Smoked Alpine Mountain Cheese
A robust Austrian alpine cheese is rubbed with a traditional alpine herb mixture of thyme, marjoram and alpine salt and cold smoked over alpine wood (mountain pine and beech). This recipe follows the handed-down smoking traditions of alpine farming, where cheese was preserved for winter. The result is a deeply savory, smoky mountain cheese with an authentic rustic character.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Rubbing with Alpine Herbs
20 minutesThoroughly rub the mountain cheese with a dry cloth. Mix all ingredients for the herb rub in a bowl. Firmly and evenly rub the mixture onto all sides of the cheese. Massage particularly well into the rough natural rind.
Drying on Wooden Board
4 hoursLet the rubbed mountain cheese dry on an untreated wooden board at 12–15 °C in a cool cellar or refrigerator. The wood draws excess moisture from the cheese while simultaneously imparting a natural wood note.
Cold Smoking with Alpine Wood
10-16 hoursPre-cool the smoker to below 18 °C. Mix mountain pine chips and beechwood chips in a 1:2 ratio. Place the mountain cheese on a rack. Smoke intensively for the first 2 hours, then maintain a weaker, continuous smoke. Cold smoke for a total of 10–16 hours, regularly checking the temperature.
Maturing and Enjoying
24-48 hoursWrap the smoked mountain cheese in breathable cheese paper and let it mature in a cool cellar or refrigerator for 24–48 hours. Allow to acclimatize for 45 minutes before serving. Enjoy with dark farmhouse bread, butter and strong mustard.
Pro Tip
Scatter mountain pine needles directly onto the charcoal to create an authentic alpine smoke aroma. Larger mountain cheese wheels can be smoked for up to 18 hours and will then develop a particularly dark, aromatic rind.
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