we've got 29 degrees above zero today, thought i would try a cheese smoke.

i took three 8-oz blocks of sharp cheddar, cut them in half lenghtwise, then crosswise to make a total of twelve small "logs." i also ahd a couple of similar-sized portions in the fridge of wisconsin cheddar, colby and some sort of cheddar with bits of salami imbedded. for the heck of it, i also tossed on a 5-inch section of summer sausage (casing-off) about the diameter of a tennisball left over from christmas.

i then arranged the cheese on on the top tray of my little chief with summer sausage on the 2nd tray and began smoking at 1315 using the "cool box" thechnique, which suspends the rack above the smoker box and encloses it in the cardboard shipping box.

i normally smoke two pans of chips for as long as it takes for the chips to smoke away - we'll see what the results are like.

at 1430, temperatures are down to 21 degrees and it is snowing niceley. a little bit of a breeze, but nothing terrible.

first pan of chips is still sending up nice thin smoke, will leave it for a little while and check back at 1500.

1700 - 2nd pan of chips is done and cheese is off. i ahve packaged the logs of charp cheddar in ziplocks with all the air pressed out so that the smoke flavor can distribute throughout.

we sampled the wisconsin cheddar, colby and cheddar with slami chunks in it. i found it to be very good, a little strong on the outside but a little too mild on the inside. i am guessing that time in the fridge will even things out.

the summer sausage has been packaged up and will be saved for an occaision calling for such an article of food, at which time i will know if it was any good! to be honest, it probably won't last past tomorrow....