How to make Drunken Cheese! Fromaggio Ubriaco!

Fromaggio Ubriaco (Merlo Drunken Cheese)

Ingredients

16 liters ( 8 liters homogenized 3.25% + 8 liters 2% milk)

¼  teaspoon Mesophilic culture

1/4 teaspoon ( Calcium Chloride diluted in ¼ cup distilled water (if using homogenized milk)

1 teaspoon liquid rennet diluted in ¼ cup distilled water”

2 Tablespoon kosher salt

3-4 liters merlot

METHOD

1. Pour milk into 20 Quart stainless pot. Place into large bus bin filled with water and turn on sous vide. Heat to 32 C / 90 F.

2. When milk is 32 C / 90 F add calcium chloride and water solution, stir well and stir in for 1 minute. Add mesophilic cuture, cover, and ripen for 10 minutes.

3. Maintaining the target temp of 32°C, add diluted rennet and stir for one minute. Cover and let set for one hour at 32 C / 90 F.

4. Check for a clean break. Once you have a clean break, cut curds into 1 cm (1/2") cubes. Stir gently for one minute, then let curds rest for five minutes.

5. et sous vide to 92 F/ 33C and stir curds constantly stirring umtil curds and whey reach 92 F/ 33 C.

6. Once the curds and whey reach  92 F/ 33 C let rest for 10 minutes.

7. Strain off the whey using cheesecloth and strainer. Pour the curds back into the pot, and mix with your hands into 6 mm (¼ inch) pieces. Add in the salt. Mix well.

8. Pack the curds into a 3 kg (7 3/4 “x 3 3/4 “) lined mould. Cover the curds with one corner of the cheese cloth, apply the Follower, and press at 10kg for twenty five minutes.

9. Remove cheese from press, and gently unwrap. Turn cheese over, rewrap, and press at 15kg for twenty minutes.

10. Repeat by turning over again and press at 20kg for twelve hours.

11. Remove cheese from the press and mould, skewer holes going half way through the cheese spacing the holes apart by 1 inch. Do three holes up and down the side of the cheese until you go completely around the outside of the cheese. Then poke holes on the top of the cheese ensuring you go to the bottom of the cheese. Space the holes out 1 inch apart until the top of the cheese has  holes every 1 inch apart. Bathe the cheese in a sterilized food grade plastic container in the red wine for 24 hours. Ensure the cheese is completely covered and flip end-over-end at the 12 hour mark.

12. Remove the cheese, lie on cheese mat for about six hours, or until it is dry to touch.

13. Repeat the wine bath for another 24 hours, topping up with additional wine if necessary; flip again at the 12 hour mark. Remove, and dry on mats until touch dry.

14. Once this is done either wax your cheese or vac-pack it then age for three months, turning every day.