Smoked Kentucky Bleu
- Producer
- Kenny's Farmhouse Cheese
- Country
- United States
- Region
- Kentucky
- Size
- 9 in diameter x 2 in height
- Weight
- Sold in 1/2 lb wedges
- Website
- https://kennyscheese.com/
- Milk
- Cow
- Treatment
- Raw
- Classification
- Firm
- Rennet
- Microbial
- Rind
- Smoked
Waxed - Style
- Blue
- Flavor
- Smoked
Father-and-son team Kenny and Jared have run Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese out of their farm in Austin, Kentucky since 1998. Their mixed-breed herd—including Holstein, Jersey and Brown Swiss cows—spends most of its time grazing outside on fresh pasture, or munching on high-quality alfalfa hay.
In the interest of making this bleu as decadent as possible, Kenny and Jared add cream to the milk before transforming it into curd, and then press the curds very lightly together when formed so as to allow plenty of space for those blue-green molds to grow.
To smoke the cheese, Kenny’s has teamed up with Lewis Shuckman of Shuckman’s Smoked Fish in Louisville, K.Y., known for making delicious smoked salmon, whitefish and caviar. Shuckman smokes wheels for 20 minutes over Applewood before they’re waxed for further aging.
Tasting Notes
The layer of brown wax covering Smoked Kentucky Bleu shields any evidence of the intensity that’s to follow, but cutting open the wheel reveals a pale yellow paste with striking blue veining. Aromas are a mix of ham-and-cheese cracker and deep sassafrass rootbeer, while flavor is extremely bold—both in smokiness and in that characteristic blue cheese pungency. The paste is smooth yet extremely dense, with a mouth-coating creaminess to ensure that those intense flavors will linger for a long time.
Pairings
For wine pairings, try this with a riesling or something big, bold and red. For beer, go dark; try a porter or a stout. On a cheeseplate, drizzle the cheese with honey and serve alongside toasted or smoked almonds. It’s also a great match with peaty and high rye whiskeys.
