My Beaufort Number Two

[Boofer]

I like the way that my first Beaufort is swelling up in the cave, but I did have some difficulty getting it cooked within the 40 minute window. I managed to overcome that hurdle with this effort. I continue to be flummoxed with my ExTech pH meter and what it's telling me. I've used multimeters, oscilloscopes, and other manner of sophisticated equipment in my life, but using this pH meter seems to have bested me. I'm developing more of my expertise through observations, touch, taste, etc. I do sense that I'm tweaking and homing in on what the few styles that I'm concentrating on should be. Time will tell....

3 gallons of Darigold P&H whole milk
1 gallon of Dungeness Valley raw whole milk

1/8 tsp Aromatic B (mesophilic)
1/16 tsp TA (thermophilic)
3/16 tsp LH (thermophilic)
1/16 tsp Propionibacteria shermanii

1 tsp CACL2 in 1/4 cup distilled water
10 drops annatto in 1 oz distilled water

1/8 tsp dry calf rennet in 1/4 cup distilled water

Heated milk to 88F. pH meter: 87F/6.63

12/3/10
8:25AM stirred in cultures
8:40AM pH meter: 86F/6.78 . . . huh?!
9:40AM pH meter: 86F/6.68 . . . more "huh?!"
10:25AM pH meter: 86F/6.65 . . . okay, 2 hours is enough!
10:33AM stirred in CACL2 and rennet (I had dissolved the rennet 5 min earlier).
10:43AM flocculation point - 10 min - x3 multiplier = 30 min.
11:10AM pH meter: 80F/6.54, cut curd.
rested 5 min, then began cooking curds and stirring gently.
11:55AM end of cooking (40min; I hadn't cooked quick enough on Beaufort Number 1) - temp=122F.
curds are squeaky, pea-sized.
put into 7.375-inch mold.
12:20PM pressed under whey(UW) with 15 lbs for 15 min.
12:35PM flipped, rewrapped, pressed UW with 15 lbs for 20 min.
1:00PM flipped, rewrapped, pressed UW with Dutch press, using wrench (1 lb) and 4 pulleys for 30 min.
2:30PM flipped, rewrapped, nice knit, tossed whey, pressed @ 5 lbs/4 pulleys(3.7psi) for 8 hours.
10:30PM pH 5.10, off press, into brine for 10 hours, salted top.

12/4/10
set alarm to get me up to flip cheese in brine.
3:30AM flipped, salted top.
8:30AM out of whey-brine, dried cheese, into minicave @ room temp to dry.
5:30PM checked wheel, slight cracking at edge (67% RH...humidity too low with lid gapped open).
wiped with EVOO, closed lid, and stored in cave.

12/5/10
8:15AM 53.9F/87%RH (better RH)

12/10/10
7:15AM 55F/94%RH checked...no baddies...no cracking...wiped with EVOO

12/13/10
5:00PM a few slight mold spots - wiped with vinegar & salt - dried

12/14/10
10:00PM 54.6F/95%RH

12/16/10
7:30PM wiped with vinegar & salt - dried

12/18/10
checked, salted rind

12/19/10
8:45AM 52.8F/94%RH

12/20/10
2:00PM wiped with vinegar & salt, dried, salted rind

12/26/10
10:30AM 55F/96%RH...checked:okay...rind looks dry

12/27/10
11:30PM 55F/97%RH wiped with brine (no vinegar)...some peppery-like spots...minicave and cheese are dry...cave is dry

12/30/10
3:00PM wiped with brine...white bloom over most surface(photo)

-Boofer-

[Boofer]

Started aging on December 5th. 47 days in the cave, wiping with brine about every third day.

I rather expected to see some red color spots on the rind at this point. I will be patient. The temp/humidity has stayed fairly consistent at 53F/96%.

-Boofer-

[Dgarner23]

Red spots?  The corner / Edge of my tomme are red/ orange.  What does it mean?

[Boofer]

Red spots?  The corner / Edge of my tomme are red/ orange.  What does it mean?

Do you have any pictures? That would help. Also, asking your question in a Tomme thread might help. 

My rind seems to be developing nicely. I'm still concerned that the Tomme being out on the shelf above will give the Beaufort a little cross-contamination on the rind. Trying to prevent that where I can.

-Boofer-

[Boofer]

Ah, 'tis a thing of beauty (in my eyes).

The temp/RH has been sitting around 54F/99%. There's no moisture in the minicave and little moisture in the cave itself. When I see any, I mop it up. For this to be 99%, it seems like it should be similar to a terrarium. It is not. It's dry. The only thing I can think of is that the cheese is slowly giving up its moisture and saturating the air, and then it evaporates off.

Every third day or so, I've been wiping with brine. Not much rind corruption from the adjacent Tomme (geo, KL71, SR3). Thank goodness. The temp echoes what the Beaufort is seeing, but the RH in the cave (where the sensor and Tomme are) sits around 87%.

Not sure what a Beaufort rind should look like. I believe I'm on the right track. Someone correct me if I'm way off course. Right now, I believe in low-nap rinds. Is that wrong?

-Boofer-

[Boofer]

Quite a growth. I knocked it down with brine.

-Boofer-

[zenith1]

Boofer- it's looking real good, thanks for the running commentary and details of you make.

[Boofer]

About every 3 or 4 days I need to wash the rind down with simple brine to keep the growth in check. So far the cheese looks pretty good. The smell is wonderful...very heady.

I rather liked the way the sunlight gave a new dimension to the cheese. I snapped the pics a week ago with the fading sun.

I'd like to maintain this regimen over the months to come without sealing it. I'm not sure if the cheese will lose too much moisture as a result of this. Any opinions out there?

-Boofer-

[ArnaudForestier]

Really nice, Boofer.  So do I have this right, you've about 2 months down on this wheel? 

I'm torn between easing up on my washing regimen, and trying to get more of a rocking development by washing, again, daily - the tommes seemed like they were off to a slow start, but they've definitely started, and I think I might let things go for awhile, to see what comes up. 

I'd imagine the hardest part for you will be not to want to chomp down on your wheel.  I, too, appreciate your running account. 

Paul

[Boofer]

This was started on January 6th. Coming around to 2 months next week.

I've got a cheese order coming in next week. That hopefully will give me good insight into the character of some of these cheeses I'm making. I admit I am really looking forward to cutting these cheeses, but at the same time I know they need to be properly aged for optimal taste & texture. My only recourse is to continue to make cheeses and try to hone my skills and technique to produce quality cheeses. One of the obstacles that had blocked my progress was not having any more room in my cave. Fortunately that has been resolved. Full speed ahead!

Linuxboy gave me some direction in creating rinds, but it appears to be a wide-open field with numerous options only limited by the individual cheese artisan. My goodness, did I just use that word? Are we not all artisans? We are working in somewhat of an artistic endeavor, aren't we?

-Boofer-

[Boofer]

The rind development is coming along nicely.

Smells very nice.   

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to continue the brine-washing process throughout the summer and into the fall. Holy cow!...so to speak. 

-Boofer-

[ArnaudForestier]

When we eatin, Boof?

Congrats.  Looking forward to pics of its grand opening.

[Boofer]

Still tending the rind here. I've been pleased with the progress of this rind and have agreed to let the #3 have some of the joy.

Only eight more months of rind development.  Really? 

Knowing when to say "when"....

-Boofer-

[Boofer]

I stopped washing this wheel about a week and a half ago. Last night I took it out of the minicave and just rubbed it all around. There's no growth on the rind like it had been getting earlier. I looked for signs of cracking, but thankfully found none. The conditions in the minicave have been fairly stable around 52F/92%RH.

I am really hoping that this little gem comes more into line with what I expect: low salt content, low acidity, no bitterness.

After one of the times that I washed this wheel with the simple brine, I used that same wash water as an innoculant for my Beaufort #3. It has done very well with what this cheese had to offer.

It's been a while since it posed for a picture. I'll try to get it to sit still tonight so I can immortalize its charms.

-Boofer-

[Boofer]

Ah, what a nice gentle rind.
I hope the paste delights.

I only have to wait . . . tick, tick, tick . . . until Saint Patrick's Day!?   
Patience, grasshopper.

-Boofer-