Hey Everyone--
My Stilton recipe says I should stabby-stabby after 4 days..... is this right, it looks like many of your guys are stabby-stabbying after a week!?? Or longer?
What recipe are you following?
I'm certainly no authority, but I've read several recipes and the 4 days you mention is the shortest amount of time I've seen. 200 easy cheeses says 2 weeks, but that instruction is ambiguous about 2 weeks from what point in the process. Others I've read say to pierce at 3 to 5 weeks. Sailor, who successfully makes lots of them, says he pierces his when the blue on the outside of the cheese is really taking over.
Like Gina said, Sailor pierces his after the blue mold has taken over outside. I believe Mark pierced his at 5 weeks and had success. The stilton video from an official producer in UK said 5 weeks as well.
I personally went somewhere in between: 2 weeks from the initial make. Then I re-pierced a week later, and am likely to do so one more time I think. The important thing is that the P Roqueforti is still kickin' enough to grow into the holes.
Rikki Carrols, easy home cheesemaking or whatever it's called, I will read it again maybe I misread it.
I know her website says 5 weeks. 4 days is usually when recipes say to unmold the curds.
Mine aren't even out of the mold until after 4 or 5 days. You want it to be almost completely drained and have a nice firm body when it comes out (the cheese not you). ::)
We like our Stiltons fairly mild so I have a little different style for making my Stiltons. As soon as I have really good growth, I pierce, then repeat after about 10 days. Around 6 weeks I dry at room temp for a day, scrape off the excess mold and vacuum bag. The timing can be very different if you are trying to do an all natural rind.
how /how much do I scrap? i am really worried I have that chat du poit or whatever its called mold. How do I control that?