2/26/2017 – First ever cheese smoke and first time using the new mailbox mod.

10:20 AM – Inserted mild cheddar and colby jack into MES with smoke from the mail box (being used for the first time) that is removed by 9 feet of flexible duct. Cheese blocks were cut to be near the size of a stick of butter although they are more rectangular in cross section. The MES is full of smoke from CookinPellets.com’s Perfect Mix and it is wafting from the exhaust port.

10:35 – Thermoworks probe hanging in the center of the MES reads 78.

11:00 – Thermoworks probe hanging in the center of the MES reads 75.

11:35 – Thermoworks probe hanging in the center of the MES reads 72.

12:00 noon – Thermoworks probe hanging in the center of the MES reads 79.

12:30 PM- Thermoworks probe hanging in the center of the MES reads 78.

Center block was not smoked

1:00 – Thermoworks probe hanging in the center of the MES reads 76 with and ambient temp of 75.

1:30 – Thermoworks probe hanging in the center of the MES reads 79 but no smoke. Started MES for about one minute. A little too much as it rose to 285+ so I opened the door to stop the climb.

2:00 – Thermoworks probe hanging in the center of the MES reads 81.

4:00 – Thermoworks probe hanging in the center of the MES reads 82. Had to turn on the MES for about 20 seconds to get the draft going again.

4:45 – Pulled cheese.

Block in plastic was not smoked

5:00 – Tasted ok but could taste/smell the pellets. Color differential with unsmoked is noticeable but not dramatic. Taste is ok and a lot like the pellet’s smell.

6:00 – Left them on the counter to air out for about an hour. Mary vac sealed them individually in 1 qt. bags.

LATER – Decided the off taste/smell was due to low air flow due to small holes in the mailbox to allow air in along with the pellets. Drilled two 3/4″ holes in the mailbox door above the centerline and will try it again.