2021 brought with it a number of trends, including smoked cream cheese. I finally gave in recently and had to try it as well. I wondered how well it would really go and how good it would really taste. Not mincing words – it is absolutely amazing, and so ridiculously tasty. And the best part is it’s incredibly easy. So so so easy. Really. Here’s what I did in just a few simple steps:

• I bought a standard block of Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese and put it on a small foil boat on top of one of my wire racks (for ease of transportation). Then I cut some cross-hatches in it – not too deep, but deep enough to allow some smoke to penetrate.
• I just did a light sprinkling of the top and sides of the block with one of my favorite barbecue rubs. I went with Meat Church’s Holy Cow, but you could use any rub you want honestly – and you can put it on as light or as heavy as you want. That was all the prep needed.
• From there it went on the Traeger Ironwood 885 for about 165F with Super Smoke turned on for about two hours, until it had a color that I was happy with. You could go a bit hotter and leave it longer or pull it sooner. Totally your call.
• Once I pulled it, I let it rest for a little while to allow it to cool down.
• Then we plated it and covered it with Robert Rothschild Roasted Pineapple and Habañero Sauce that came from Costco and served it with crackers.

That really is all there is to it. And I promise it will taste amazing. Give it a try and let me know what you think.