Author Topic: 15 Gallon Farmhouse Cheddar  (Read 12891 times)

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: 15 Gallon Farmhouse Cheddar
« Reply #15 on: January 25, 2009, 10:53:39 PM »
Thanks Dave. I think so I don't have to worry about it is wax it. Heating up the 2 gallons of wax i have is going to take forever, it always does and it's in such a large pot (turkey fryer pot) I was never able to find anything to use as a double boiler.

I think I'll do the 2 circles of cheese cloth and be done with it. I always wanted to go to a 12" wheel but trust me this is plenty big.

chilipepper

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Re: 15 Gallon Farmhouse Cheddar
« Reply #16 on: January 26, 2009, 05:11:56 PM »
Carter, that is an impressive wheel of cheese!!  You say your press, 'It rotates down so I don't have to remove the cheese for flipping..."  Can you explain this a little more.  Are you still pressing vertically?  It looks in the picture that you can pivot the press at the bottom point and it will lay horizontal on the stand.  Just trying to understand your process... :)

Also, it looks like you had the same milky whey as I did in my cheddar from the weekend.  Is that the butterfat that is coming out?  What causes that and I assume one would ideally not want this to happen?

wharris

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Re: 15 Gallon Farmhouse Cheddar
« Reply #17 on: January 26, 2009, 05:18:37 PM »
"Smashing" the curd during a stiring phase is where i seem to lose a lot of butterfat.

chilipepper

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Re: 15 Gallon Farmhouse Cheddar
« Reply #18 on: January 26, 2009, 05:32:58 PM »
That sounds right.... I suppose that is the drawback of stirred curd cheddar vs. traditional cheddar?

wharris

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Re: 15 Gallon Farmhouse Cheddar
« Reply #19 on: January 26, 2009, 05:37:25 PM »
no,
Actually i was referring to the stirring that occurs initially at the curd cooking stage.

I actually seem to smash the curds during this delicate phase in a curd's short life.....

;)

chilipepper

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Re: 15 Gallon Farmhouse Cheddar
« Reply #20 on: January 26, 2009, 05:50:06 PM »
hmmm.. interesting.  So you are getting milky whey (gotta chuckle ever time I type that) early on and right after cutting.  I assume it helps when you let it rest after cutting but does it still release?

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: 15 Gallon Farmhouse Cheddar
« Reply #21 on: January 26, 2009, 07:58:42 PM »
I've learned recently that it is imperative that you let the curds sit for 5 minutes after cutting to let the skin toughen up.

Yes Chili, I don't actually flip it, I tilt the press down, my follower has holes in it too, so the whey comes out the top, and then I spin the hoop 180 degrees to keep the butterfat and whey distributed evenly. I hope that helps, I know it might be hard to picture. When I get my new HD Camcorder this week maybe I'll shoot some footage.

In the whey yes it's a little butterfat, not as much as I originally thought, if you swirl the mixture around use see it's not that dense of color.

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: 15 Gallon Farmhouse Cheddar
« Reply #22 on: January 30, 2009, 06:31:23 AM »
So after Wayne and I confired on what to do about my cheddar as it was drying too fast and the wrinkles left by the cheese cloth were cracking. We decided I should put it in my cave at 55F 85%. It's been in there about 3-4 days and all is well. The cracks seemed to heel themsleves, not close up but stop cracking and look dry and not so puckery looking as when they were newly formed.

I took it out tonight and was going to wax it but whey kept leaking from about 10 spots that were little pricks in the rind. As I left it out in the open in the kitchen it started to weep a little more, I guess expansion and contractions going from a cold to warm enviroment. Then I put it in the regular frig to chill up until I could get the wax melted and it started to weep even more, mind you this are little trickles, not visible but come back a few minutes later and it's got a few drops leaking down the side. So now the rind is a little developed I'm going to keep it in the regular frig for a while as an experiment and see if the dehumidifying properties of a regular frig helps dry it out.

I hope I didn't confuse people what I did, but I would like your opinions if I get whey leaking out the sides a few drops after 10 minutes should I let it still air dry or wax it? The rind is fairly dry but am I looking for more than that?

chilipepper

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Re: 15 Gallon Farmhouse Cheddar
« Reply #23 on: January 30, 2009, 03:38:41 PM »
Carter, you know this may be another of these subtile variances that we need to really hash out.  My question to go along with your question is do you really want all the whey out of the cheese or are you just going to cause it to be a dryer cheese?  If you were to wax and age it without the whey totally expelled, will it absorb back into the cheese?  Are we just looking for a rind to develop or are we truly trying to get all the whey out? 

My first cheddar was pretty dry and I let it dry out on the counter for about 5-6 days.  I'll be curious to see what the chokecherry stout cheddar Will do since I only let it dry for about 2 days.  There were 2 of the little weeping holes like you are describing and I just wiped them down before waxing and still waxed.

Good question and I look forward to hearing more about the answer.

wharris

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Re: 15 Gallon Farmhouse Cheddar
« Reply #24 on: January 30, 2009, 03:54:38 PM »
I will say that the cheddar I like the best, (12/1/08) was vacuum sealed after air drying only 2 days.
It is more in line with my moisture, texture, and flavor expectations.

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: 15 Gallon Farmhouse Cheddar
« Reply #25 on: January 30, 2009, 08:53:21 PM »
Good to know Wayne, but remember mine is huge. Chili, I don't think the leaking whey will incorporate back in completely, it leaks out too easy.

So the results! From the eggining, originally I put the cheese in the kitchen to air dry, the sides developed a sem-hard rind and the top was a dry supply rind, The bottom was wet as I'm sure whey was expelling. Then I would flip it, the top(formerly the bottom) would get a nice supple rind and the bottom (formerly top) would get wet as why expelled. I use bamboo mats and they are pretty close knit and would stay wet. I'm thinking next time to take out everyother bamboo skewer. The top and bottom were doing what was expected, the sides dried too fast and I got cracks from the wrinkles from the cheese cloth. Then I moved it to the cave at 55F 85%. The top and bottom did the same as I flipped but the side remoistureized and because a semi-semi-hard rind but a little more moisture and supple. Then I put it in the frig last night and the little holes were still weeping every so often. The rind now is hard and the cheese is very solid feeling as opposed to before where it was a little wobbly and rubbery.

So my conclusion. This is a great way, as chili hinted to, to control mositrue of the final cheese. When making a new cheese I will air dry in the kitchen for a few hours, then transfer to my cave for 5 days or so, less for more moisture and more for more moisture. Then I'll put it in my regular frig to harden the rind quickly locking in the moisture, stop the weepings and making the cheese more solid. This way you have a controlled drying and it prevents it from getting cracks. I'll be waxing this cheese today.

saycheese

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Re: 15 Gallon Farmhouse Cheddar
« Reply #26 on: January 30, 2009, 09:40:22 PM »
Good luck with the waxing -- hope all goes well!  Please post a picture of this monster when you're done.

LadyLiberty

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Re: 15 Gallon Farmhouse Cheddar
« Reply #27 on: January 31, 2009, 05:43:20 AM »
Carter what type of lard are you using?  If you are using the mexican lard, the stuff that comes in a white and green tub, there shouldn't be any scent at all.

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: 15 Gallon Farmhouse Cheddar
« Reply #28 on: January 31, 2009, 08:10:00 AM »
Yes the one in the white tub, I don't mean smells real bad but there is an odor, and I don't like it.

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: 15 Gallon Farmhouse Cheddar
« Reply #29 on: January 31, 2009, 09:03:44 PM »
Went ahead and waxed 'the beast' last night. Here are two pics first pic was dip number 1 and pic two was dip number 2. I dipped a few more times after that and the embossing didn't come out, it was filled by wax. So next time I'm not going to emboss the waxed cheeses but I'm going to machine next week some brands to melt into the wax my name and date.

Also I have to redesign the dipped I used to lower the cheese into the pot. The chees was so heavy that the nubs on the dipper pushed through the cheese, dented not poked, that's not so bad but it allowed the cheese to rest on the metal and everything stuck so when I pulled the cheese off the wax tore. Needless to say I brushed wax on that side and I didn't post a pic but it looks like a jackson pollack painting.

My new design will be posted when I make it, should work better.