When you want to add pop and pep to a recipe, try some smoked cheese. A little smoked gouda will wow any fruit and cheese board. Smoked cheddar will give your mac and cheese some serious campfire cred. And on your grilled cheese sandwich, a smoked swiss cheese or gruyère will always dial the flavor to 11.
In Wisconsin, our cheesemakers are constantly looking for ways to find more flavor, so smoked cheese is right in their wheelhouse. From provolone to pepper jack, you'll find a bevy of smoking hot cheeses just waiting to bring the burn to burgers, pasta, salads, and charcuterie.
Take a peek at our website to meet some spectacular smoked cheeses from Wisconsin or to order artisan cheese gifts with smoked varieties. Search our recipes for smoky versions of pressure cooker mac and cheese or Tuesday night quesadillas. Or scroll down to learn more about how to make cheese taste better and keep longer by smoking it, and what to pair with your favorite smoked cheeses.
Smoked cheese pairs best with foods that can hold their own with the bold flavors of the cheese – or with foods that contrast them nicely. Smoked gouda pairs well with smoked sausage in a hearty breakfast scramble. For lunch, a smoked baby swiss will be the star of any green salad or hoagie. The sweetness of crisp apple slices pairs well with a smoked provolone. And a bacon-smoked cheddar marvelous mashed potatoes, fabulous fajitas, and champion cheese dips.
For Mo beverages, smoked cheeses like the solid, salt-of-the-earth types – try a bock, porter, brown ale, weiss beer, or pale ale. And for wine, look for big-bodied varieties like chardonnay, riesling, cabernet sauvignon, and red zinfandel.
Smoked cheese is any cheese that has been cured with smoke from a fire. Smoking techniques work well with both soft and hard cheeses, imparting a dark, smoky flavor that can enhance the quality of the cheese as well as any dish to which it's added.
Smoked cheese is usually made with a hot or cold smoking process. In the cold smoking method, cheese is placed on top of chunks of ice to prevent the cheese from cooking while it absorbs smoke from a fire set with wood chips. Apple, oak, chestnut, hickory, or alder wood chips are typically used for smoking. In the hot smoking method, the cheese may be subjected to temperatures up to 194°F (90°C).
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When it gets cold in Wisconsin, we like to turn up the temperature with some smoked gouda, smoked pepper jack, or smoked cheddar made by our own expert cheesemakers. We've been making cheese in Wisconsin for 180 years, since before we were even a state. And we've risen to the top of the cheese world by constantly pushing the boundaries of what cheese can be. From our smoked cheeses to our flavored products and hand-rubbed varieties, we boldly go where ever the flavor trail leads us. That's probably why we've won so many awards for our cheese – 5,552 to be exact – more than any other state or country in the world.
So, next time you've got a hankering for some smoked cheese, just look for the Proudly Wisconsin Cheese badge on the label. That's when you know you're holding some smokin' hot cheese in your hands.
Craving award-winning aged cheddar, pining for parmesan, or searching for a new cheese to try? The world’s best cheese is just a click away! Explore our directory of Wisconsin cheesemakers and retailers who offer online cheese shopping and get cheese shipped right to your door. What are you waiting for?
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