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Brie & Camembert brand recommendations for smoke

PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 12:49 pm
by GUS
Having gobbled up my good brie, i've been asked (already) to smoke some for someone else, oh dear :wink: didn't expect that!

Obviously the big stores are gearing up with their xmas cheese array & deals, should I simply grab a handful of plain old value brie 200g portions, currently or go for a president brand / mix n'match?

(They are simply for general consumption by fellow cheese gluttons).

I guess i'm asking what the difference is between cheap n cheerful & more renowned / marketed cheeses when heavily smoked (last one was put through 3+ smokes as I recall).

So, your experiences & recommendations would be appreciated, cheers.

Re: Brie & Camembert brand recommendations for smoke

PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:44 pm
by onewheeler
With camembert go for cheap and under-ripe. I spoiled a nice quality one by smoking it. Brie is probably the same.

Martin/

Re: Brie & Camembert brand recommendations for smoke

PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 8:27 pm
by GUS
Thanks, i'm going to hit this wall every time I try a new cheese!

So is there a resource for this sort of thing? or do we just go by the rule of thumb "buy cheap cheese & smoke it" (sounds odd but i've never really bothered with cheap cheese always relishing a deli / cheese counter, hardish to get my head round having the idea that if it's ((any food)) of grotty quality then don't eat it, & clearly have my absolute favourites, so whilst not a food snob, i've clearly got to change my mindset, & god forbid I ruined a previously nice cheese.

..yeah it probably sounds odd to you too! :wink:

Re: Brie & Camembert brand recommendations for smoke

PostPosted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 1:00 pm
by onewheeler
Smoking, especially with a heavy smoke, changes the character quite markedly. In my experience, it also pretty much stops any further maturing of the cheese. That could be an argument for smoking when the cheese is at the point of maturity you want, but my preference, especially with soft cheese, is to smoke when they're firm and young. With a mature and strong-flavoured cheese, there's to much going on in the taste department when a lot of smoke flavour is added in.

Why not do a smoke trial with a nice, mature camembert (or brie) next to an under-ripe supermarket bargain?

Martin/

Re: Brie & Camembert brand recommendations for smoke

PostPosted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 2:42 pm
by GUS
Will do, thanks again for answering yet another dilemma question.
sensible answer that eluded me that smoking inhibits further maturing, makes perfect sense of a preservative.

Re: Brie & Camembert brand recommendations for smoke

PostPosted: Thu Nov 21, 2013 3:28 pm
by GUS
Just a heads up, noticed that there is a cheap cheese deal this week-end @Lidl + there is also a £5 off voucher in this saturdays times & telegraph newspapers...

Chene d'Argent / Linessa Brie packs of 200g = £0.49p per pack.
Original or Fat Reduced
200g
24.5p/100g
Half Price
Available from Saturday 23rd to Sunday 24th November

Subject to availability and limited household quantity per customer applicable, anyone confirm what the limit will be please?

Re: Brie & Camembert brand recommendations for smoke

PostPosted: Thu Nov 21, 2013 4:13 pm
by wheels
200gm for £0.49 - that's cheap by anyone's standards. :D :D

Phil

Re: Brie & Camembert brand recommendations for smoke

PostPosted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 7:00 pm
by GUS
12 packs of 200g ready to go in the "Still" temporary cold smoker ...looking forward to another Lidl comparison we've been quite impressed with their goods above & beyond tesco offerings thus far.

On the smoker currently we have a posh ripe waitrose brie, morrisons brie, to compare with the lidl items.

A posh (or well marketed) president camembert (the Lidl offering to go on soon).

Posh president Emmental to compare with Lidl

Some OLD thawed out back of the freezer & since neglected in the cheese cave morrisons apricot Wenslydale ..we think.

More Edam.

On a separate note & off topic, has anyone tried their scoop-yer-own pistachio's? (they're easily found in their mini builders bags (seriously).

Re: Brie & Camembert brand recommendations for smoke

PostPosted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 3:22 pm
by GUS
Broke out a basic Morrisons brie portion (having smoked & matured) ..couldn't resist anymore after the wife came in raving about the stuff she took in for an antipasti lunch with her co-managers.

You were all SO right with regards to cheap cheese, but I HAD to try it with a posh, almost superating mature brie (dead mouse brie) & the cheap stuff of the pair both smoked, won hands down, munching on some now.

To be honest the expensive brie from Waitrose (bought cheap) is wholly wasted as a smoked product, & fleetingly it crossed my mind as to whether it would be consumed at all.
It's smokey but lacks creaminess & overall mixed with the mature nature of the cheese from the outset is too overpowering,a loser which makes me think mature is as far as i'll venture as not to confuse flavours in future.
probably easily remedied by simply trying before buying at the counter.

Will break out some of the lidl stuff shortly, & am finally popping some TESCO value portions of brie in for another comparison, (if it holds true, ..though have had some right shonky stuff from tesco).

Re: Brie & Camembert brand recommendations for smoke

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 12:18 pm
by GUS
the mild (no2) Tosco's camembert (clingwrapped & original card packaging stored) came out the other day.
I had left it as close to the "alleged" use by date to mature & not get crowded out by the amount of smoke needed, ..pretty much same as the brie imho, result was a still strong camembert with plenty of smoke, I'm very happy as neither taste dominates, both deliver.

kept in the fridge @1c since smoking. (even straight out & cold heavy on the flavour, pleased with the end result.

Please note, it was ready LONG before now, merely waited so long as I plough my way through many pounds of other smoked cheeses ...oh the horror!

(estimated 3-4 go's in the wee smoke house)

Re: Brie & Camembert brand recommendations for smoke

PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 2:47 pm
by wheels
I'm sure that the long maturing period adds to the quality. Don't forget to do some more.

Phil

Re: Brie & Camembert brand recommendations for smoke

PostPosted: Tue May 06, 2014 2:18 pm
by Rothermere
GUS

I see that you're in Cambs. Don't know whether north or south, but if you're ever just south of the border near Buntingford in Herts then you should get yourself to The Cheeseplate (on the high street - they have a website but it's not very informative beyond location). One of the best cheesemongers I've ever been to and I imagine the chap who owns it would be well up for a discussion on best cheeses for smoking. He's a very informative fella and I spent quite some time in there when I first visited, trying out different cheeses and desert wines :)

Some of his stuff you wouldn't even consider putting in a smoker...

Re: Brie & Camembert brand recommendations for smoke

PostPosted: Mon May 26, 2014 10:29 am
by GUS
Yup, not far from me, cheesemongers are few & far between nowadays sadly, thanks for the heads up.