smoking there will be some moisture that beads up on the cheese from condinsation and oils. Wipe down the cheese with a paper towel to dry it, vacuume pack it and put it in the fridge for three weeks. If you don't let it rest for the three week period it will be too smokey and bitter. Give this method a try and I think you will be very happy with the results.

 

[Waterboy]

Some folks turn the fan on in test mode and use it to circulate smoke from the main chamber through the smoker box.

 

[Mike Beaton]

@Mike Beaton, if you have the smoke tube, then just use that without the Bull turned on at all. A true cold smoke that won't melt your cheese. Make sure you package up your cheese and let it mellow for at least a week or two to get the maximum flavor out of the smoke.

I think that trying to get the Bull running low enough is not going to work. I recently tried to do that on mine, and while I could drop the Bull temp to a low of about 162F, it was much more erratic with spikes in temp as it fought to try to keep the fire lit. I determined via that experiment that there's a reason that 180F is the low from the factory.

YMMV, but if it were me, I'd just use the tube and cold smoke the cheese that way.

Good luck!

R

 

[Mike Beaton]

Thanks for good advise. Working on a video setting up the controller to run just the fan - no heat and using the smoke tube. Without heat but using the smoke tube, temps should be a good cold smoke. With just the fan running that should circulate the smoke.
Thanks for your input.

 

[Mike Beaton]

Some folks turn the fan on in test mode and use it to circulate smoke from the main chamber through the smoker box.

Yes. I believe that is the answer.

 

[ghuns]

Some folks turn the fan on in test mode and use it to circulate smoke from the main chamber through the smoker box.

I'm just sittin here eating some white cheddar horseradish and pepper jack cheese that I smoked a couple weeks before Christmas.

I too had planned to use the fan in test mode with just a smoketube. But the day I did it was really windy. Had plenty of air circulating without the fan so I ran the probes. The smoke tube was on the left end close to the grill probe. It ran between 70-120. I put the two meat probes on either side of the cheese. Neither got much over 70...

 

[Mike Beaton]

Good plan, I'm happy that works. Will do similar next time I smoke cheese.

 

[ghuns]

And now I'm snackin on some gouda. It's pretty amazing. If I do say so myself...

 

[Beach Bum]

I've done it this way too with success. Just for kicks I tried the smokebox a few weeks ago when I had some salmon at 180 on the grill. I tossed four blocks of different cheddar varieties on the bottom shelf. I pulled them after about two and a half hours. They were just starting to get soft. After a week wrapped in the fridge they were pretty darn good. The air temperature during the cook was in the 50's. I don't think this would end well on a hot day.

 

[FastEddie]

Smoked cheese is now on the to-do list

 

[Bizz]

Finally got my replacement probe that was broken in shipment on the smoker box. I put a block of cheddar and a block of guyere on the middle shelf. Set the 700 Bull on low or 180 degrees and added a smoke tube inside the grill (not the smoker box). Outside temps are 32 degrees here so I gave it 11/2 hours thinking it would be good. Problem was the cheese was nearly melted and sweating. Lower gauge was reading just over 100.
Was the smoke tube adding too much heat? Can Rec Teq lower the minimum heat from 180 to say 150 with a program?

Just use the smoke tube in the smoker box. I do that all the time. Cold here as well so give it three to four hours for a nice smoke. I do the same thing in the summer time. The smoke tube produces plenty of smoke for what you’re doing.

 

[DenStinett]

We also use a Smoke Tube .... ONLY
The Tube goes on the far left side of the Main Rack with the Cheese(s) on the Interior Rack
Cold smoked for four hours, turning the Blocks a quarter turn, every hour
Then we Vacu-Seal each Block and refrigerate them for 10 - 14 days
We like to smoke: Colby, Colby Jack, Gauda, Jack, Mozzarella, Munster and Pepper Jack
I'm sure there are other great cheeses, but these are the one we both like

 

[Mike Beaton]

Lesson learned for sure. Smoke tube only, no fire in grill, age for two weeks in vacuum. Delicious for sure. Thanks for the excellent advise.

 

[C. Keeper]

I have never tried smoked cheese, sounds interesting.

 

[FastEddie]

What flavor pellets are you using for cheese? I gotta try this, sounds amazing.

 

[Mike Beaton]

Using Lumber Jack Hickory/Oak blend. Was very good. Will try using Apple next time.