I’m going to be doing my first smoked cheese in the next couple days, a Farmhouse Cheddar.  Those of you who have already done smoked cheeses can answer this one:  At what point do I add the smoke flavor?  I’m leaning toward adding it directly before the rennet; but during the cooking is another possibility.  I’m not sure if it will affect the renneting process, since Nabil had mentioned that the Liquid Smoke has a very low pH.  What say ye?

An afterthought:  Since the Liquid Smoke is so acidic, could one shorten the ripening time prior to renneting in order to compensate for the extra acidity?  After all, it shouldn’t be much, since the volume of Liquid Smoke will only be a few tsps.

I added it at the very beginning so its mixed thoroughly. Mine has no additives and it just water and smoke so i dont see it having any affect to the process.

Rich…
Can’t help you with the smoked cheese since I’ve never tried it (in fact smoking cheese might even be illegal in the State of Illinois) but I will be following your progress closely. I like a light smoke flavor in Gouda so I would like to give this a try at some point.
Keep us posted.
Dave

Are you serious about smoked cheese being possibly illegal in Illinois????  I knew your political scene was less that optimum; but really. . . .

LOL…well as far as I know, smoked cheese will be okay in our great state. The only thing I can think of is that if I do make a smoked cheese, I can’t just GIVE it away to others. It would be way too valuable for that.
If our wonderful governor has taught us anything it’s that something that is valuable comes at a price. Sheesh, I really wish that southern Illinois could be annexed into Kentucky.

Dave

Did the smoked cheese this morning. I used 1 Tbspn for a 4 Gal. batch.  The aroma is great ( I used Hickory flavor), but its probably going to be a bit on the mild side.  I’m thinking next time I may double the smoke.  We’ll see when its finished.

I was also thinking it may make a yucky color, but the curd is just an off white.  Doubling the smoke may make for a browner cheese, and I may just color it like Narelle did with hers.  Anyway, so far so good.

Rich, let us know how the proportion works out. One tablespoon sounds like a lot to me. Did you use “Liquid Smoke” brand?

Yes, it was Liquid Smoke by Colgin.  I bought both the Mesquite and the Hickory.  I couldn’t decide which to try first, so I left the decision up to my youngest son.  And I will certainly keep y’all posted.

i will real smoke my cheese very soon, i built my cold smoker, and in two days i will try with real wood

Apple, Cherry, Oak, Chestnut, walnut .... i will keep u posted

With pics i hope