At Old Europe Cheese, we handcraft two different types of Gouda.
Our original Reny Picot Gouda is young, aged for 60 days, so it is creamy and mild, yet still has enough time to develop those signature dichotomous flavors—a harmonious and unexpected balance of salt and sugar—like salted crème caramel.
Then, there’s our Reny Picot Smoked Gouda. Gouda is one of the best cheeses for smoking, to which there are many methods, and so Gouda’s flavor profile can vary widely in that respect.
At Old Europe Cheese, our Gouda is hickory cold smoked in the traditional Dutch farmhouse manner. This process involves lighting a fire and letting it burn voraciously until the smoke house is filled with smoke, at which time the fire is allowed to go out. Then, the wheels of Gouda are placed in the house and cold smoked for no less than 16 hours.
This process is unique, as many cheesemakers use a hot smoke process, which means the cheese is, in effect, cooked twice. This can cause the cheese to dry out and take on an unpleasant leathery texture. Some cheesemakers opt for the liquid smoke process. This involves soaking or spraying cheeses with liquid smoke, which can result in an undesirable bitterness. Instead, our cold smoking process ensures you will sink your teeth into a perfectly smoked cheese with a smokiness that is pronounced, but not overwhelming, and a texture and density that immediately softens, becomes creamy, and melts in your mouth.
Reny Picot Smoked Gouda is one of our favorite cheeses to eat on its own and to pair with beer, but we also love to cook with it because it is one of the best melting cheeses around. Try our Reny Picot Smoked Gouda in these original Old Europe Cheese recipes:
If you have a favorite Smoked Gouda recipe, let us know! Head to our Facebook page to share a recipe or contact us today if you have any questions for us here at Old Europe Cheese. We’d love to hear from you!