The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new food trends. With people spending most of their time indoors, many have taken this time to experiment and better their cooking experiences, bringing forth new recipes. Thanks to social platforms like TikTok and Instagram, getting your hands on some of these recipes has become easier.
Instagram can be credited as the source of smoked cream cheese. What started as a single post quickly grabbed the attention of food communities, with many hopping on the trend. Some people have even gone on to name smoked creamed cheese the newly baked feta. We’ll now look at how to make the legendary meal.
What is smoked cream cheese?
Smoked cream cheese is a block of cream cheese covered in different seasonings and then smoked. The smoking allows it to gain an extra smokey flavor, making it more delicious.
How to make smoked cream cheese
While many may shy away from making smoked cheese as they fear the cheese melting into a puddle of goo, smoking cream cheese is super simple. It is more about technique than just a specific recipe, giving you the freedom to tweak the recipe and create what perfectly fits your taste buds.
What you need to make smoked cream cheese:
- Eight-ounce block cream cheese
- A quality food smoker
- Aluminum foil
- Seasoning – depending on what you want to achieve, you can add different seasonings. For best results, we recommend picking a blend of seasonings that are not too salty, as it may significantly affect the final taste.
- Olive oil
Directions:
- Gently place your cream cheese in a clean sheet of aluminum foil.
- Take your olive oil and brush it on the cream cheese all over until the entire block is covered.
- Add the seasoning.
- Preheat your food smoker to a temperature of 250 °F (121 °C)
- Place your cream cheese on your food smoker and let it smoke for about two to three hours.
- Let it cool off and serve.
Serving smoked cream cheese
Smoked cream cheese can be served with various accompaniments, including crackers, pita crisps, corn chips, and apple slices.
How to go about it:
After removing the cream cheese from your food smoker, let it rest for about 10–20 minutes before serving. This helps to mellow out the smokey flavor, making the cheese tastier. However, you should ensure that the cheese does not rest for too long.
You can now dig in when you are sure you finally have what you are looking for. Smoked cream cheese can also be served with vegetables like celery or carrots or as a bagel spread with sandwiches.
We are now done making our cream cheese, and it’s served, which drives us to the next question, what do you do with your leftovers? You might have smoked too much cream cheese and have some leftovers that you can still use for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. However, you shouldn’t have to worry as you can keep your leftover cheese fresh and delicious.
Storing smoked cream cheese
Carefully wrap up the leftover smoked cream cheese and place it in the fridge.
If you want to store it for a prolonged period, let your cream cheese sit in the fridge for about 24–48 hours before taking it out and vacuum sealing it. As vacuum sealers work by compressing all the air out of the storage bag, you can prolong the shelf life of your smoked cream cheese.
Another method that you can use is plastic freezer bags. In place of vacuum sealers, use plastic freezer bags submerging the bag in water except for the top seal. This allows you to get the majority of the air out.
Bradley tips and tricks
Here are pointers you should consider for a more delicious smoked cream cheese:
- To avoid your cream cheese melting, smoke it low and slow, ensuring you maintain a perfect temperature.
- Ensure that the seasoning is on both sides of the cheese.
- Avoid using salty spice blends as your cheese may be too salty to enjoy.
As we summarize:
Like any other food cooking technique, smoking cream cheese does not limit you to one recipe. The above is but one of the many ways you can make smoked cream cheese using your food smoker. Depending on what you want to achieve, you can also tweak it to your preference.
Check out these other articles:
Famous Sauce Types Paired with Delicious Recipes
Top 5 Smoked Dips You Can Make During Your Next BBQ
For more great ideas on how to get the most out of your Bradley Smoker, check out the awesome articles on our Bradley Smoker Food Smoking Blog for more tips & tricks.
