BBQ & Smoking
Cold-Smoked Cheese (Brick or String)
By Ryan · Published 2026-08-06
Prep
10 min
Cook
4 hr
Difficulty
Easy
You don't even need a real grill for this one -- some tin foil pans, a clean brick or two, a pellet tube, heavy paper clips, and a grate work just fine, so long as things don't get too hot. The hardest part is waiting the month it takes to mellow out in the fridge.
Ingredients
- • Brick or string cheese of your choice
- • Wood pellets for a pellet tube (milder woods like apple or cherry recommended)
Steps
- 1.Set up your smoking area so it stays cool -- this is cold smoking, not cooking, so you don't want direct heat anywhere near the cheese. A grill works, or you can improvise with a grate set on a couple of clean bricks and some foil pans to help manage airflow.
- 2.Light your pellet tube and let it get going until it's producing a steady stream of smoke.
- 3.Arrange the cheese on the grate, using heavy paper clips to secure string cheese pieces if needed so they don't roll around.
- 4.Smoke for 1 to 4 hours depending on how much smoke flavor you want, keeping a close eye to make sure the cheese never starts to melt.
- 5.Let the cheese rest in the refrigerator for about a month before eating -- this gives the smoke flavor time to mellow out and distribute evenly.
- 6.Enjoy on its own, on a cheese board, or anywhere you'd use a smoked cheese.
Notes
- • Be mindful of your wood choice -- stronger woods like hickory can easily overpower the cheese, so milder woods are usually a safer bet.