flocculation factor

[zenith1]

for all you Manchego makers out there- what flocculation factor due you use to determine the proper curd cut time?

[linuxboy]

3x, with ~1/2" curd cubes. This time of year, it's more like 2-2.5x, though, and sometimes I cut the curd finer to 1/4", depends on the milk.

[zenith1]

Thanks Pav- I had been using 2x but not adjusting through out the year.

[linuxboy]

mm, you could, with 1/2" curd, but your moisture might be a touch low in a normal cook, and if you're actually using sheep's milk, the curd might be a bit too delicate, so you'd need to heal longer.

So, in terms of Manchego, you're trying to balance the rate of acid development with the moisture level. So long as you hit those moisture targets, it's pretty forgiving on the acid. A drain of 6.1-6.3 works just fine because it's acidified mostly in the mold. A 6.3 would take longer to age and would need brine pH of 5.3. A 6.1 could be normal brined at 5.4.

The Manchego flavor mostly comes from the bacilli adjunct in commercial manchego because the milk is pasteurized, and to a degree, the l lactis ssp cremoris also contributes, so it's not drastic if your drain targets aren't that exact.

For the summer milk, if you used a 2x, that Manchego will age for you for a long time with the lower moisture. If you hit 35%, it could age for 2-3 years easy and have awesome flavor.

[zenith1]

Thanks again for the great advice. I of course living in the good old US have not been using milk form Manchego sheep(or for that matter any sheep,it's impossible to find in my area). I have made it using a blend of fresh raw goats and cows milks though to add a flavor change to it. Thanks again..