An inside look into our cheese smoking process

Think about the last time you’ve indulged in a rich, creamy bite of smoked cheese with that unmissable, mouth-watering hint of hickory smoke in each and every morsel.  Ever wonder how it’s made?  We’re going behind the scenes to the Smoking room at Shullsburg Creamery because where there’s smoke, there’s delicious Shullsburg Creamery smoked cheese!

Currently, the Creamery has two smokers located just adjacent to the Packaging area.  It is here that the Creamery smokes a wide range of cheeses, including Colby, Baby Swiss, Mild Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar, Colby Jack, Pepper Jack, Provolone, Gouda, Cheese Curds, and most recently, even Blue cheese!  The smoker handles all shapes and sizes of cheese, from 7oz retail cuts to larger 6 pound wheels.  It can actually smoke up to 1,400 pounds of cheese at a time!

To begin, the smoker is inspected to ensure that it is in clean and working order in preparation to smoke.  Proper inspection and maintenance of the equipment is key – one must ensure there is no sawdust buildup in the piping before beginning a smoking session.

Once the smoker passes inspection, hickory wood chips are added.  A careful ratio of water is also added to the wood chips and its levels are monitored throughout the process.  The variety of cheese that’s going to be smoked is then loaded onto smoker carts and inserted into the smoker.  It is often asked if there is any treatment done to the cheese prior to smoking and the answer is no – nothing is applied to the cheese itself before it enters the smoker, though most of the time, the cheese is cut in advance to ensure an even distribution of smoky flavor throughout. 

One may think that temperature is important when smoking, but it is actually time that matters most to the recipe, and this is an area where we don’t rush – after all, most good things take time!  This slow smoking process allows the hickory smoke to fully infuse the cheese, enhancing and complementing its flavor.  At the duration of the session, the cheese is transformed into smoked goodness and displays a beautiful diamond pattern out the outside due to its resting on the metal grates.

After a smoking session, the cheese is allowed to cool, and then immediately is packaged to preserve the smoky flavor so when you open the cheese, slice off a piece and indulge in that first creamy bite, it will taste like it just came fresh out of the smoker! 

Shullsburg Creamery’s expansive line of smoked cheeses is available both in store and online.