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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => RENNET COAGULATED - Semi-Hard "Sweet" Washed Curd => Topic started by: KTownCheese on April 24, 2013, 11:53:11 AM

Title: Jarlsberg
Post by: KTownCheese on April 24, 2013, 11:53:11 AM
After playing around with blues and washed rind ripened cheese using BL I decided it was time to try some for some "eyes".
I bought a new stockpot (15L), sourced out some propionic and some thermo C and got cracking.  I started with the recipe fro artisanal cheese making at home and made a 2 gallon cheese using 2% milk.  As I said, I used thermo C and Propionic from glengarry cheese making supplies (Alexandria, Ontario).  Things seemed to work out pretty good as the curds gave a really nice clean break and they went into the homemade 8" tome pretty easily.  Pressed with 10lbs for 30 mins and with 15 for 12 hours afterwards.  The pic below shows the cheese nearing the end of is drying phase.  It has another 12 hours and then into the wax it will go!
Heres hoping I will have 2lb of delicious Jarls in a few months.
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: Schnecken Slayer on April 24, 2013, 07:38:05 PM
You didn't mention it so I am wondering if you brined this one?
My first Jarlsberg was too wet when I waxed it and ended up splitting.

Hopefully you will get some nice swelling.  ;)
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: KTownCheese on April 25, 2013, 02:14:28 AM
This Jarl was brined.  I used a near saturated brine (20 oz of salt per gallon) for 12 hours.  When I shaved off the corners prior to drying the taste was pretty good so I think ive found the perfect salt level.

My recipe calls for two days of drying to be sure its ready to wax.  Hopefully it turns out. 

Stay tuned and I'll post pics as it progresses.

Cheers
Al
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: KTownCheese on April 25, 2013, 09:29:28 PM
Just an update, I waxed the Jarl this afternoon.  Now into 50 degree storage for a couple weeks!
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: Schnecken Slayer on April 25, 2013, 10:09:08 PM
You did a nice job on the waxing. With the swelling my wax was ready to burst.
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: shotski on April 25, 2013, 11:35:48 PM
looks nice KTownCheese, keep us posted as to how it turns our.
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: High Altitude on May 05, 2013, 07:20:36 PM
Let us know how it is when it's been out for a day or so at the warm phase.  I made the same recipe (but with 7 qts whole and 1 qt 1.5% milk), and the wax split on day 1 of the warm phase.  It swelled some during the first two weeks following and then aged nicely until the 6 week point when I opened it.

Just made another one (since I was so happy with the results of the first) and will skip the waxing this time.
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: KTownCheese on May 07, 2013, 10:09:56 PM
Looks like my Jarl is buldging after only two days in the warm phase.
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: KTownCheese on May 08, 2013, 11:13:34 AM
Also, there appears to be pin holes around the edges and they are leaking with liquid.  Should I peel off the wax and re-seal?
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: Boofer on May 08, 2013, 12:54:42 PM
Why is it even sealed at this point? I don't understand the logic behind hard-coating a cheese that is expected to swell.  ???

Why don't you remove the wax and maintain the rind until post-swelling, at which time you can coat to your heart's content.  :)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: KTownCheese on May 08, 2013, 01:11:07 PM
I was just following a recipe.  Im not as skilled at making cheese as some of the people on this forum or confident enough to alter a recipe right off the hop.
However I will take this advice to heart for my next Jarl.
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: Schnecken Slayer on May 08, 2013, 05:23:33 PM
If it is sweating then I would do as Boofer suggests and remove the wax. You don't want the cheese sitting in a puddle.
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: Boofer on May 08, 2013, 08:18:28 PM
I was just following a recipe.  I'm not as skilled at making cheese as some of the people on this forum or confident enough to alter a recipe right off the top.
However I will take this advice to heart for my next Jarl.
That's one of the tough things I have found in this cheese adventure...chasing down reliable recipes. A lot of the recipes from Ricki Carroll's book and a few from 200 Easy Cheeses lead you down the wrong path. Some folks here have been hammering away at a particular cheese style and have fine-tuned their recipe so that it's almost foolproof. Right, Jeff? ;)

Looks like your recipe might require an edit.  :)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: JeffHamm on May 08, 2013, 08:24:12 PM
Take very careful notes while making each cheese.  Read this board a lot, and compare what people do with the outcome.  Threads that fail to show the final cheese are often hard to interpret, because you don't know if it worked!  After making a few cheeses, you'll get an idea (i.e. I think my curds are retaining too much moisture when they go into the mould), then you can read what people do to remove moisture and try something.  Keep tweaking your last make until you get something that works (I copy my previous make notes, remove the details, and decide what bits I'm going to adjust, unless I'm trying to replicate of course).

It's all about guided trial and error, really.

- Jeff
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: KTownCheese on May 09, 2013, 12:56:55 AM
Thanks guys!  I started making a chees journal way back and it is super helpful.  but by far this forum has been the biggest help of all.
I peeled off the wax and the cheese is drying so hopefully things go well.
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: High Altitude on May 09, 2013, 11:28:26 PM
KTown, don't be surprised if the Jarlsberg excretes oils during the warming phase.  Mine did, and that's really what kept it moist and from cracking.  Eventually (after the 6 weeks at room temp), the rind was not oily but just perfect for munching on  ;D. 

Show us a photo when you get to 4-6 weeks warming phase please!  Doesn't it smell just wonderful too?!
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: KTownCheese on May 10, 2013, 02:07:19 PM
The smell is out of this world.  Its all I can do to not eat the thing here and now.
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: KTownCheese on May 26, 2013, 08:00:32 PM
I cut into my Jarl a few days ago.  Quite the interesting cheese!  It has a great traditional nutty flavour but finished with a sharp tang.  Almost sour.  This has gotten slightly less apparent as it ages further in the Ziploc bag.
Anyone have any input on this, or has anyone had similar experiences ?
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: drngood on June 09, 2013, 02:45:33 AM
I have 2 Jarlsbergs in my "cave" at 65 degrees now for the last week,  Intially,  After drying for 3 days, they were coated w/ liquid cheese wax that has Mold inhibitor, which was allowed to dry for a day, then they were vacuum packed.  They spent 4 weeks at 50 degrees first,  am about 5 weeks out now, in the warm phase , and have some mild swelling, nothing too severe though.  My question is this:  Is vacuum packing in some  way inhibiting hole formation ?  Would the gas produced just push out on the vacuum pack and allow the cheese to still expand.  Or, Should I allow the cheese  to breath at the warm phase.  I guess I figured that the cheese is purely anerobic at this point, and maybe this is inhibiting P. shermanii from producing more gas. What is the best answer?
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: KTownCheese on June 11, 2013, 11:33:15 AM
Im really new to the whole Jarl thing.  In my opinion the vaccum pack shouldn't affect it.  Hopefully another member can help you more!
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: BobE102330 on June 11, 2013, 12:12:25 PM
Also a Jarlsberg newbie but I've read here that 65 degrees is cool for good eye formation. Low 70s is where you want to be. Check out the other Jarlsberg threads. I think it was something like "hopefully with eyes this time"

In that same thread there was a suggestion that the cheese should be uncoated until after the warm phase since you're just going to blow the wax apart.

I think you should open the vacuum bag to encourage eye formation. In woodworking we use vacuum bagging to clamp veneer to the substrate. The bag is pressing on your cheese with a force of several psi depending on how hard a vacuum your machine pulled.
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: Boofer on June 11, 2013, 01:55:59 PM
I have 2 Jarlsbergs in my "cave" at 65 degrees now for the last week,  Intially,  After drying for 3 days, they were coated w/ liquid cheese wax that has Mold inhibitor, which was allowed to dry for a day, then they were vacuum packed.  They spent 4 weeks at 50 degrees first,  am about 5 weeks out now, in the warm phase , and have some mild swelling, nothing too severe though.  My question is this:  Is vacuum packing in some  way inhibiting hole formation ?  Would the gas produced just push out on the vacuum pack and allow the cheese to still expand.  Or, Should I allow the cheese  to breath at the warm phase.  I guess I figured that the cheese is purely anerobic at this point, and maybe this is inhibiting P. shermanii from producing more gas. What is the best answer?
My limited experience with Jarlsberg (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,5242.0.html) and Maasdam (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9667.0.html) (a close goutaler cousin) has been:
Read the Norwegian treatise I have attached here.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: BobE102330 on June 11, 2013, 05:34:12 PM
A cheese for your knowledge sharing, Boofer.
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: Boofer on June 12, 2013, 01:17:26 PM
Thanks, Bob.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: KTownCheese on June 17, 2013, 09:42:24 PM
anyone know why my cheese has a slight sour finishing taste?
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: FRANCOIS on June 17, 2013, 09:46:30 PM
It is most likely post acidification.  Give it more time to age.  The only down side is you might get some cracking in the body.  Swiss is very sensitive to pH and temperature.  You have to hit all of the markers throughout the make and, most importantly, eye formation and cold conditioning. 

Don't worry, I know pHDs at multi-national corporations that still pull their hair out over this product.  It's very difficult to do consistently.
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: linuxboy on June 17, 2013, 10:34:11 PM
Quote
It is most likely post acidification.
Due to helveticus. Switch to another thermo, not thermo C. Ditto everything Francois said. It's not easy. We're talking .08-.10 difference in pH between excellent and poor quality product, on top of everything else.
Title: Re: Jarlsberg
Post by: FRANCOIS on June 17, 2013, 10:48:08 PM
Also we've found that residual lactose levels are critical for proper aging.  In our method of production you have to consume all lactose by the end of eye formation.  If there is any left, and I mean even trace amounts, when you go into cold conditioning there is going to be problems.