# When do you smoke your hard cheese?



## Cotton Eyed Does (Oct 26, 2007)

When do you smoke your cheese? Before aging? After aging?


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## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

Would smoke after aging. The heat of the smoker may kill off the bacteria before their job is finished.


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## linuxboy (Oct 26, 2009)

> The heat of the smoker may kill off the bacteria before their job is finished.


IMHO, this is largely not relevant for cheese because cold smoking should not exceed 90F.

You can do straight after brining, right before sale, or anything in between. It depends what flavors you are trying to target and your cold smoke process and schedule. I like a heavier cold smoke up front, and then let it dissipate over 6-8 weeks, and then eat.

Smoking historically has been an approach to add flavor and be able to eat cheese faster. One classic cheese is idiazabal, which is smoked fairly early in the process, and also has lipase to bring it to maturation faster. There are many others, some done early, and some later before sale.


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## Cotton Eyed Does (Oct 26, 2007)

Thanks so much.


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