For 50 lb. (6 gallons) pasteurized or raw milk.

Heat milk to 88-90° F
Add 1 U of EZAL MA014, MA016, MA011, or MA019 or
0.5 U of EZAL MA400.1 starter culture
or 8 oz. of bulk mesophilic lactic starter culture (Rosell Meso III)
Ripen with culture for 1 1/2 hours for EZAL culture and 1 hour for bulk culture

Add 4.5 ml single strength rennet or 2.25 ml double strength rennet

Check for the curdling time and multiply this times 3 to get the time from adding rennet to cutting the curd, e.g. 12 min. x 3 = 36 min.
Cut into 3/8” cubes (pea-sized particles)

Settle curds after cutting for 5 minutes

Stir and heat curds to 95° F in 30 minutes ( 1 F every 4 minutes)
Continue stirring and heating to 10° F in 15 minutes (1° F every 2 minutes)

Cook at 102° F for 45-60 minutes until the curds bounce off your hand and feel like pellets and are springy when squeezed. Whey pH 6.1-6.2.

Settle curds under the whey for 15 minutes.
Move curds slowly to the back of the vat to form a pack that is 8 inches deep.
Drain off the whey until one inch remains above the curds.
Add cold water and stir the curds in the whey until the temperature decreases to 86° F. Stir an additional 5 minutes
Drain off the remaining whey and form a trench in the middle of the pack to let the whey escape from the curds. When you are finished draining, there should be two packs of curds on either side of the back of the vat with an 8-10 inch wide trench down the middle. The pack should be about 4 inches deep.
Whey pH 5.9-6.0 by the time the pack is formed and most of the whey is drained.

Add salt when the majority of the whey has run off the curds. Use coarse flake salt (like Kosher salt) at a rate of 2.75-3.4 lb. per every 100 lb. curd. Salt amount will vary with cheese yield.
Add the salt in 3 portions and wait 5-10 minutes between each addition. The idea is to let enough salt dissolve into the curds before hooping the curds and pressing them into blocks or wheels. However for smaller batches, two applications will be enough.

Gather the curds into the forms (blocks or hoops) lined with cheese cloth and move to the press.

Press with enough pressure to create a smooth rind by the next morning. This is 25 p.s.i. to start. After 30 minutes take of the pressure and tighten the cheese cloths around the cheese. Press again at the same rate overnight.

Remove from the press and take the cheese out of the forms. The cheeses can be vacuum sealed or waxed. If muslin cheese cloth is used, it can be left on the rind and waxed over.

Monterey Jack is a mild cheese and is usually made from pasteurized milk and sold within 30 days of making. It will keep for about 90 days. The cheese can also be made from raw milk and aged as a cloth-bound or naturally rinded cheese. Dry Jack is made by aging the cheese and rubbing it periodically with oil and pigments such as cocoa powder. Dry Jack can be aged for years.