Smoked Gouda: What It Tastes Like and How to Make It

This article includes information about smoked gouda, what it is, how to make it at home, and even includes examples of recipes it’s ideal for.
By
Jeremy Bivens
Jeremy Bivens
Research Writer
Jeremy Bivens is a passionate writer and grilling enthusiast. He's been working as a freelance journalist for over 15 years now and has a particular interest in food writing read more
reviewed
Reviewed By
Bruce Williams
Bruce Williams
Expert Consultant
Claims that grilling is the art that he has been learning all his life long and is not planning to stop. Has been grilling for as long as he can remember. Author of numerous read more
Last updated: August 20, 2023
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There are multiple recipes that require the use of gouda cheese, e.g., mac and cheese, chicken and macaroni bake, pasta with gouda cheese sauce, gouda cheese crisps, etc. If you’re a fan of such recipes, then you likely already have some at home. That said, you can also enjoy it as smoked gouda, and this opens up more options in terms of flavor. Even in the same recipes, with the only change being the use of smoked gouda rather than regular gouda, you find some significant changes in flavor.

Notably, this variation of gouda is available in stores, but you can also make it at home and use it for smoked gouda recipes. We don’t recommend the store variation since then you don’t have control over the smoking process or the resulting product. It’s still a viable option if you’re short on time. However, if you’re in no particular rush making your own if you have a smoker should be quite fulfilling, and you’ll have control over the level of smokiness.

What Does Smoked Gouda Taste Like?

If you’ve never experimented with this option, the question, “what does smoked gouda taste like?” is likely on your mind right about now. We can tell you for a fact that it’s pretty different from other gouda cheese varieties, including young gouda, aged gouda, fenugreek-infused gouda, cumin-rubbed gouda, and more.

It’s sweet, salty, smooth, buttery, creamy, and typically nuttier tasting compared to regular variations of which, according to Cheese.com Trusted Source Gouda - Cheese.com Gouda, or “How-da” as the locals say, is a Dutch cheese named after the city of Gouda in the Netherlands. If truth be told, it is one of the most popular cheeses in the world, accounting for 50 to 60% of the world’s cheese consumption. www.cheese.com , there are seven when classified in terms of age. That said, you’ll have to taste it for yourself to feel the actual goodness and how well it melts in your mouth. The recipe for making it is provided below.

Smoked Gouda: What It Tastes Like and How to Make It 1

Smoked Gouda - Recipe

Bruce Williams
You probably think that smoking gouda is as easy as putting the cheese in your electric smoker, leaving it in there for a couple of minutes, and then taking it out. However, the recipe isn’t that simple. There are a few considerations, including time, the type of wood you use, the ideal type of smoker, the type of gouda e.t.c.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 16 days 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Snack
Servings 4 people
Calories 202 kcal

Equipment

  • Smoker
  • Refrigerator
  • Parchment paper
  • Vacuum sealer
  • Rimmed baking sheet
  • Cooling rack

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz. Gouda
  • Wood pellets (hickory or any fruitwood)

Instructions
 

  • There is one essential detail to know before you attempt to smoke some gouda, i.e., you can only cold smoke the cheese, and the ideal temperature range is quite limited. Given the nature of the cheese, if your smoker reaches anywhere above 40° F, you’ll actually be cooking the cheese rather than smoking it.
  • This is why electric smokers are preferred. However, even with a grill, you can make it work by using a smoke tube. Users recommend the AMNTS12PF Pellet Tube Smoker because it’s small enough to work with most grills and can work for up to 11 hours with just 15 oz of pellets.
  • Even with an electric smoker keeping the cheese below 40° F in normal weather conditions is challenging to pull off. You can get around this by using winter to your advantage if you live in a cold state. According to World Population Review, North Dakota is one of these cold states withtemperatures of around 24°F in winter.
    Smoked Gouda: What It Tastes Like and How to Make It 3
  • If that doesn’t work because of the season or your location, you can use ice. Place the ice in a rimmed baking sheet. Place a cooling rack with the cheese onto the baking sheet. This will keep the cheese close to the ice while keeping the two separate.
  • With these materials and equipment, you can start preparing the grill. If you’re using a pellet tube smoker, this will involve filling it up with pellets and lighting the flame while your cheese and ice setup is still in the fridge.
    Smoked Gouda: What It Tastes Like and How to Make It 5
  • As for the wood pellets, hickory tends to work pretty well for smoked gouda. The same is true for most fruitwoods. If you can’t decide on the wood, a blend will work just fine. The Traeger Grills Signature Blend is highly recommended by reviewers because it incorporates maple, hickory, and cherry, and these pair well with just about anything, including gouda cheese.
  • Ignite the pellets in the tube smoker and let them burn for about 5minutes. After that, extinguish the flame, and the wood pellets should start smoking. Place the smoker in your grill, and assuming you don’t live somewhere cold, your cheese + ice setup should be in there as well.
    Smoked Gouda: What It Tastes Like and How to Make It 7
  • Of course, the gouda should be unwrapped; otherwise, the smoky flavor won’t penetrate the cheese. You can let the cheese smoke for anywhere between 30minutes and an hour. That said, the longer you smoke it, the more intense the smoky flavors. Also, remember to turn the cheese and replace the ice every so often during this period to keep the cheese cool and ensure it smokes evenly.
    Smoked Gouda: What It Tastes Like and How to Make It 9
  • When you remove it from the smoker after 30 minutes or an hour, wrap it in parchment paper and follow up by putting it in the fridge for 48 hours. The last step is to vacuum seal it and leave it in the refrigerator for an additional 14 days before serving.

Video

Notes

There seven different variations of regular gouda where the age is concerned. There are, of course, the other variations we highlighted, although the differences are in how these cheeses are made, with one example being fenugreek-infused gouda.
According to WebMD, Fenugreek is a herb with many health benefits used as a vegetable in India. It’s also used to flavor foods such as cheese hence the fenugreek-infused gouda. What you want is young, regular, and unaltered gouda. This is because younger gouda is milder, softer, and smoother, and hence the smoke will be able to leave more of an impression.

Nutrition

Calories: 202kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 14gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 65mgSugar: 1g

Is Smoked Gouda Healthy?

Notably, it is high in calories and fat, so some people are skeptical about its consumption. That said, it does have nutritional benefits as well. If you can keep your smoked gouda consumption within the US Department of Agriculture recommended guidelines, then it shouldn’t be a problem.

These guidelines state that you should only have the equivalent of 3 cups of dairy in a day. Excluding the smoked gouda, other dairy products you might have in your daily diet include milk, yogurt, butter, cream, and more. As such, you need to account for these other dairy products before deciding how much smoked gouda is healthy for consumption in a day.

Final Thoughts

By smoking the gouda, you get to experience a whole new world of cheese flavors. Of course, the wood you use can also affect the final product giving it some hints of fruity flavors or something else. Also, like other cheeses, smoked gouda does fit well in a variety of recipes, so it will be an asset having it in your refrigerator.

References

1.
Gouda - Cheese.com
Gouda, or “How-da" as the locals say, is a Dutch cheese named after the city of Gouda in the Netherlands. If truth be told, it is one of the most popular cheeses in the world, accounting for 50 to 60% of the world’s cheese consumption.
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