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Well I think I gained the 5lb for you just going to the fridge and cutting off pieces to eat. 
Despite the fact that it is very young, it has quite an aged bite to it.  Quite a surprise.

Dave I tried melting the first provolone but it wouldn't melt too well.  Too dry, which I think is because I lost the butter fat in the making of it.  Still it tasted great in the toasted sandwich.

Ok here is the oil bathed provolone.  As you can see I have already tried a piece, and the difference between this one and the marinated only cheese, is quite surprising.  The rind while formed is not brittle, and the cheese is a lot more moist.  The flavour is quite similar, with the other cheese probably being just a tad sharper than this one.

Anyway this has been interesting, and I am going to try this again, next time I make a successful batch of provolone.

Tea, have you tried this one yet? LOL just kidding.

But did you try melting this one?

No not yet, and as lunch is well and truely over I am going to resist the temptation of making a toasted sandwich until tomorrow. 

Hello Tea,

Those look really great. However from what you are saying, that they are dry and crumbly it would not be the oils causing this but more the fact that you may have missed the recipe. Provolone is very similar to Caciaocavllo And I have messed up quite of gallons of milk trying. I got a similar result a couple of weeks ago when I was trying to make the Caciocavallo on my own. Lost alot of the the milk fat during the stretching and now the cheese is very dry and crumbly. Has some taste to it but will be used as grated cheese.

Likespace, As for Mold on the cheese you should have left it there and waited a couple of months, you would have been pleasantly surprised at the result. You just remove it from the rind and you will have a nice tasting cheese.

Cacio

Hi Cacio and I am coming to realise that it is the making of the cheese that has let this down.  The one that was left in the oil is much softer than the one that air aged, so that it why it will be interesting to see what the results would have been if I had made the cheese right in the first place.

MAny thanks again for this method, I am learning alot.

Let me know if I'm stating the obvious, but the one in oil would definately have less moisture loss thereby less crumbly.

Yes from what I gather, what ever moisture is in the cheese is retained by the oil.  Using the herbed oil in the beginning as a marinade infuses flavours etc first.

Tea,
Thanks for the followup. I have to say that your cheese looks fantastic (not only this one but every example I've seen you post). You have become quite a good cheesemaker from what I've seen.
I have a provolone aging right now but it's hanging and air drying.
As stated previously I will probably let this hang for a month and then cut into it.
I really like the texture of a softer cheese and the taste seems really good to me, even at such a young age.
On my next one, I'm going to try the oil aging. I really like the looks of your cheese and this method will let me age the cheese longer while still keeping it nice and moist.
Thanks again for the post. Very informative and very interesting.

Dave

Well thanks Dave, I'm glad that someone other than me, learnt something.  Would love to see some pics of the provolones hanging.

They do look good Tea. Dave where's your avatar?

Carter....
I've spent a lot of time on a lot of boards over the years and never once have I added an avatar. Not sure why, just never really considered it.
Well since you asked, I decided to go ahead and add one to my profile.
It's one of many Salvador Dali paintings that I love.
I'm not really sure what this one is called but in my opinion it is beautiful.
The guy was a nut case but his paintings are nothing short of genius.

Dave

It's called breakfast.