estricklin
Well-Known Member
I love this cheese because even after only aging for a couple of weeks, it has quite a bit of flavor. The process for making it, is basic cheesemaking techniques. You can adjust the pressing times to get a softer or harder cheese. I think next time I make it, I'll smoke some jalapenos, dice and add them to the curds before pressing.
I tried rennet tablets for the first time, so far so good.
After testing the curds, I cut and stir. During the stirring, I usually listen to an audio book, as 40 minutes of it can be kind of boring. I have an ancient candy thermometer, it's prefect for monitoring the temps vs. probing it from time to time.
Next I drain the curds, and mix in some salt. The curds go into a press with 8lbs of weight, for 6-8 hours.
After the pressing, the cheese needs to be rubbed with salt, and dried at room temp for 18-36 hours. I cover it with a bowl starting out to keep any pests away, and later
I will cover it with cheesecloth.
After drying I will place it into a ripening box for 2 weeks. Next I'll cut the wheel in half, and eat one half, while the other half ages for another 4 weeks or so.
Edit:
Here is the full recipe for anyone interested. It's very close to the Jack recipe in "Artisan Cheesemaking at Home".
1. I heated the milk up to 86F over the course of about 15-20 minutes.
2. Sprinkled enough starter culture, in this case MA4001, to inoculate 2 gallons of milk per the instructions. For the brand I have, that was about 1/8th tsp. I then let the starter rehydrate for a few minutes before stirring it in.
3. I let the milk ripen for 1 hour.
4. I added about 60 drops of annatto. Jack cheese is not usually yellow, but I wanted to mix it up. I added 1/2 tsp of calcium chloride, mixed into 1/4 cup of water. I added 1/2 crushed rennet tablet, to 1/4 cup of water. I added the rennet mixture to the milk, and stirred for 30-60 seconds.
5. I came back 45 mins later, and the curd was set pretty well, and I made sure it gave a nice clean break.
6. I cut the curds into 3/4 pieces, then let them heal for 5-10 minutes.
7. Over the course of 40 minutes, I stirred gently, and constantly, while raising the heat slowly from 86F to 102F. Next I left the curds to settle for 30 minutes. I then ladled off the excess whey.
8. I then stirred the curds for an additional 20 minutes.
9. Next I poured the curds and whey mixture into a colander lined with cheesecloth. I left them to drain for about 5-7 minutes. I added 1 tbsp of salt, and tossed the curds to mix. I then rolled the cheesecloth up and rolled the ball of curds around in the colander for a minute.
10. I put the cheesecloth with the curds in it, into a cheese mold, and pressed at 8 lbs for about 7 hours. After removing the cheese, I rubbed the cheese with 1 tbsp of salt. I left the cheese to air dry, flipping once every 12 hours.
I tried rennet tablets for the first time, so far so good.
After testing the curds, I cut and stir. During the stirring, I usually listen to an audio book, as 40 minutes of it can be kind of boring. I have an ancient candy thermometer, it's prefect for monitoring the temps vs. probing it from time to time.
Next I drain the curds, and mix in some salt. The curds go into a press with 8lbs of weight, for 6-8 hours.
After the pressing, the cheese needs to be rubbed with salt, and dried at room temp for 18-36 hours. I cover it with a bowl starting out to keep any pests away, and later
I will cover it with cheesecloth.
After drying I will place it into a ripening box for 2 weeks. Next I'll cut the wheel in half, and eat one half, while the other half ages for another 4 weeks or so.
Edit:
Here is the full recipe for anyone interested. It's very close to the Jack recipe in "Artisan Cheesemaking at Home".
1. I heated the milk up to 86F over the course of about 15-20 minutes.
2. Sprinkled enough starter culture, in this case MA4001, to inoculate 2 gallons of milk per the instructions. For the brand I have, that was about 1/8th tsp. I then let the starter rehydrate for a few minutes before stirring it in.
3. I let the milk ripen for 1 hour.
4. I added about 60 drops of annatto. Jack cheese is not usually yellow, but I wanted to mix it up. I added 1/2 tsp of calcium chloride, mixed into 1/4 cup of water. I added 1/2 crushed rennet tablet, to 1/4 cup of water. I added the rennet mixture to the milk, and stirred for 30-60 seconds.
5. I came back 45 mins later, and the curd was set pretty well, and I made sure it gave a nice clean break.
6. I cut the curds into 3/4 pieces, then let them heal for 5-10 minutes.
7. Over the course of 40 minutes, I stirred gently, and constantly, while raising the heat slowly from 86F to 102F. Next I left the curds to settle for 30 minutes. I then ladled off the excess whey.
8. I then stirred the curds for an additional 20 minutes.
9. Next I poured the curds and whey mixture into a colander lined with cheesecloth. I left them to drain for about 5-7 minutes. I added 1 tbsp of salt, and tossed the curds to mix. I then rolled the cheesecloth up and rolled the ball of curds around in the colander for a minute.
10. I put the cheesecloth with the curds in it, into a cheese mold, and pressed at 8 lbs for about 7 hours. After removing the cheese, I rubbed the cheese with 1 tbsp of salt. I left the cheese to air dry, flipping once every 12 hours.
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