Cold Smoked Cheese Easy Brie Appetizer might just be the hit of your next party. Take your wine and cheese party in a whole new and very interesting direction.
Wood pellets, a cold smoker box, and some great brie produce the best smoked cheese you have ever tasted. You might also want to make this easy cheese log too.
When I first tried cold smoked brie at one of the many grilling classes we have attended, I was hooked. Even my husband (who is not a brie lover) thought the smoked cheese appetizer was REALLY good.
I am so glad I can convert those taste buds of his to enjoy the good things in life. Have you tried smoked apples?
Have you tried smoked cheddar? We often have it in the house, especially when Costco puts it on sale.
RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for this smoked cheese recipe are at the bottom of the post.
Once we found out how to make it ourselves, there is no need to buy it anymore.
It is easy to do and gives you the option to try lots of other cold smoked cheese recipes. The different combinations of paring woods and cheeses are endless.
Totally different than pit smoking. If you know anything about hot smoking, controlling the temperature is vital. My husband loves his Flame Boss 300 WiFi.
What Is Cold Smoked Cheese?
If you have ever bought smoked cheese at the store you know it can be expensive. Flavour is added to cheese with the help of wood chips or pellets using a low temperature.
The cheese is not cooked but infused with a smokey flavour from the outside. What a great way to add some personality and elevate the taste of humble cheese. Take ordinary cheese and make it extraordinary.
For this cold smoked cheese recipe, we re-created the originally smoked brie appetizer we had at our cooking class.
Did you know that Canada has some fantastic cheese? Look for the Dairy Farmers of Canada logo next time you shop for your selection of cheese.
There are several methods to cold smoke cheese. You can use a gas grill or charcoal grill. My hubby is a BBQ fanatic (yup he has all the toys).
For this brie appetizer, he used a KEG charcoal grill (minus the charcoal). When we smoked cheese in class it was done on a gas grill (minus the heat).
So, you may ask if there is NO HEAT involved, how do you smoke cheese? You use a container called a smoker box.
Some can be tubes, others can be DIY foil pouches. In both our cooking class and our own cheese smoking, we used a cold smoking tray by *(affiliate) *A-Maze-N.
The Cold Smoking Process
- choose your cheese (bring it to room temperature prior to smoking)
- choose your wood pellet flavour (we used apple, more info below)
- fill your smoking container with the pellets
- place inside the grill and light
- close lid (for several minutes) to start the smoking process
- add the cheese on the rack (not too close to the smoker box, you don’t want the cheese to melt from the heat)
- monitor the heat inside the grill (you want to keep it under 90 degrees F)
- continue to smoke till you reach your desired level of flavour (hard cheeses will take longer than soft cheeses)
Cold smoking on a cool day is ideal. It makes it much easier to control the temperature inside the grill. The day we smoked our cheese it was a million degrees outside.
How long does it take to cold smoke cheese? Hubby cold smoked the brie for 80 minutes. Depending on the outside temperature, and the type of cheese you choose, you can cold smoke anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours.
Can you freeze smoked cheese? Yes, but I would only freeze HARD cheeses. Make sure they are wrapped REALLY WELL (vacuum sealing is ideal) to prevent freezer burn. You can usually keep it for about 2 months in the freezer.
Can you eat smoked cheese right away? The flavour of the cheese right off the grill will be milder than when you store it in the fridge. In fact, just like fine wine (and women LOL) if you can let it sit for a week or so, the flavour will be over the top fantastic. Be sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap.
Of course, when you smoke brie, how can you not eat it right away? Warm, gooey and delicious the absolute BEST time to eat it!!
Best Cheese To Smoke
This is the fun part (along with choosing the wood flavours). Just about any cheese that will not fall apart will work. Large blocks of cheese should be cut into smaller pieces (but DO NOT cut the brie). That would be a tragedy!
- Brie
- Mozzarella
- Monterey Jack
- Gouda
- Swiss
- Gruyere
As for the best wood for smoking, there are lots of flavour profiles to choose from.
You can go from mild (like apple and cherry) to strong (like hickory and mesquite). The choices are ALL personal preference. Lots of tasty options for your eating pleasure.
This home smoked cheese was our Sunday afternoon appetizer. Paired perfectly with wine (who would have thought LOL). Who would have thought of making cheese on the grill?
Sliced nice and warm, runny wedges of goodness, put them on some crackers (or straight to my mouth). Piled on some spicy wine jam, added some charcuterie meats, and called it dinner.
If you like warm cheese, mini stuffed peppers make a GREAT party starter. Have you ever tried Grilled Shishito Peppers? They have a nice smokey flavour, and totally addictive. You won’t be able to eat just one.
This easy cheese appetizer would be perfect with roasted eggplant slices. Easy finger food for bbq parties.
From appetizers like Strawberry Bruschetta to desserts like Watermelon Pizza or Grilled Balsamic Strawberries, cheese seems to be a common denominator in many recipes. Have you ever tried baked feta and strawberries? So good!
Cold Smoked Cheese Easy Brie Appetizer certainly will be happening a few more times (all year long).
Want more appetizers cooked on the grill? Here are a few to try this summer for your bbq parties!
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Cold Smoked Cheese Easy Brie Appetizer
Ingredients
- 21 ounces Brie cheese wheel (brought to room temperature)
- Crackers (optional)
- Toppings (optional)
Instructions
To Smoke:
- Fill your smoker container with your choice of pellets.
- Place inside your grill, and ignite. Close the lid for a few minutes to create some smoke.
- Place the room temperature cheese on the grill (not near the smoker container).
- Close the lid, and smoke until your desired level of flavour. We smoked ours for about 80 minutes. **NOTE** Be sure the internal temperature of your grill stays under 90ºF…YOU DON’T WANT TO COOK/MELT THE CHEESE.
To Serve:
- When done, remove from grill.
- Place on a board, along with a cheese knife, crackers, meats, and toppings.
- ENJOY!!
Celeste
Wow! This sounds very interesting and delicious. Brie is one of my favorite cheeses and it’s a nice one to use when entertaining. I’m sure smoking the brie will add even more taste and complexity.
Homemade & Yummy
Yes, smoking the brie takes it to another level of deliciousness.
Veena Azmamov
I have never made smoked cheese my self but I remember the guys using the foil method as well. This is definitely a perfect appetizer. Love how the cheese gets soft and almost melts in the mouth.
Homemade & Yummy
Yup…it does become very delicious this way for sure. If you are a brie lover…you are going to love it this way for sure.
Valerie
I’ve never heard of cold smoking before. I have tried smoked cheeses but have never made them myself, the way you did it sounds pretty easy.
Homemade & Yummy
It is super easy. You will be amazed at the results. Hope you give it a try.
Camilla Hawkins
Wow, I have never had cold smoked cheese before but after seeing this I really want to try it!
Homemade & Yummy
Hope you give this a try. I’m sure you will love it as much as we do. Perfect for entertaining.
Tina
I would have never thought you could do this at home! My mom loves smoked cheese, so I will have to let her know about this.
Homemade & Yummy
Yes…this is so easy to do. Once you try it….you will do it all the time.
Kacie Morgan
I would love to cold-smoke my own cheese. I am practically addicted to cheese. I love all kinds but Brie is definitely among my favourites.
Homemade & Yummy
I know it is so good. This is the perfect appetizer for BBQ parties….or any party!!
Kelly Anthony
This sounds so good! I’ve never had a smoky brie before, but it’s one my favorite cheeses! Thanks for sharing this reciep!
Homemade & Yummy
The smoke transforms brie into another level of yum for sure.
Stine Mari
All this seems a little out of my league, however, I am intrigued of tasting it, I think it sounds fantastic! You have given some great and thorough tips too. Thank you for sharing!
Homemade & Yummy
It is NOT hard. Hope you give this a try. If you are a cheese lover…this is for you.
Jere Cassidy
This is so interesting and never knew you could do this on the grill. Great share.
Homemade & Yummy
I know, we were impressed when we learned about this too. It is so easy, and super delicious. A cheese lovers dream.
Michelle
I cannot tell you how fascinated I am with this idea. I’ve never thought about making my own smoked cheese, and I love that I can do it without a smoker and instead make a foil packet for my grill. Now I just have to figure out how to do that. Yum!
Homemade & Yummy
It is really easy. Just put some pellets in a foil pouch, poke some holes, light the pellets and there you go.
Micky
I am from Wisconsin – how have I never thought of smoked cheese!? I’ve shared this recipe with my dad who just got a new smoker for Father’s Day. I want to try smoked cheddar on pizza!
Homemade & Yummy
OMG!! YES you really need to give this a try. You have been missing out on some totally delicious cheese lady!
Denise
What a great idea! I’m showing this to my hubby who loves to smoke things. I think he’s ready for a new challenge. I really like that AmazeN container too. I have never seen that before and it might make a good gift for him. We eat a lot of cheese and this will come in handy for our next party!
Homemade & Yummy
Hubby got that for Father’s Day…LOVES it!! Hope you experiment and give this recipe a try. So good.
Jolina
Oh my word you might just have given us a new goal this summer. Smoked cheese sounds amazing! Yay for glorious Canadian cheese. Cannot wait to try this.
Homemade & Yummy
This is fun. Once you make it yourself, you won’t buy it at the store again.
Michelle
LOVE Brie, just need to get a smoker, On the list of things to shop for this wekeend!
Homemade & Yummy
OMG, this is so good. We are trying all different kinds of cheeses.
Lisa
i’m going to have to share this post with my husband (aka: the grillmaster). He does a lot of smoked meats, but he’s never done any cold smoking that I know of. I’m really curious how you keep such a low temperature and create smoke at the same time. It seems contradictory, but I can only imagine the deep smoky flavor infusing your brie. I would love that with my evening cocktail… This is really an ingenious method and I can’t wait to try it with my husband — though we may have to wait until our outdoor temps dip below 90°. LOL!
Homemade & Yummy
It is not as hard as you may think. The heat comes only from the pellets in the container. Hope you give this a try. I think once you do…you will never buy smoked cheese again. You will make it yourself from now on.