Cold smoking and why you should do it

Ever have that indoor meal where you wished you had a little more flavor.  Maybe one of those days where your time is limited and you can only dream of that wonderful flavor.  Enter cold smoking....

I've been using my trusty rig for almost 3 years now.  Today I set off to make my salads taste a little better since I am trying to cut down on my junk food intake.  I grabbed 3 different cheeses, White Oak Cheddar for shredding, Colby Jack for sandwiches, and Extra Sharp Cheddar for anything from topping crackers to salads.  The jalepenos from the garden will be used for my first attempt at making adobe paste sauce.

Today was pretty chilly so I didn't need to pan of ice under the rack to keep the cheese cool.  The wood of choice today (and pretty much every time I cold smoke) was apple wood.  Once cracking the grill open looked like cracking the door on Cheech and Chongs van, I added my rack with all the goods.  

Fast forward 45 minutes and the cheese is really taking to the smoke.  A small slice gives that perfect smoky taste that let's you know the mission is about to be accomplished.  I like mine really smoky, but some prefer it less smoke so it may take a few tastes at different times to find what suits you.  Now when I'm not eating something straight off the grate, I can have that sought after smoke flavor anyway.

K