Metsovone

Homemade Metsovone (Smoked Sheep's Milk Cheese)

Metsovone is a traditional smoked pasta filata cheese from the Metsovo region of Epirus, Greece, traditionally made from sheep's milk (often blended with goat's milk). This home adaptation uses cow's milk for accessibility, since true sheep's milk is difficult to source outside Greece - note that the flavor will be milder and less tangy than the original.

Prep

60 min

Cook

240 min

Total

300 min

Serves

Makes about 1 kg (2.2 lb) of cheese

Difficulty

Hard

Recipe ingredients

• •8 L (8½ quarts) whole cow's milk, sheep's milk or a 70/30 sheep/goat blend is traditional; cow's milk is the closest home substitute
• •1.5 g (¼ tsp) thermophilic starter culture, or 60 ml (¼ cup) live-culture plain yogurt as a substitute
• •2.5 ml (½ tsp) liquid rennet, diluted in 30 ml (2 tbsp) cool non-chlorinated water
• •20 g (4 tsp) cheese salt, or non-iodized sea salt
• •5 g (1 tsp) food-grade smoke salt, optional, for surface flavor if you lack a smoker

Steps

1. 1 Heat the milk to 32 °C (90 °F) in a large stainless-steel pot. Stir gently to avoid scorching.
2. 2 Sprinkle the starter culture over the surface, let it rehydrate for 2 minutes, then stir in thoroughly. Cover and ripen for 45 minutes, keeping the temperature steady at 32 °C.
3. 3 Add the diluted rennet and stir gently in an up-and-down motion for 30 seconds. Cover and let sit undisturbed for 40–50 minutes until a clean break is achieved (the curd should split cleanly when cut with a knife).
4. 4 Cut the curd into 1.5 cm (½ in) cubes. Let the curds rest for 5 minutes, then slowly raise the temperature to 38 °C (100 °F) over 30 minutes while stirring very gently. Hold for 20 more minutes to allow the curds to firm up.
5. 5 Drain off the whey through cheesecloth set over a colander, reserving the curds. Let the curds drain and cool until they reach roughly 30 °C (86 °F) - they must still be warm and pliable, like stiff bread dough.
6. 6 Working in small batches, stretch and knead each portion of curd by hand (or with kitchen gloves) as you would mozzarella: pull, fold, and stretch repeatedly. Sprinkle in 1 tsp of the cheese salt per portion as you work. The curd will become smooth, glossy, and elastic.
7. 7 Shape each portion into a thick rope or braid, then coil or hang the ropes over a clean wooden dowel suspended between two chairs (this traditional 'hanging' shape is what gives Metsovone its name, from 'metsovon', meaning 'hanging'). Press very lightly to remove any remaining air pockets.
8. 8 Let the shaped cheeses hang in a cool room (12–15 °C / 54–59 °F) for 24 hours to drain further and form a light rind.
9. 9 Prepare a cold smoke using apple, cherry, or beech wood at no higher than 30 °C (86 °F). Smoke the cheeses for 4–8 hours, allowing them to rest and air-dry at room temperature between smoking sessions. Traditional Metsovone is gently smoked for several days; a 4-hour single session gives an acceptable home result. If no smoker is available, dust the surface with smoke salt and place the cheese in a sealed container overnight.
10. 10 After smoking, dry-age the cheese in a cool (10–13 °C / 50–55 °F), humid space (80–85% RH) for at least 2 weeks, turning daily. The rind should darken to a deep amber and the interior should develop the characteristic firm, sliceable, slightly springy texture.
11. 11 Before serving, check doneness: the cheese should slice cleanly without crumbling, and the interior should be pale ivory with no soft spots. Store wrapped in parchment then loosely in foil in the coldest part of the refrigerator; it will keep for several months and the flavor will continue to deepen.