has anyone tried smoking their mozzarella?

[TasunkaWitko]

i have a smoker and have smoked several varieties, including cheddar, mozzarella, edam, swiss and longhorn, using several varieties of wood, including cherry, apple, hickory and maple.

on a pizza the smoke flavor adds just the right punch ~ it is easy to over-do it, but if one is going for a subtle addition, it works very well.

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: has anyone tried smoking their mozzarella?

Hey T,
We make our own mozz... how hard would it be to smoke it in the oven... I also found I can put raw mozzarella curd on a pizza it will cook perfectly without physically making it beforehand....

Cheers
Mark

[TasunkaWitko]

Re: has anyone tried smoking their mozzarella?

Hey T,
We make our own mozz... how hard would it be to smoke it in the oven... I also found I can put raw mozzarella curd on a pizza it will cook perfectly without physically making it beforehand....

Cheers
Mark

hey, mark -

i wouldn't recommend smoking it in the oven, but there are a dozen cheap and expensive ways to smoke it. best to be done in a temperature of 90 degrees (probably less for fresh mozz); in fact, up here in northern montana i have smoked some good cheese at 20 degrees below zero (not counting windchill. i've had great success with apple wood due to its mild flavor but i am willing to bet that any mild wood ssuch as alder, peach, pear, etc. would be great. to give it an italian flair, perhaps lemon or orange or grape vines would be good. keep in mind that the orignial source does not determine the taste of the smoke (for instance, apple smoke does not taste like apple, etc.).

if anyone is iterested, i could probably pick out a coupe of links to inexpensive do-it-yourself smokers, or a person could spend 50$ and get a little chief, which works very well.

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: has anyone tried smoking their mozzarella?

think i will look up that little chief,, I actually had one for years and lost interest and gave it away... Oh well

Mark

[RTflorida]

Re: has anyone tried smoking their mozzarella?

Cheese is one of those things that needs 'cold smoked', as mentioned 90 degrees is about the max for that process - around 80 is ideal. My problem, I am limited to cold smoking only for a short time in the winter months. Last year I was only able to squeeze in 3 or 4 days.....I did several lbs of various cheeses and 8 pork bellies (bacon).

I built my smoker after watching Alton Brown. I bought a cheep Brinkman smoker, cut a hole in the side, installed and wired a computer fan, attached 6' of aluminum dryer flex duct, sealed up everthing tight, and attached the other end to a small "smoke chamber" box that covers a hot plate with wood chips.
On a cold 65 degree day I can keep the temp inside the smoker at about 80 degrees. Anything above 70 degrees makes it hard to keep the smoker under 90. I've thought of using a longer duct, but don't know if adding another few ft. will make much difference.

RT

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: has anyone tried smoking their mozzarella?

RT...

what voltage do the computer fans run on ??

[RTflorida]

Re: has anyone tried smoking their mozzarella?

you can buy either 12v. (low voltage) or 120 v. (line voltage). I bought the 120v. because it comes wired with a standard 4ft electric cord/plug. I think it cost a few bucks more but was still only $10-$12 for a 120mm high volume fan.

RT

[TasunkaWitko]

Re: has anyone tried smoking their mozzarella?

rt - a couple of things you could try:

1) a few extra feet of dryer duct probably would help quite a bit.

2) put a pan or bowl of ice somewhere between your smoke and your cheese.

the only need for heat is to make the smoke, after that, you're best off without it. in my little chief, i've put a pan of ice on the lowest level of the smoker, then smoked the cheese using the "cold box" technique (http://www.smokehouseproducts.com/Co..._Technique.pdf). it worked quite well even in warm weather.

[RTflorida]

Re: has anyone tried smoking their mozzarella?

I will try a pan of ice in the bottom of the smoker.....can't believe I did not think of something so simple. Guess I am always so rushed, trying to take advantage of the cooler days. I really have to time it right when doing bacon - because of the several days of brining...I just have not thought the process through.
THANKS for the tip.

RT

[TasunkaWitko]

Re: has anyone tried smoking their mozzarella?

no problem - i remember reading it somewhere, but can't remember where. give it a try and let me know how it works for you.