Is This The Best Way To Smoke Cheese?

At FireBoard HQ, we love experimenting with new cooking techniques, but sometimes things don’t go as planned. About a month ago, Ted and I set out to film a cold smoking video, and, well… we failed. That’s the beauty of testing, right? You learn, adjust, and try again.

This time, we had a better game plan. We took inspiration from SmokingDadBBQ’s recent video, where he tested different cold smoking setups—including FireBoard Drive. He did a great job comparing our setup to a pellet tube smoker and the Smoke AI generator. Now, it was our turn to put FireBoard Drive to the test and see if we could finally nail cold smoking cheese.

Setting Up for Cold Smoking

We decided to use a Primo Kamado and build out a controlled cold smoke environment. Since we didn’t have a dedicated extension rack setup, we did what we always do at FireBoard—got creative. We pieced together some spare metal parts from around the office to create a spacer for the second rack.

Here’s what we used:

• A small amount of leftover charcoal, just enough to smolder
• A deflector plate to block direct heat
• A rack holding a foil tray filled with ice to keep temperatures low
• A second rack above the ice, where we placed the cheese

We also attached our FireBoard Drive fan with a new adapter style, allowing for precise airflow control. “This fan can run at super low speeds, which is key for keeping temperatures down while still generating enough smoke,” Ted pointed out.

We used minimal charcoal, a deflector plate, an ice tray, and a make shift extension rack.

Finding the Right Balance

Cold smoking is all about balance, and we learned that the hard way in our first attempt.

“Last time, we added too much charcoal, and the fire took off,” Ted admitted. “Then we tried to shut it down by closing off all the air, and of course, that just killed the fire completely no smoke at all.” 

This time, we were careful. The FireBoard 2 showed we were holding steady around 87-93°F—warm enough to keep the charcoal smoldering, but not hot enough to melt the cheese.

As we watched the setup work, we could already see the difference. “I can already start to see some of that smoke,” Ted said, checking in on our progress. 

The Results: A Win for Cold Smoking

After about 40 minutes, it was time for the moment of truth. We lifted the lid and immediately saw that the cheese had held up perfectly.

“The cheese hasn’t melted, which was a big goal,” Ted said. A quick taste test confirmed it—there was a nice, subtle smoky flavor.

After 40 minutes of low-temp smoking with just the right amount of smoldering charcoal and ice to keep things cool, we’ve got a good looking final result of our cold smoked cheese.

“You could probably run this setup for a couple of hours if you wanted a stronger smoke flavor,” Ted added. “And you could even slide in a little more fuel around the edges to keep the smoke going longer.”

What We Learned

This experiment proved that FireBoard Drive isn’t just for low and slow smoking—it’s a powerful tool for cold smoking too. 

If you’re looking to cold smoke cheese, fish, or other delicate foods, here’s what we found worked best:

✔ Use minimal charcoal—just enough to smolder
✔ Control heat with an ice tray and indirect setup
✔ Maintain airflow with a low-speed fan like FireBoard Drive
✔ Monitor temps in real time to avoid overheating

If you want to see another take on cold smoking, check out SmokingDadBBQ’s video—he does a fantastic job breaking it all down. And stay tuned for more FireBoard experiments!