Hot smoking cheese at home. Homemade delicacies: how to smoke cheese

Description

Smoked cheese is a product that has definitely passed the smoking procedure. Given the use of high temperatures, a brown crust with a yellow tint forms on the surface (see photo). The first to try this method of making cheese were the inhabitants of Denmark.

During the production of smoked cheese, two main techniques are used:

Hot smoking. This process is quite complex and requires constant attention from the person. Spend some time on it. Smoking takes place at a temperature of 38 to 88 degrees.
Cold smoking. The time spent on it can vary from 7 days to a month, it all depends on the type of cheese. The smoking process takes place in special chambers in which the temperature is maintained from 21 to 32 degrees. You do not need to control this process.

Unscrupulous manufacturers, in order to reduce the time and money for making smoked cheese, use another method that reduces the benefits of the product. For the manufacture of this option, low-quality raw materials, various flavors and liquid smoke are used, which allows you to achieve the smoking effect. Tasty and high-quality smoked cheese is made from quite expensive varieties, for example, Gouda, Mozzarella, etc.

How to choose and store

When choosing this product, pay attention to the composition, there should be only natural ingredients, and at the expense of smoking, it should be indicated on which sawdust it was made, etc. You need to store such a product in the refrigerator, after wrapping it with cling film. The shelf life, depending on the variety, varies from 30 to 120 days.

Beneficial features

The benefits of smoked cheese are due to the composition of minerals and vitamins. It is only worth noting right away that only a quality product has such properties. Smoked cheese contains a lot of calcium and phosphorus. These minerals are necessary for the repair and strengthening of bone tissue, and they also have a direct impact on the health of teeth, nails and hair.

Smoked cheese contains vitamin A, which has a positive effect on vision, and vitamin E, which responds to the beauty of the skin. Due to the presence of vitamin D, the risk of osteoporosis and rickets is reduced. There are in smoked cheese and essential amino acids that improve the functioning of the whole organism. In addition, it contains animal protein, which is quite easily absorbed by the body.

Due to the presence of potassium, smoked cheese has a positive effect on the activity of the cardiovascular system. It also contains magnesium necessary for the heart and sodium, which is responsible for the water balance in the body.

Harm of smoked cheese

The harm of smoked cheese can affect the human body if it contains a large amount of hazardous substances - the so-called food additives E - both artificial phosphate and salts. They often provoke severe allergic reactions. In addition, phosphate supplements are especially harmful for people who have kidney disease.

Use in cooking

Smoked cheese can be called a universal product, as it is an excellent independent snack, and it is also used to prepare completely different dishes. It can be used in recipes for salads, sandwiches, hot dishes, etc.

How to make smoked cheese at home?

To make such a product at home, you must have a special smokehouse. If you want to cook high-quality smoked cheese, then you need to take: hard cheese, garlic, seasonings, herbs and foil. Cheese cut into small cubes or rubbed on a grater. Garlic must be passed through a special crusher or meat grinder. Spicy herbs must be thoroughly rubbed with a mortar so that essential oils begin to stand out. By the way, it is not recommended to take a lot of different spices, just a couple of options are enough. Put the cheese with herbs into a special form or the usual one for baking and put it in the smokehouse for about 25 minutes. Then we transfer the mass to the foil and tightly roll it up with a roll. Leave the cheese to cool, it will take you about 10 minutes. It is recommended to serve it with fresh herbs.

Calorie Smoked cheese 380 kcal.

Energy value of the product Smoked cheese (Proportion of proteins, fats, carbohydrates):

Proteins: 23.5 g (~94 kcal)
Fat: 30.8 g (~277 kcal)
Carbohydrates: 0 g (~0 kcal)

Energy ratio (b|g|y): 25%|73%|0%

A small digression into history

Indeed, smoking, along with baking and roasting products, is rightfully considered one of the most ancient culinary methods.

It arose, probably, as spontaneously as burning meat on an open fire. Surely one of the primitives, having burned a few tidbits, decided to wait a little longer and simply withstand the future delicacy in smoke, and not in an open flame. And having received a delicious-tasting product, he forever remained faithful to just this method of preparation.

Smoking meat and fish products was known in all countries of the ancient world. Everywhere it was popular, and everywhere they created their own exclusive, traditional dishes.

The specifics of smoking

The main difference between smoking and other types of heat treatment is that the entire product being smoked is processed with smoke. Not with temperature, as in frying, not with open fire, as in roasting, and not with boiling water, as in boiling. It's the smoke.

In this case, the smoked product can be placed at different distances from the source of smoke and, therefore, in places with different temperatures. And depending on this placement, there are several types of smoking:

• hot smoking, in which the product is smoked at a temperature of about 50-110 degrees. This is a fairly quick method used in home cooking.
• cold smoking, in which the product is in the temperature zone of about 20-25 degrees. This process is stretched, as a rule, for several days, but during it the final product retains many of its nutritional properties.
• wet smoking, similar to cold smoking, but produced by processing smoke from smoldering wet sawdust. Wet-smoked products have a special, delicate taste.

No less important is the fact that almost exclusively livestock products and fish are smoked. There are almost no smoked dishes from vegetables, and even more so - fruits.

And at the same time, smoking is a unique process that provides a variety of properties of the final product. Both positive and, alas, negative.

Smoking from all sides

And the main disadvantage of smoking is the presence of certain carcinogenic properties in some substances that make up the smoke. It was the fight against this shortcoming that led technologists to the invention of the so-called "liquid smoke" - cooled and distilled substances from the smoke itself, from which the main carcinogens have been removed. "Liquid smoke", thus, is a liquid in which the smoked product is simply soaked.

Sometimes "liquid smoke" can be obtained by simple synthesis in the laboratory. The taste qualities of products treated with such “smoke” are slightly different from natural ones, but these same products are guaranteed not to contain carcinogens.

Sausage cheeses

Smoked sausage cheese occupies a special place among the huge variety of dairy products. This name is due to two reasons:

1. The sausage product is called because the prepared cheese mass is packaged with a syringe in a special machine in a polymer shell (cellophane is most often used). The result is a product that looks like a loaf of sausage.

2. At the final stage, the finished product is slightly pumped up. Hence the name "smoked".

For the production of sausage cheeses, a special technology is used. Rennet varieties of cheeses are mainly taken as raw materials. They then go through the following steps:

The initial mass melts at a temperature of 95 degrees. This method was first applied in Switzerland.
Hot mass goes to packaging.
Ready loaves enter the smoking chamber, where they are processed with natural smoke for at least three hours.

Some manufacturers simplify the process by introducing liquid smoke into the recipe of the initial mixture. In this case, the last step can be omitted. But such smoked sausage cheese will not be natural and completely unsafe.

Smoked products

But already there are a lot of products obtained using smoking technology. These delicacies have too rich taste and aroma. The most famous of them are:

Smoked fish, both marine and freshwater. The famous Baltic sprats are also here.
Ham - smoked tenderloin of pork or beef sirloin.
Smoked sausage, varieties of which there are whole hosts. By the way, it also includes sujuk, a Turkic smoked sausage, and pastrama, a Romanian national dish.

However, the famous basturma is not a product of smoking, but of drying. And shish kebab, no matter how it was customary to cook it in smoke, was originally a product of roasting meat over an open fire.

Smoked lard, without which Ukrainian independence is inconceivable.
Smoked cheese, recognized as one of the greatest culinary achievements in Denmark.

In fact, there are many more such dishes. And it’s worth trying them just in order to broaden your horizons. Moreover, in comparison with fried and boiled products, smoked products are many times more useful and valuable. So try your best!

Liquid smoke - what is it really

During natural smoking from wood smoke, a certain amount of carcinogens enters the products, which, after consuming the product, naturally enter the body. But this problem is easily solved, one has only to transfer the smoke to a liquid state and remove harmful elements from it. After testing this technology, scientists called it liquid smoke - a liquid in which products are soaked, after being in which they acquire the properties of smoked meat, but without the content of carcinogens.

Fans of natural smoking complain about this technology, because they believe that products processed in this way lose out in taste to products of normal (traditional) smoking. This may be true, but longevity and body health are much more important than additional notes of taste. Fish, meat or sausage tastes no worse than products prepared by smoking in the usual way. But the likelihood of cancer with the use of liquid smoked products is minimized.

Harm of smoked cheese and contraindications

Smoked cheese can harm people with individual intolerance to the product. It is worth considering the high calorie content of the product, so limit the amount of product consumed during weight loss and obesity. Poor-quality cheese, which contains a large amount of preservatives and other harmful substances, can adversely affect the work of the whole organism as a whole.

Harm and contraindications

Smoked cheese can harm the body only if it is a low quality product and was made with the addition of various chemical additives. Substances are usually indicated by the letter E and a set of numbers. These additives are extremely harmful to human health, can provoke allergic reactions and even the development of serious diseases.

Despite the fact that the history of cheese smoking goes back over a thousand years, the production of smoked cheese on an industrial scale began at the end of the 19th century. There are two main ways to smoke cheese - cold and hot. Cold smoking is carried out at low temperatures (up to 40 degrees) and lasts for a long time - from several hours to several days. Hot smoking takes place at a high (up to 80 degrees) temperature and occurs very quickly - several tens of minutes. At such high temperatures, the cheese melts quickly, so the industrial method of smoking cheese is fully automated. In addition, rapid hot smoking imposes more serious requirements on food safety, since at such temperatures hazardous components are present in the smoke, which requires additional smoke filtration in such smokehouses. The capacity of large industrial smokehouses is up to several hundred kilograms of product per hour.

How to make smoked cheese at home

Hot smoking of cheese at home is problematic, so you need to use cold. There are several methods of smoking at home. With the help of each of them, you can smoke any type of cheese - both purchased and homemade. Varieties can also be any: the main thing is that the cheese is hard. You can use Dutch cheese, parmesan or feta. Consider some of the ways to make smoked cheese:

• Use of a stationary smokehouse. The cheese is first cut into pieces 10x10x5 cm. Thicker ones are undesirable, since the smoke will not completely saturate it. After that, the cheese is placed in the refrigerator in an open form, for example, on a baking sheet, where it is aged for a day. After that, we take it out of the refrigerator, and for an hour the cheese is at room temperature. This will help get rid of excess moisture. Next, the cheese is placed in a smokehouse and aged there for the required time. As a rule, it is several hours. Wood chips, fragrant twigs or special granules act as a source of smoke. In the process, the pieces must be turned over at least 1 time. After cooking, smoked meat is placed in the refrigerator for several days, where it comes to condition.
• Using the grill or barbecue. For this method, you will need 1-2 kilograms of ice. Preliminary preparation of the product is the same as in the previous method. Raw materials are placed on the bottom of the grill to produce smoke and the grill is ignited. A grate with pieces of ice is placed on top - they will help maintain a low temperature during smoking. It is necessary to provide for the possibility of replacing the ice when it melts. Above the ice is placed a grill with cheese. The top of the grill is covered with a lid, in which there should be holes for the smoke to escape. Smoking lasts from half an hour to 6 hours. At the same time, it is necessary to regularly maintain the fire by adding coal and changing the melted ice.
• Using a homemade smokehouse. If you do not have the desire to buy a smokehouse, you can make it yourself. An empty 200l barrel can be used as a smokehouse. Fragrant twigs or wood chips are placed on its bottom, the layer thickness is not more than 1-2 cm. The cheese is located on top of the barrel on a grate attached at a height of about a meter from the bottom. As a rule, the cheese on the grill is on a baking sheet or a large frying pan. From above, the barrel is closed with a wet rag so that the smoke from the twigs has longer contact with the cheese. A fire is made under the barrel and, in fact, smoking begins. The cheese is turned several times during the process. The criterion for readiness is the coloring of the crust in dark yellow or brown.
• Using an old refrigerator. An old refrigerator can be used as a smokehouse. An electric stove is placed at its bottom, on which a frying pan with wood chips or twigs is installed. It is advisable to equip the refrigerator with an internal thermometer, since its thermal insulation allows even with a minimum heater power to reach high temperatures. Cheese is placed in a special dish (pot, pan or baking sheet) on the refrigerator grates. If it is not enough, then placement on the bottom shelf is desirable. Smoking at a temperature of 40 degrees lasts several hours. You can reduce this time if you increase the temperature to the hot smoking mode, but this should not be done at home - the smoky material decomposing at such temperatures contains a large amount of phenols that are harmful to humans.

Is smoked cheese healthy?

The use of cheese in cooking is very wide - from a simple snack to beer and salad components to entering recipes for serious meat and fish dishes. Smoked cheese is useful only with high-quality production. At the same time, all useful microelements that are part of milk should be preserved. These are such important components as phosphorus and calcium; they are necessary for normal hair and skeletal growth, as well as for maintaining healthy nails and teeth.

The high nutritional value of smoked cheese is achieved due to the fact that the fats included in its composition, during heat treatment, change their structure for the better and are evenly distributed throughout the volume of the product. This adds calories, while maintaining a supply of almost all vitamins, proteins and amino acids. When smoked, vitamins A and D are preserved. The calorie content of a good smoked cheese is from 320 to 420 kcal / 100 g.

If the composition includes various food additives with the prefix E, or it was smoked using the so-called. "liquid smoke", then the useful qualities of such cheese are in great doubt. A large part of these additives are harmful to the liver, and liquid smoke is completely carcinogenic.

How long does smoked cheese keep

Unlike ordinary, non-smoked cheeses, the storage of which is limited to 4-6 months (and the cheese can transfer this period if it is in intact packaging and under special storage conditions), smoked cheese is stored much longer. Due to the partial polymerization of fats, as well as natural antioxidants that enter the cheese during smoking, its shelf life is increased. So, for example, ordinary sausage cheese in cling film can be stored for up to 4 months. If the cheese was not unpacked after it was smoked, then its “life” can be up to a year. For example, Adyghe homemade cheese has a shelf life of about 30 days, but if it has been smoked, it can be eaten after a few years.

We hope you enjoyed our article on cheeses. If you want to add some new information or some recipe - share it with us in the comments block.

Chapter 10

Preparing cheese for smoking

In addition to all kinds of meat products, dairy products such as cheeses are also smoked. Their assortment today is quite rich. These are hard cheeses, and soft, and processed, and brine, and in the head, as well as grating. Each of the varieties has its own specific aroma and taste, formed as a result of exposure to lactic acid microflora. Smoking of each individual type of cheese makes it possible to achieve a much more piquant and unique taste, as well as an original fragrant range, close in quality to the most valuable cheeses such as Roquefort and Camembert.

Before you start smoking cheese, you must, of course, prepare the product itself for this process. In this case, you will not have to do any marinades, salting, drying and soaking. Being very tender, friable and containing little salt, cheeses do not accept any processing before smoking, and therefore their preparation is limited only by cutting into pieces of the required size, wrapping in one or another material, and also placing in a special fabric bag.

Let's count calories

In a temperate climate, the daily need for salt is 15-20 g. To obtain such an amount from food, it is enough to eat about 200 g of very salty meat or smoked fish products. Half the salt is contained in the same amount of cheese.

The division of pieces of cheese into smaller ones before processing is required due to the fact that the smoking of this product itself lasts no more than 3 minutes, and it will not work to soak a large piece of cheese properly with smoke, while a piece cut into pieces is completely soaked. As a result of this division, it is easy to achieve an increase in the natural taste of the product, as well as to give the cheese a more delicate aroma.

You can cut cheese for smoking into pieces of completely different sizes: from small slices to portions. After this operation, the pieces must be wrapped in a two- or three-layer paper napkin, a sheet of parchment or a clean cloth and placed in a small bag made of dense material, which is hung in the smokehouse. If the cheese is rather hard and pressed, do not wrap it in cloth and paper, hang it in a bag just like that.

Only blocks and heads of hard cheeses do not require cutting into pieces. Before smoking, the hardest cheeses are simply removed from the packaging and hung on a hook in the smokehouse. Soft, blocky cheeses are smoked directly in the shell, having previously pierced it in several places.

After the end of the smoking process of such heads, the product is placed in a refrigerator and kept in it for at least 3-4 hours. If the mass of cheese exceeds 50 g in weight, then cold exposure must be increased, as well as the smoke processing process itself. This operation is necessary so that all the smoke substances absorbed into the cheese are evenly distributed throughout its volume.

Pickled cheeses with a soft texture require a special approach. They are rather difficult to process with steam and, if handled improperly, can acquire a completely different taste and smell, color, and even surface condition. In this regard, they are smoked quite rarely, and if they do, they are wrapped in thick foil and, with little smoke, hung in a smokehouse for no more than 2-3 seconds.

Processed cheeses, before smoking, are transferred from the packaging into an artificial sausage film and, in this form, are placed in the smokehouse for just a few seconds. The most suitable for them is smoking in an electric smokehouse, where you can set the required processing mode and the degree of smokedness. Processed cheeses processed in this way acquire a sharp smell and taste, as well as an original aroma.

When preparing cheeses for smoking, remember that this product is quite delicate and requires careful handling and a “sharp eye”, because from one extra minute, cheese overexposed in a smokehouse not only does not acquire positive qualities, but loses them and becomes saturated with bitterness.

Tips from an experienced chef

Juice is released when meat is thawed for smoking. It can be used to prepare individual meat dishes.

Cold and hot smoking cheeses

In order to choose the right way to smoke certain cheeses, it is necessary to consider the impact of its various types on the product itself. When hot smoked, the cheese cooks very quickly, while little moisture evaporates from it, which makes the product perishable, which means it must be used after processing. With cold smoking, which takes a little longer, moisture is removed from cheeses evenly, which allows them to be stored for a longer time, and they do not lose any taste and aromatic properties. Therefore, if smoked cheese is intended for further use immediately, it is better to resort to hot smoking, because this will not only reduce the time for the procedure, but also give a very good result.

Hard smoked cheese (hot smoked)

Required: 1 whole head of cheese, 3 paper napkins.

Cooking method. Wrap the head of cheese in three napkins folded together and put on the metal hook of the pendant located in the smokehouse. Keep the cheese in the chamber for 25-40 seconds. The finished product should have a matte golden hue. Then remove the packaging from it and place in the refrigerator for 20-24 hours. Serve at the table, cut into slices.

Cold smoked hard cheese.

Required: 1 small head of Swiss hard cheese.

Cooking method. Place the head of hard cheese in a bag made of dense fabric, put it on a hook and hang it in a smokehouse. Smoke cold for 5-7 minutes, then remove from the chamber and hang in a cool ventilated area. After 2 hours, remove the finished cheese from the bag, cut into thin slices and serve with dry red wine.

Smoked processed cheese

Required: 300 g spicy processed cheese "Friendship", 1 tbsp. l. spices, a long loaf, a large paper napkin.

Cooking method. Unfold the cheese and place the foil on a folded paper napkin. Sprinkle with spices on top and dry slightly so that the cheese is covered with a crust. After that, place it in a paper bag and hang it in the smokehouse for 1.5-2 minutes. After this time, remove the cheese from the smoker, remove the wrapper and keep for 20-30 minutes in a cool place. Serve the cheese at the table spread on slices of bread, because after smoking it will acquire a delicate smearing texture.

Russian traditions

Poultry meat differs significantly in composition and properties from beef and pork, because it contains significantly less fat and moisture, has a less pronounced smell and taste, and a denser texture. Therefore, gourmet dishes are prepared from poultry and used in therapeutic and preventive nutrition.

Cold smoked processed cheese

Required: 2 blocks of processed cheese (50-100 g each), long loaf, 20 g butter, 100 g sausage, a bunch of greens.

Cooking method. Unfold the curds, grate on a coarse grater and dry the surface slightly so that the cheese does not melt when smoked. Grate or mash the sausage with a fork. Mix both masses and pour into a parchment bag. Place this bag in the smokehouse and soak in it for about 10 minutes.

Cut the loaf into portioned pieces and spread with oil. Put the smoked cheese and sausage mass out of the bag onto a plate and sprinkle the cooked sandwiches with it. Garnish everything with greens on top and serve this savory appetizer with a pronounced pleasant smoke aroma to the table.

Smoked processed plastic cheese

Required: 3 bars of processed cheese (100 g each), 2 tsp. cocoa.

Cooking method. Remove cheese from aluminum foil and chop with a fork. Combine the resulting mass with cocoa, mix thoroughly and pack it in an intestinal or parchment shell. Place the resulting cheese sausages in a smokehouse for 2-4 minutes. After this procedure, keep in the cold for 20-30 minutes. Serve the finished product to the table with coffee or tea.

Smoked cheese-fruit mass (hot smoked)

Required: 3 blocks of processed cheese (100 g each), 1/2 cup orange juice, apple, 1 tbsp. l. Sahara.

Cooking method. Grate blocks of curds on a coarse grater. Soak the resulting mass in orange juice and dry slightly. Grate the apple on a fine grater and mix with the curd mass. Mix everything thoroughly and put in a parchment bag. Hang this bag on a hook in the smoker chamber and hold for 3 minutes. Transfer the finished mass to a vase, sprinkle lightly with sugar and serve with dessert spoons for cocoa or milk drinks.

Smoked grated cheese

Required: 1 head of sharp, very salty grated cheese, 1/4 kg of boiled pasta, salt, 1 liter of water.

Cooking method. Place a piece of grater cheese in a linen or paper bag and hang it on a hook placed in the smoking chamber. Keep the cheese in the smoker for 3 minutes, and then remove the packaging and leave for 20 minutes in a cool place.

Boil pasta in lightly salted water, drain in a colander and season with oil. Then put it in a slide on a dish and sprinkle with cooked smoked grated cheese, after rubbing it on a coarse grater.

Tips from an experienced chef

After defrosting, the meat must be washed, then thoroughly cleaned of films and tendons.

Smoked grated cheeses

Required: 200 g powdered grated cheese, 1 tbsp. l. small raisins.

Cooking method. Sort the raisins, rinse and pour boiling water for 5 minutes. When the berries are softened, drain the water and dry the raisins on a cloth. Place powdered or regular grated cheese on a coarse grater in a plate, add cooked raisins to it and mix. Put the resulting mass into a cloth bag and smoke it in a cold way for 6-8 minutes. Then put it out of the bag on a plate and keep it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. Ready smoked grater cheese can be used for making sandwiches or for dressing second courses.

Smoked grated green cheese

Required: 1 cone of green grater cheese (100 g).

Cooking method. Remove the cheese cone from the foil, transfer to a cloth bag and place in the smoker. Smoke in it in a cold way for 8 minutes. Then soak the cheese for 30 minutes in the cold and grate. The resulting bluish mass, the color of which will intensify after smoking due to the presence of crushed blue sweet clover leaves in the product, dry a little on a cloth napkin. When the chips are lightly covered with a crust, it can be poured into a plastic resealable dish. Such a spicy cheese is used as a dressing for soups or as an independent snack.

Smoked sour-milk sausage cheese

Required: sour-milk cheese sausage, a bunch of parsley and dill.

Cooking method. Finely chop parsley and dill. Gently squeeze the sausage cheese out of the film into a plate, chop with a fork, add the cooked chopped greens to it and mix everything thoroughly. Fill the film again with the finished cheese mass, tie it tightly and place the sausage in the smokehouse for 3-4 minutes. The finished smoked product can be used for sandwiches or served as a seasoning for a side dish.

Let's count calories

One of the most important minerals for the body is iron. Its daily norm, necessary for the normal functioning of the body, is only 15 mg. Getting such a seemingly small amount of iron is actually not so easy, because its content in individual products does not cover the need. With a mixed diet, which combines iron-rich foods - beef, animal liver and kidneys, it is much easier to get the required amount.

Dutch smoked cheese

Required: 1 cylinder of Dutch cheese (weighing 1.5 kg).

Cooking method. Cut off a thin layer of a reddish film from the cheese, cut it into small pieces and wrap each of them in a paper napkin. Then place all the pieces in a fabric bag, pierce it with a hook and strengthen it in the smoking chamber. Cold smoke on wood and cherry tree branches for 10-12 minutes. Refrigerate ready-made very fragrant slices for about 1 hour so that the smoke is evenly distributed over their entire surface. Cheese processed in this way has a moderately spicy taste and goes well with second courses and beer. It should be served at the table cut into portioned pieces.

Smoked gourmet cheese

Required: 500 g Roquefort cheese, smoked herring, 1 tbsp. l. spices and tomato paste, a long loaf, 30 g butter, a jar of sprats (for decoration).

Cooking method. Smoke a head of Roquefort cheese in a cold way, keep it in the cold, and then grind it on a grater. Cut the smoked herring into fillets and pass it through a meat grinder. Combine both masses together, season with spices and pasta and mix thoroughly.

Prepare croutons. Cut the loaf into thin slices and fry these slices on both sides in boiling butter. Spread the prepared pasty mass on the bread, decorate the croutons with sprats and serve the appetizer to the table.

Hot smoked cream cheese

Required: 300 g cream cheese, lemon, orange, 1/2 loaf.

Cooking method. Put the cheese resembling thick sour cream in a plastic bucket and hang it in a smokehouse for 2 minutes. Squeeze the juice from the orange and lemon through a juicer and mix it. Cut off the crust from the loaf, and roll small balls from the pulp. Alternately dip them first in the juice, and then in the smoked cheese mass and lay them in a slide on a flat dish. Serve an appetizer with white wine or beer.

Tips from an experienced chef

To improve the taste, the minced meat of sausages must be ripened: this is achieved by fermentation, which gives the minced meat a pleasant aroma of ripe meat.

Crispy smoked hard cheese

Required: head of hard cheese (1 kg), egg, 2 tbsp. l. crumb crumbs, 1/2 kg fried potatoes, 3 tbsp. l. butter, salt.

Cooking method. Cut the head of cheese into 3 parts and hang each on the hooks in the smokehouse so that they do not touch each other. Keep in the chamber for 4 minutes, and then place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Beat the egg until foamy with a little salt.

Cut the finished smoked cheese into slices 1 cm thick, dip in a beaten raw egg and roll in breadcrumbs. Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the cooked cheese slices in it. Serve with fried potatoes at the table.

Smoked cheese "Russian"

Required: a block of Russian cheese (1 kg), 1/2 kg of walnuts, 1 tbsp. l. spices.

Cooking method. Place a block of cheese in a gauze bag along with spices and hang it on a hook in the smoking chamber. Cold smoke for 15 minutes, then remove, cool and cut off the top paraffin crust from the cheese. Cut the rest into portioned slices at least 1 cm thick.

Grind walnuts in a coffee grinder. Then scatter the nut crumbs in an even layer on the kitchen board, alternately place pieces of cheese on it and press them as hard as possible so that the crumb is pressed into the pulp. Place the finished nut-cheese appetizer with a light spicy aroma on a flat dish and serve with champagne or red wine.

Smoked Cheddar Cheese

Required: 1 cylinder of Cheddar cheese, 100 g dry unleavened biscuits, 2 tbsp. l. roasted groundnut crumbs.

Cooking method. Due to the fact that the cheese is enclosed in a dense shell of gauze and thin calico covered with a paraffin film, it should not be placed in a bag or wrapped in a napkin before smoking. Pierce the cheese with a hook in the center and thus hang it in the chamber for 3 minutes.

Peel the finished smoked cylinder from the shells and cut into wide thin slices. Then, using a glass, cut out circles from these cheese layers and lay them on the cookies. Spread the finished snack on a large flat dish, sprinkle with crumbs of roasted nuts and serve with beer.

Russian traditions

In many homes, smoked hams were baked in dough. They differ in delicate taste and juiciness. After salting, the ham is well soaked, washed and stuffed with finely chopped garlic cloves. Then it is covered on all sides with batter made from rye or wheat flour with a layer of 1-1.5 cm and baked for 2.5-3 hours until fully cooked in the oven. Thanks to the layer of dough, the meat retains juiciness and acquires excellent taste. The finished baked ham is cooled in air, the bread crust is removed.

Smoked "Roquefort"

Required: a cylinder of Roquefort cheese (2 kg).

Cooking method. Remove the parchment from the surface of the cheese and wrap it in several paper towels. Then place in a cloth bag and hang it in the smoking chamber for 2 minutes. Carefully cut the finished smoked cheese into thick portioned pieces, as it crumbles a lot. Spread the pieces like a fan on a flat dish, lightly sprinkle with spices and garnish with herbs. This spicy, marbled blue-veined delicacy is served with semi-sweet or dry grape wine.

Smoked cheese-marble mass

Required: 200 g Roquefort cheese, 100 g shortbread cookies, loaf.

Cooking method. Remove the foil from the cheese block, and put the soft cheese mass itself into a small plastic bucket. Then toss so that the dark blue or blue-green streaks resulting from the vital activity of a special blue mold turn into original stains.

Pass dry shortbread cookies through a meat grinder and add crumbs to the cheese mass. Mix everything thoroughly and hang directly in a bucket in the smoking chamber for 3 minutes. Smoke better in a hot way on birch wood. After this time, place the cheese mass in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, and then spread it on slices of loaf, dry biscuits or biscuits, and serve.

Smoked snack cheese roll

Required: a cylinder of snack cheese, 1 kg of dried mushrooms, 3 tbsp. l. butter.

Cooking method. Dried champignons pour boiling water for 5 minutes, drain the water, fry them in butter and pass through a meat grinder. Cut the cheese into slices 1 cm wide across the entire width of the cylinder. Between each of the pieces obtained, lay out the cooked champignons in an even layer and combine the cheese again into a cylinder. After that, place it in a cloth bag, hang it in the chamber and smoke it for 2 minutes. Then clean the cheese cylinder from the shell of slime and mold that covers the surface and cut it across into pieces to make a small roll with a layer. Serve the roll with champagne or as a pre-dinner appetizer.

Tips from an experienced chef

Among the huge range of smoked meats, there are those that can (or even need to) fry. Half-smoked sausage is fried without adding fat, because it has enough fat. Smoked ham slices are always recommended to be roasted.

Smoked snack cheese

Required: a jar of snack cheese (150 g), a bag of coconut flakes.

Cooking method. Transfer the semi-liquid snack cheese from the jar to a small plastic bucket and hang it in the smoker for 1 minute. After that, place the cheese in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, and then mix with coconut flakes. Mix the resulting paste-like mass thoroughly, put it on a vase and serve. Serve with pasta any savory pastries or croutons.

Cold smoked tea and coffee cheeses

Required: 3 bars of tea cheese (150 g each), 1/2 kg of fruit (apple, orange, pear, lemon), 100 g of cottage cheese, 2 tbsp. l. powdered sugar.

Cooking method. Free the cheese bars from the wrapper and wrap them in folded three napkins, put them in a cloth or parchment bag. Smoke cold for 4 minutes, using apple or cherry branches and firewood for more aroma.

Pass the cottage cheese through a meat grinder, mix with the cheese mass. Fruit, if necessary, peel, core and leaves and cut into small slices. Lay these slices on a vase in a slide and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Put the cooked smoked curd mass along the edges of the vase. Serve the finished dessert to the table.

Smoked pickled cheeses

Required: 100 g cheese, 3 tbsp. l. lemon juice.

Cooking method. Cut the cheese bar into slices, put them in a colander and pour over boiling water to remove excess salinity. Then put these slices so that they do not touch on a cloth napkin and dry on it. After that, put the pieces in a bag and smoke in a hot way for 2 minutes.

After this time, place the cheese in the refrigerator for 1-1.5 hours and only then serve it as a spicy snack. To give the smoked cheese a more savory taste, you can lightly drizzle it with lemon juice before serving.

Let's count calories

The best ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, according to studies, is a percentage of 1:1:4. Thus, for the best life of the body, carbohydrates are most needed. Thanks to them, food is better absorbed, and also becomes more high-calorie.

On many resources you can find comprehensive information on how to smoke fish, meat, chicken, lard. There is much less information on how to make smoked cheese. Despite the simplicity of the technology, this process is not popular.

The paradox lies in the fact that it is necessary to have certain knowledge in order to get not only a tasty, but also a healthy product, and those recipes where you have to learn, think, reflect, are left aside, because the majority of users want to get a result without applying not only physical, but also mental efforts. Nevertheless, there are plenty of people who want to learn how to smoke cheese, so such articles also find their readers.

healthy cheese

Smoked cheese is widely used in cooking, it is an indispensable ingredient in the preparation of salads, sandwiches, pizza and other snacks. The whole difficulty of working with this dairy product lies in the short shelf life. Sometimes the inept actions of a novice amateur lead to spoilage of the cheese. No effort will help if a certain type of cheese is unsuitable for smoking. It remains only to hope for the right choice when buying or manufacturing a product.

The history of the emergence of a new dish in the form of smoked cheese is quite controversial.

• On the one hand, it is known that smoking was widely used in ancient Greece as a way to extend the shelf life of various products.
• On the other hand, the inhabitants of Denmark rightly believe that they are the only bearers of secret traditions that allow them to properly prepare processed smoked cheese.

Today, many ways of hot and cold smoking of a product are known, but they were discovered only thanks to the variety of milk processing results that is presented in any store.

Speaking about the benefits of cheese, including smoked cheese, for the body, it should be noted that this is a real repository of substances such as phosphorus, calcium, potassium and magnesium. Despite the fact that there is no official confirmation, practice shows the strengthening of bones, nails and hair with regular consumption of cheese. It is also rich in acids and protein, and there are no carbohydrates in dairy products, so they are often found in the diet of many diets. One obligatory condition is imposed on the given data - the cheeses must be natural.

The reverse side of smoked products is characterized by the negative effects of exposure to smoke. Recently, it has become normal to follow a healthy diet, as the consumer basket is represented by artificial products, overflowing with preservatives and substitutes. In light of this attitude, consumer concerns become understandable.

Carcinogens released during the combustion of any fuel, according to scientists, are the cause of the development of many diseases, including oncogenic ones. We will not deny this fact, since it is the place to be. But smoking cheese is always short-term, and therefore, of all products processed with natural smoke, cheese is the safest.

As for the calorie content, it averages 350 kcal, which is a fairly high figure, but do not forget about the absence of carbohydrates. That is, those people who strictly follow a diet can safely consume this product, because for excess weight, it is carbohydrates that are the determining factor. Even high fat content is not considered a reason to exclude cheese from the diet.

Some production issues

On an industrial scale, cold-smoked cheese began to be made relatively recently. For history, the appearance of the first cheese factory at the end of the 19th century is considered an event not so long ago. Until then, only cheese was smoked at home. We can say that attempts to cook this dish now are a revival of the traditions of their ancestors.

As with meat, two methods of smoking are defined here. When cold smoked, the temperature does not exceed 40°C degrees, and when hot smoked, it varies within 80°C degrees. A feature of industrial production is process automation.

Since the cheese semi-finished product melts very quickly, it must spend a strictly defined time in the smokehouse. In addition, strict security restrictions are imposed on the process. The proportion of toxic smoke components absorbed during the smoking process should not exceed strictly established standards.

Hot smoking

The recipe for making cheese does not contain preparation steps, unlike other products. Cheese does not need to be soaked or marinated. To smoke cheese, you will have to skillfully manage the oil lamp. If it came to you for the first time, then it is recommended to try your hand at other, less whimsical products. It is also possible to gain experience by lighting a fire and test smoking with an empty box. All that is required of you is to be able to clearly set the temperature in the smoking box and keep it constant for a certain time.

Everything you need that you may need to cook hot smoked cheese from start to finish, stock up immediately and place it at a close distance, as sometimes you have to act quickly.

• Cheese must be hard varieties. This condition does not need to be explained in detail, since everyone understands that otherwise the cheese or cheese product does not retain its integrity of the company.
• To remove moisture, you need a cloth that does not leave lint and marks. Paper towels or cotton cloth are perfect.
• Fine twine, preferably linen. There is a special culinary thread.
• Wood chips can be used as a material. Experts say that wood chips or sawdust must be fruit. If it is not possible to get such material, alder can replace it.

First, choose the cheese in the store. Especially for those who do not have experience in the classification of cheeses, we explain that hard varieties are such as Dutch or Russian and the like. Next, the product will have to be divided into portions. We won’t have time to smoke a large piece, because it will stay in the smokehouse for only a couple of minutes. The recommended weight of one piece is 200 grams.

Each piece is wrapped in a fabric prepared in advance and tied with a thread. Having provided strong and reliable protection, it is possible to smoke not only hard cheeses according to this principle. For example, Adyghe cheese is taken out of a plastic package and placed in a cotton cloth. When using napkins, it is desirable to apply a multilayer wrap.

The smokehouse must be perfectly clean. The slightest remnants of products from the last smoking, foreign objects, especially those made of plastic, will give extraneous unpleasant odors. After cleaning the smoking box, a thin layer of sawdust is scattered on its bottom.

A fire is lit in the barbecue. High intensity is not needed, as the temperature in the box will not exceed 80°C degrees. It is necessary that the firewood burns with the same intensity. After making sure that this condition is met, you can put the smokehouse on the grill and close it with a lid. A thin stream of white smoke is taken as the beginning of the process. She announces that the chips began to smolder. At first, you need to constantly look behind the lid, as there is a risk of melting the product. This is the main inconvenience of cooking.

Smoked according to the described principle, the cheese is removed from the towel and placed in the refrigerator. Despite the fact that the cheese is a product of hot smoking, it should be infused for about a day in the refrigerator, because it gets on the table in a cold form.

Cold smoking

In this recipe, you also need to take only hard cheeses. Depending on the specific type of material, the course of smoking may change, but the cold method in any case involves smoking at a temperature not exceeding 40 ° C degrees.

In the smokehouse you can cook a real product. The optimal shape and size of a piece of cheese is a parallelepiped, 10 cm long and wide, and 5 cm high. First, the cheese needs to be cooled, but here the determining parameter is not temperature, but humidity. After the product lies in the refrigerator for a day, small droplets form on its surface. This is a symbol that you have chosen the right approach.

Moisture must be removed with a napkin, and the pieces should be sent to the smokehouse. A step-by-step cooking recipe is given, however, it is not possible to accurately name the period of stay of the product in the smokehouse. Willingness will have to be assessed visually. On average, the time varies around three hours. So, for example, the famous “pigtail”, which is trimmings of sausage cheese, is being prepared.

In the absence of a smokehouse, you can try smoking cheese with liquid smoke, but remember that the result will be different from natural smoking. The cheese in the smokehouse begins to melt, because even with cold smoking, the temperature is quite high. To simulate this, you need to heat the cheese in any way: in a microwave, a frying pan, an oven. Then it remains only to place the semi-finished product in a solution of a smoky extract.

Cold smoked cheeses have a long shelf life. Do not forget about such a natural process as winding. In addition, odors from the refrigerator are gradually absorbed into the product. If there is a possibility of regular smoking at home, then the cheese should not be left for a long time.

Hot-smoked cheese has one significant drawback - it is not stored well. It is appropriate to prepare such a dish for a noisy table when everything is eaten by guests. As soon as the cheese is exposed to high temperatures, it will lose its long-term storage properties, as its structure changes.

As a result, I would like to note that chilled cheeses can be once again exposed to high temperatures. A popular recipe is the sandwich. Cheese is one of the elements in it. It is grated, and then the bread and cheese is heated in the microwave. The resulting delicacy has a unique taste. On the one hand, it is a nutritious dish that is suitable for breakfast. On the other hand, a delicacy with the smell of smoke.

Having an ordinary home smokehouse, you can cook any smoked delicacies: meat, lard, poultry, fish. But few have tried to cook smoked cheese, beloved by many. This dairy product has many useful qualities and is widely used in cooking. This smoked meat is ideal for making hot sandwiches, pizza, savory salads and snacks. Smoking cheese at home is a simple process, but it still requires some rules that you need to know.

Composition, calorie content, benefits and harms of smoked cheese

Cheese is a healthy and nutritious product containing a large amount of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and vitamins. The product is simply necessary for the health of bone tissue, hair and nails.

Cheese also contains fatty acids and easily digestible protein, which ensure the normal functioning of the whole organism. But a product prepared only from high-quality raw materials, smoked in a natural way, without the use of preservatives and flavoring additives, can be considered useful.

The procedure for hot smoking cheese is quite fast and the product does not have time to accumulate a harmful amount of carcinogens. Therefore, it can be used by everyone, except for people who have an individual intolerance or allergy to dairy products.

You should also beware of questionable products that are processed with liquid smoke. Given the high calorie content, you should not consume a large amount of smoked cheese for overweight people.

100 g of smoked cheese contains:

• Proteins - 23.5 g;
• Fat - 30.8 g;
• There are no carbohydrates.

The technology of smoking cheese in a hot smoked smokehouse

Smoking cheese takes very little time. In addition, the cheese does not need to be seasoned with spices and marinated, like other products.

For cooking you will need:

Cooking:

For smoking, any hard cheese is suitable. You can try from the simplest - Dutch or Russian. The cheese must be cut into portions, approximately 200 g each. Such pieces will quickly acquire the aroma and taste of smoke.

Then wrap each piece with a cloth or paper towel, tie with a thread. If napkins are used, then you need to wrap in several layers.

Prepare a smokehouse. Thoroughly clean it so that there are no foreign odors. Scatter wood chips evenly on the bottom, two small handfuls.

Place an empty smoking apparatus on a fire, close tightly with a lid or, if available, fill with a water seal.

After thick white smoke comes out of the hole, remove the lid and put the prepared cheese on the grate.

The cheese is smoked for only 2 minutes, at a temperature of 80-90⁰С. After cooking, the cheese must be removed from the smokehouse, freed from thread and napkins. Then place the smoked product in an airtight container and put in a cool place (refrigerator) for 24 hours.

During this time, each piece will be evenly saturated with the aroma of smoke, and the taste will become brighter and richer. You can enjoy this delicacy with a glass of light wine or use it to prepare savory dishes. Bon appetit!

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