Prljo

Prljo (Montenegrin Smoked Cheese)

Prljo is a traditional Montenegrin cheese made in the karst regions around Cetinje and Njeguši, where shepherds smoke fresh cow's-milk cheese over a fire of beech, oak, or juniper wood. The result is a dense, golden-rinded wheel with a smoky, slightly salty, almost meaty flavor that is eaten sliced, fried in butter, or grated over traditional dishes.

Prep

30 min

Cook

1440 min

Total

1470 min

Serves

Makes 2 wheels (about 600 g each)

Difficulty

Hard

Recipe ingredients

• •8 L (2 gallons) whole cow's milk, raw, full-fat, is traditional; pasteurized will work but yields a softer curd
• •0.25 tsp liquid rennet, diluted in 60 ml / 4 tbsp cool non-chlorinated water, or null
• •0.25 tsp mesophilic starter culture, e.g. MA4001, or 60 ml / 4 tbsp live-culture buttermilk as a substitute
• •20 g (4 tsp) fine sea salt, for brine
• •1 L (1 quart) cool water, for the brine
• •1 kg (2.2 lb) smoking wood, beech, oak, or juniper — the signature Montenegrin flavor; not essential oils

Steps

1. 1 Sanitize all equipment (pot, thermometer, ladle, molds) by pouring boiling water over them.
2. 2 Heat the milk in a heavy pot to 32 °C / 90 °F, stirring gently. Stir in the starter culture (or buttermilk) and let it ripen for 45 minutes, keeping the temperature steady.
3. 3 Add the diluted rennet and stir in a slow figure-eight for about 1 minute. Cover and let the milk set, undisturbed, for 45 minutes, until you get a clean break when you lift a knife.
4. 4 Cut the curd into 1.5 cm / ½-inch cubes with a long knife. Rest 5 minutes, then stir very gently for 10 minutes while bringing the temperature up to 38 °C / 100 °F over 30 minutes.
5. 5 Let the curds settle for 20 minutes, then ladle them gently into two cheese molds lined with cheesecloth. Do not pour — you want to keep as much fat in the curd as possible.
6. 6 Drain at room temperature, turning the wheels every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours, then every hour for 4 more hours. Press very lightly (about 1 kg / 2 lb weight) for the first hour only.
7. 7 Prepare the brine by dissolving the salt in cool water. Submerge the unmolded wheels for 16–20 hours, calculating 4 hours per cm of wheel thickness plus 30 minutes.
8. 8 Remove from brine and air-dry uncovered in the refrigerator (4 °C / 39 °F) for 3–5 days, flipping daily, until the rind is dry to the touch.
9. 9 Cold-smoke at 18–24 °C / 65–75 °F for 8–10 hours. In Montenegrin tradition this is done in a covered stone hearth (a 'dimnjak') over smoldering beech or juniper; home cooks should use a cold-smoker and keep the cheese away from direct flame so it cooks through rather than smokes.
10. 10 Age the smoked wheels in a cool cellar or the refrigerator (10–13 °C / 50–55 °F, 85% humidity) for at least 2 weeks, longer for a sharper taste. Wipe with a cloth dampened in salt water every few days.
11. 11 Before serving, brush the rind. Prljo is traditionally sliced thin, fried in a little butter until golden on both sides, or grated over boiled potatoes and kačamak.