Cheesecake is rich and hearty and one of our favorite sweet treats. Traditionally baked in an oven, we thought it would be fun to add a little smokiness to the party -because why not?. The Apple Smack brings a mild fruity-salty flavor to this smoked cheesecake to set it apart, but feel free to skip if that suits your pallet. We recommend using pecan wood, fruitwood wood, or maple wood for smoking as it tends to be milder complimentary of sweet food. The smoke will change the color a bit and add a subtle earthiness for a new twist on this classic dessert. Making cheesecake is involved and has some specialty steps and equipment, but it is well worth the effort. Add this to your next cookout and amaze your family!
Those Florida Guys seasonings used in this recipe:
Yields: 8-10 Servings | Prep Time: 40 Minutes | Total Time: 3 Hours
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Honeymade crumbs (sub crushed Graham crackers)
1 cup + 3 ½ tablespoons light brown sugar
3/4 stick (about 6 tablespoons) melted unsalted butter
4 cups cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs large
3 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon Apple Smack
Process:
Crust:
**If using a pre-made pie crust, skip these steps and move to the filling.**
1 | Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
2 | Mix the Honeymade crumbs (finely crushed graham crackers) with 3 ½ tablespoons light brown sugar and melted butter. Work everything together thoroughly to ensure there are no lumps and the crumbs and brown sugar are evenly incorporated with the butter.
3 | Lightly grease the springform pan bottom and sides with butter or vegetable oil.
**This helps with removing the cheesecake from the springform pan.**
4 | Pack the crust mixture to the bottom of the pan firmly using your hand or a flat-bottomed glass.
5 | Lightly bake in the oven for a couple minutes until the crust sets and turns a slightly darker brown color.
6 | Remove from the oven and let cool on the counter.
Filling:
1 | Preheat your smoker to 350 degrees.
2 | Add the room temperature cream cheese with the brown sugar, vanilla extract, and flour to your stand mixer bowl and attach the flat paddle bit.
**this can be done with a hand mixer and bowl, but it may take a bit longer.**
3 | Start the mixer on low and mix for 2-3 minutes couple minutes, stopping the mixer to push down the mix from the side of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
4 | Add the Apple Smack to a spice grinder and pulverize until it is very fine, almost powdery.
5 | Once the mixture is even, add the 1 cup of sour cream and the pulverized Apple Smack and mix for a couple more minutes on medium low until the mixture is again incorporated and even.
6 | One at a time, add an egg to the mixture and mix until incorporated. DO this until all the eggs are added and mixed in.
7 | Once all the eggs are incorporated, shut off the mixer, scape down the mixing bowl sides one more time, then mix on medium speed for one more minute.
**A properly mixed the cheesecake filling eliminates lumps and air bubbles, reducing risk of cracks when baking.**
8 | Once the mixing is complete, remove from the mixer bowl and set aside.
9 | Use heavy duty tinfoil and wrap the bottom and sides of the springform pan. This will protect the cheesecake in the water bath.
10 | Fill a large roasting pan with 1-2 inches of hot water.
**Cheesecakes love humidity (must be a Florida thing). The humidity helps the eggs to rise without burning or drying out.**
11 | Pour the cheesecake filling into your springform pan with the already baked crust. Lightly tap and shimmy the pan to allow the filling to level and remove air pockets.
12 | Place the full springform pan into the roaster water bath.
Bake in the smoker for 1 ½ – 2 hours.
**Once in the smoker, leave it alone! Opening and closing the smoker can cause temperature changes or drafts which leads to large cracks on top of the cheesecake.**
13 | After about 1 ½ hours in the smoker, start checking for doneness by poking the center of the cheesecake with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cheesecake is done.
14 | Once done, remove the roasting pan water bath from the smoker and set on the counter.
**Overbaking a cheesecake is common and it’s not so easy to tell when it’s done. Remember that cracks are merely aesthetic and do not affect the integrity or taste of the cheesecake, so if you have one after the cook, no one cares and you can just cover it with topping!**
15 | Remove the springform pan from the water bath and place on a towel.
16 | Run a knife or this metal spatula along the inside perimeter of the pan to separate the cake from the pan when you remove the rim.
17 | Allow to cool on the counter until the cheesecake reaches room temperature. Remove pan rim.
18 | Refrigerate for four hour, but overnight is better.
**this two-step cooling process is crucial -do not place the cheesecake directly from the heat into the refrigerator.**
19 | Serve plain or with your favorite topping (caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, strawberries, blueberries, pie filling… the sky is the limit!)
20 | Serve and enjoy!
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