Since Pepper Jack is listed under this header, I am writing here, but I think it goes under the washed curd cheeses. Today I made 8 gallons of milk into 2 cheeses. Half is a Monterey Jack and the other half is a Pepper Jack. I have been using Ricki Carrol's recipe, which is not a washed curd cheese, and it comes out rather dry. So I did a lot of research and discovered that Monterey Jack is a washed curd cheese. I made myself a recipe using Peter Dixon's recipe and Gianaclis Caldwell's recipe.
4 gallons of raw milk
1/2 tsp MA 011
1 tablet of vegetable rennet
for the pepper jack I took 1 tablespoon of chopped jalopeno, 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon of dried jalopeno and boiled them in a 1/2 cup of water.
I have two electric roasters, so I put 4 gallons in each roaster.
Heat milk to 88
PH level 6.78
Add culture, ripen 40 minutes
Ph level 6.68
Add rennet, wait 35 minutes, used a floc multiplier of 3,
cut 1/2", heal 5 minutes
PH level 6.2
heat to 102 over 45 minutes
cook 45 minutes
PH level 6.0
Remove whey down to curds, add 60 degree water until temp is 86
Stir for 15 minutes
PH level 5.94
Drain
Weigh curd, 84 oz
salt 1.7 oz
Add the peppers to the one getting peppers
Put into a 6" mold and press at 40lbs for 15 minutes
flip and press at 75lbs for 1 hour
flip and press at 75lbs for 11 hours.
I didn't have any troubles during the make, the heat was right and the PH levels seemed to line up with what Peter Dixon and Gianaclis Calwell said so I felt pretty good about it. Now we wait until morning so I can check the final PH after pressing. Gianaclis Caldwell says that it should not be less than 5.2
In Gianaclis Caldwell's book she explains how washing the 102 degree curd with 60 degree water causes the curds to absorb the moisture and that is what makes the style of cheese moist. That explains why the one in Ricki Carrol's book was not moist, it was not made by this process.
I made the same recipe last week but I added heavy cream to it. Now we just have to wait to see which one comes out the best.