Smoked Raclette: The Wood-Smoked Raclette Cheese

In short: Smoked raclette is a classic raclette cheese, aged and then left a few hours in the smokehouse, often over beech or fir wood. It keeps a generous melt and adds a wood-fire aroma reminiscent of mountain cured meats.

Page checked on 11/02/2026 against the official websites of producers and trade bodies. Do you make this cheese? Write to us to be listed in the directory.

Fact sheet: Smoked Raclette

Country	France, Switzerland
Region	Jura, Isère and Savoie on the French side; Fribourg, Lucerne, Thurgau on the Swiss side
Appellation	none
Milk	cow, most often thermized or pasteurized; raw milk from some artisans
Texture	uncooked pressed (semi-hard); classic raclette cheese aged then smoked, with an amber to brown rind
Aging	classic aging of several months before smoking (at least 4 months before smoking at Moléson, 5 to 6 months of maturing in total at Fläcke-Chäsi), then a few hours in the smokehouse
Size	6 to 7 kg wheels, halves and quarters, trays of slices in supermarkets
Flavor	fruity to robust
Melt	4/5: melts like a classic raclette, the smoked rind stays firmer and crisps up nicely

Its story

Smoking cheese is an old mountain trick: the smoke protects the rind and adds flavor, just like the ham hung in the tuyé of Jura farmhouses. Raclette itself was born from cow’s milk in the Valais, with no smoke other than that of the fire melting the wheel. The smoked version came later, when creameries looked for ways to vary the pleasures of winter evenings. In Switzerland, houses like Moléson in Fribourg, Fläcke-Chäsi in Lucerne or Strähl in Thurgau made it a classic of their range. On the French side, industry put it in slices on supermarket shelves, while artisans like the Fromagerie Janin, in the Jura, smoke their own tommes over fir wood. The result: everyone has a favorite wood, and late-night debates now revolve as much around beech versus fir as around the gherkin question.

Flavor and melt: what happens in the raclette pan

Done right, smoking is not a last-minute flavoring. At Moléson, for example, the plain raclette aged at least four months spends a few hours in an old-style smokehouse; the rind takes on an amber hue and the paste is gently infused. What you remember when tasting: a first hit of wood fire and smoked bacon, then the milky sweetness of the cheese coming back. Beech gives a round smoke, Jura fir a more resinous, woodsy note. The melt is that of a good raclette: the paste flows and coats, and the drier rind crisps like a cheese chip. Careful, the smoke intensifies with heat. A fully smoked platter can get tiresome, while a slice slipped between two plain raclettes feels like a great plot twist. Be wary of “smoke flavor” products: read the label to find out whether it’s real wood smoking or an added flavoring.

On the nose and palate: notes of wood fire and smoked cured meat, then the milky sweetness of the cheese; more or less intense depending on the wood (beech, fir) and the duration

How to serve it

Plan 200 to 250 g per person in total, with only part of it smoked: one third of the platter is usually enough, the rest plain raclette. Take the cheese out an hour ahead. In a raclette machine with pans, slices 4 to 5 mm thick, rind included, give a crispy edge that people love. With a half-wheel machine, scrape thin layers so the smoke flavor doesn’t dominate. Avoid piling on cured meats that are themselves very smoky: cooked ham, dried beef or cold poultry let the cheese speak. Gherkins and pickled little onions cut the smokiness nicely. A white from the Jura or a light pinot noir goes along without a fight.

Pairings

• Wines: Jura savagnin or chardonnay, pinot noir, Savoie gamay
• At the table: potatoes, cooked ham and Grisons meat, gherkins and pickled onions, rye bread

Our recipes with this cheese

• Raclette with smoked salmon, grapes and caramelized onions
• Smoked trout and potatoes, the seafood raclette
• Barbecue raclette

How much should you plan? Our guide to raclette cheese quantities per person does the math, and our comparison of the best raclette cheeses stacks it up against the others.

Smoked Raclette producers: the directory

Four families of producers, from the giant to the small mountain pasture. Contact details taken from their official websites; logos are displayed from those sites, with credit.

The biggest producers

The largest volumes: industrial producers and big cooperatives.

The best known

The brands you come across in stores.

The most renowned

Medal winners, award winners or renowned agers, with sourced distinctions.

Small local producers

Farms, mountain pastures and village creameries.

Where to buy it

In supermarkets, smoked raclette is mostly sold in trays of slices, sometimes in a duo with a plain raclette. At the cheesemonger and on Swiss online shops, you can find it as a whole wheel, half or quarter. Since there is no appellation, the label is your only guarantee: look for a mention of wood smoking (beech, fir) rather than a mere smoke flavoring. Also check the type of milk and the aging time before smoking. An even amber or brown rind and a wood-fire smell with no chemical note are good signs. Finally, ask the cheesemonger how long ago the wheel came out of the smokehouse: fresher smoke is livelier.

More addresses in our guide to where to buy good raclette cheese.

Follow on social media

• RichesMonts (channel linked from the brand page) (YouTube)
• Fromagerie Janin (account linked from its website) (Instagram)
• Strähl Käse AG (account linked from its website) (Instagram)

Frequently Asked Questions

How is smoked raclette made?

You start with an already aged raclette, then place it for a few hours in a wood-fired smokehouse. Moléson states an aging of at least 4 months before smoking, and Janin smokes its tommes over Jura fir sawdust.

Which wood is used to smoke raclette?

Producers mostly cite beech, advertised by RichesMonts, and fir, used by the Fromagerie Janin in the Jura. Beech gives a round smoke, fir a more resinous note.

Can you do the whole evening with smoked raclette?

It’s possible, but the smoky taste ends up wearing you out. We’d rather suggest putting one third on the platter, with a plain raclette alongside.

Read also: all raclette cheeses, the secrets of a successful raclette and what is raclette?

Sources

• Raclette Moléson fumé à l’ancienne (4 months of aging, smokehouse): moleson-sa.ch/fr/menu-gauche/produits/fromages/au-lait-de-va
• RichesMonts duo Original and beech-wood smoked: quiveutdufromage.com/p-riches-monts-fromage-raclette-tranche
• Strähl Raclette geräuchert (pasteurized, 6.5 kg, organic available): straehl.ch/kaese/sortiment/raclette-geraeuchert
• Jura fir-smoked tomme, raw milk, smoked in-house over Jura fir sawdust: fromagerie-janin.com/produit/tomme-fumee-au-sapin-jurassienn
• Fläcke-Chäsi Raclette geräucht (5-6 months, thermized hay milk): flaecke-chaesi.ch/produkt/raclette-geraeucht
• Beaudé La Grisée saveur fumée: fromagerie-beaude.fr/produit/raclette-la-grisee-saveur-fumee
• Raclette de Savoie PGI made without flavorings or additives, neither smoked nor spiced: fromagesdesavoie.fr/igp-raclette-de-savoie
• Strähl: family business, 85 employees: straehl.ch/ueber-straehl/team
• Fromagerie Janin: contact details, Marc Janin MOF 2015: fromagerie-janin.com/contact