Smoking cheese: Types, times, temperatures
Smoking cheese is the ideal beginner project for cold smoking: no curing, low risk – just three rules. First: stay below 20 °C (texture suffers from 24–27 °C, milk fat melts from ~32 °C). Second: 2–4 hours of thin smoke, turn every 30–60 minutes. Third: patience – let it breathe for 24–48 hours, then mature vacuum-packed for 2–4 weeks. If you try the cheese straight from the smoke, you will be disappointed; if you wait two weeks, you get smoked cheese that beats any shop-bought one.
Last updated: 23 July 2026 · Author: Michael Vering, Beelonia GmbH · All prices: as of July 2026
Reading tip: Cheese is the perfect test for your cold smoke equipment – find out what that is in retrofitting cold smoke.
Which varieties are suitable – and which are not?
| Cheese | Suitability | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gouda (young/medium mature) | ideal | the classic, takes on smoke evenly |
| Mountain cheese / Emmental | very good | strong base, handles 3–4 h of smoke |
| Butterkäse | good | mild, only smoke for 2 h |
| Cheddar | very good | international standard |
| Mozzarella (block) | good | smoke briefly, keep very cool |
| Soft/cream cheese | tricky | melts even at low heat |
The guide: 2 hours of smoke, 2 weeks of patience
- Preparation: Divide the cheese into fist-sized blocks (more surface area = more flavour), pat dry and bring to room temperature – cold cheese will attract condensation in the smoke and become patchy.
- Smoking: On the grate at below 20 °C in thin, 'blue' smoke – starting point 2 hours, strong varieties up to 4. Thick white smoke makes cheese bitter in minutes.
- Turning: Every 30–60 minutes so that all sides get the golden-brown smoke rind.
- Letting it breathe: 24–48 hours in parchment (no plastic!) in the fridge – the sharp smoke notes will dissipate.
- Maturing: Vacuum-packed for 2–4 weeks in the fridge – the smoke phenols migrate from the rind to the inside, rounding off the flavour.
Why the temperature limit is absolute: Unlike with fish or meat, there is no saving cheese – once the fat has sweated out and the edges have melted, it is irreversible. German sources set the limit at 20–25 °C; the conservative recommendation is: stay below 20 °C. This makes smoking cheese an autumn and winter project, ideal as a 'by-catch' alongside smoking ham: the smoke generator is running anyway – a tier of cheese simply smokes along with it.
Choice of wood: Beech is the safe standard; RÄUCHERGOLD cherry gives cheese a mild, sweet note and a warmer colour – the most popular combination for Gouda.
Frequently asked questions about smoking cheese
Can I smoke cheese in summer?
Practically no – even an outside temperature of 25 °C pushes the cheese to its limit. Cheese belongs in the cool season or in cool night hours; read more in the article Smoking in winter.
How long does smoked cheese keep?
Vacuum-packed in the fridge for several weeks – the maturing process extends seamlessly into storage. Once cut, treat it like normal cheese and wrap it in cheese paper.
Why is my smoke rind patchy?
Damp or cold surface at the start – or not turned often enough. Pat dry, bring to temperature, turn regularly: then the rind will become an even golden brown.
Reading tip: If you have acquired a taste for it after the cheese: smoking salt, nuts & butter are the next low-risk cold smoke projects.
Your first cold smoke project
Smoke generator, cold smoke insert and mild cherry RÄUCHERGOLD – the low-risk introduction to cold smoking. By Beelonia GmbH, since 1880.
Sources and technical basis: Cheese dossier (below 20 °C, 2–4 h, turn every 30–60 min, 24–48 h parchment, 2–4 weeks maturing; fat limits 24–27/32 °C; DE/US controversy on upper limit; creosote warning). Hero photo: WordPress Photo Directory, CC0. Prices: beelonia-shop.de, as of July 2026.
