I really like a sharp cheddar.  I’ve made a lot of them over the years; but I’ve yet to be satisfied with the outcomes.  Taste is not the problem.  The issue is the dryness of the cheese.  Usually it’s so dry that it crumbles when I try to slice it.  So I’ve made some changes along the way - such that the current recipe I’m using is not very close to a traditional cheddar.  Here’s what I’m doing currently:

4 1/8 Gal raw milk, plus 1 pint cream to 90 F.
Add 1/4 tsp MA 11 mesophilic culture.  Float for 3 minutes, stir for 1 minute.  Allow to ripen for 45 minutes
Add 1/2 tsp anatto, stir well.
Add 1/2 tsp rennet, stir well.
Use floculation method to determine set time.
Cut to 3/4” cubes, let rest for 15 minutes.  Begin cook.
Cook curd to 104 F.  Hold at 104 F. while stirring, until curd feels solid - usually takes anywhere from 50 to 70 minutes.
Press under whey with 20 lbs. weight for 20 minutes.
Remove mass from pot, place on a sterilized cutting board, cut to 3/4” cubes.
Return curd cubes to pot and add 3 Tbsp non-iodized salt and mix well.
Put curd into a cheesecloth lined mold (I use 8”).  Using your fist, press the curd down into a solid mass.  This will take a lot of pressure, but is necessary to eliminate mechanical holes.
Press at 20 lbs. for 30 minutes.  (again, this is an 8” mold.  Weight will need to be adjusted for molds of differing diameters)
Remove from press, rewrap, invert wheel, and press at 40 lbs. for an hour.
Remove from press, rewrap, invert wheel, and press at 80 lbs. for an hour.
Remove from press, invert, and press at 100 lbs. for 18 hours.  (I use no cheesecloth for the final press.  You can do as you like here.)
Remove from press and dry for about 3 days.  I dry in my cheese fridge and I believe it’s much better than room temp.  Turn cheese periodically.  These will allow for even drying, and will preclude any sagging of the wheel.
Vacuum seal and return to fridge for aging.  Age for a minimum of 2 months.  A medium cheddar will take about 3 months.  For sharp cheddar age for at least 4 months.  (An 8” wheel is too large for a vacuum sealer.  I cut mine in half in order to fit.  Also, not too many people can use a 5 lb. cheese before it starts to go bad.)

So, there it is.  This recipe produces a more moist cheese, but still a bit drier than I would prefer.  Comments?  Suggestions?  Personal experiences?

Hi Rich,
I have never made a chedder, but from the nine different chedder cheese recipes I have the ripening temp you use seems to be about 2 F to high. Also the cooking temp from what I read should be from 100-102 F. I know from experience that a few deg higher will dry out the curd somewhat more.
Are you going through a cheddering stage? Idon’t recall seeing one.
Do you age the cheese before vac pac?
Like I said, I have-not made a cheddered curd cheese yet. I think I’m going to try Caerphilly for my first attempt.

I’ve altered my times and temps over the years, and the current recipe has been the best so far.  Actually, the point in cooking the curd is to dry it.  No matter what temp you use, you can end up going too far.  I like to go by feel of the curd instead of timing the cook.  No, I don’t do any cheddaring.  The pressing under whey is substituted for that step.  Aging is done in the vacuum seal bag.  It works out quite well.  I originally was leery of doing that.  I had heard that there was gas exchange through cheese wax, and I was afraid I would be missing something.  But I have not seen any degradation of quality with sealing.  In fact, I find it to be superior.  No more cracked wax or mold under the wax.  My guess is that if vacuum sealers were available 5 centuries ago; cheese makers would have used it.

Ive never been able to make a successfully cheddar unfortunately :(