Making Jocoque
Many years ago, when we were more idealistic than realistic, we tried to keep a cow, for milk.
(Pause for incredulous laughter)
Even for me, that was a lot of cow time. The milking, coordinating with the cow’s reproductive and milk producing cycle, and then dealing with all the milk…It was a real eye-opener as to how tough it was here on the ranch, back in the olden days. The daily schedule of a dairy cow is vastly different than a beef cow’s schedule, much more intense. We eventually sold the milk cow, and went back to purchasing milk.
My husband is still interested in producing cheeses and other dairy products as crafted on the old ranchitos, so we buy the milk when we have the urge. Recently, he has become infatuated with producing jocoque (pronounced ho-KO-keh), or buttermilk.
There are two types of buttermilk:
- Traditional Buttermilk – the milky liquid that is leftover after butter is churned from cream
- Cultured Buttermilk – regular milk that has been inoculated with a fermenting culture
The word jocoque (from the Nahuatl word for “sour”) can refer to both traditional and cultured buttermilk. The link between both types of jocoque is the clay fermenting pot.
Traditional buttermilk would be collected after each butter churning session in a clay container, where it would ferment. The residue of the fermented buttermilk is then absorbed into the pores of the clay container. This residue contains the fermenting bacteria needed to culture and thicken jocoque. If regular refrigerated milk is heated and added to the clay container, then it becomes inoculated with fermenting bacteria, and then becomes cultured buttermilk.
Bear in mind that refrigeration wasn’t part of ranch life until there was electricity. Somewhere between 1950-1980, South Texas and Northern Mexico saw their first in-home electric lights. Before that, fresh milk that was still at the cow’s body temperature would have been added to the fermenting pot, which was the perfect temperature for encouraging the multiplication of fermenting bacteria. In other words, there was no need to heat fresh raw milk when making jocoque on the arid ranches in South Texas and Northern Mexico.
An Oldie and a Goodie
My husband remembers the way his family made jocoque on their ranch. They simply left the fermenting crock next to their stove’s pilot light, to keep the jocoque at the proper temperature for fermentation.
He has re-established a clay fermenting crock in our home kitchen, and makes jocoque whenever we run out, about once a week. My son is a huge fan of yogurt, but has switched to his dad’s home-made jocoque, unsweetened, and outrageously tangy. I like it toned down with a bit of pureed strawberries and honey.
Sourcing a clay pot for jocoque may be challenging as you need clay that breathes and weeps, like a flower pot. Here is one pot that will work.
After 48 hours, the jocoque should be well thickened. We store the jocoque in its same jar in the fridge afterwards
Both of these jars could have been used for fermentation, especially the larger one. The smaller one would have been good for jocoque or beans.
How to Make Old Style Ranch Buttermilk (Jocoque)
These are basic instructions for making jocoque at sea level, in our hot climate. If you are interested in making your own jocoque, make sure you read more about home dairy processing in your area. The techniques for fermenting milk vary in colder climates, and different altitudes.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
- Category: Beverages
Ingredients
1 gallon of milk
1 cup store bought buttermilk (preferably with Bulgarian culture)
Instructions
Heat the milk to approximately 86°F (30°C). Pour the heated milk into a clay pot, and add the store-bought buttermilk. Allow the jocoque to stand at an ambient temperature of 70°-85°F (21°-30°) for approximately 48 hours, until the milk has thickened. Once the jocoque is thick and cultured, store the entire clay jar in the refrigerator.
When making more jocoque, simply add the heated milk to the jocoque clay pot, and allow to thicken at ambient temperature for 48 hours. Do not wash the jar between batches of jocoque, as you will be washing away the valuable culture needed to thicken the milk. If the jar does get washed, simply start your jocoque following the same method noted above.
I’m going to try this. Any concerns about using pottery that is not high fired?
I think low fire is actually better, but of course there is the lead issue. If it is a burnished pottery, it should be fine. But the clay will become impregnated with the buttermilk culture. It’s a fun weekend experiment. Good to hear from you Alice! I hope all is well with you.
mg
Hi Melissa!
So excited to try making jocoque after I seen your recipe! I’ve made it in Mexico, only because I had some from the ranch, and just kept adding milk. But here in Chicago I didn’t have a clue how to begin! Now that I know it’s buttermilk and just keeping adding more milk, I’m happy! My real question is do I really need a clay pot? First of all I do not have one, secondly in Mexico I just kept adding it to the to the jocoque in a clean container. Do you think that will work if I start from scratch? Hope you can help me get.jocoque started!😊 Thank you!
Hi Noemi! The deal with clay is that the jocoque culture becomes embedded in the clay and so you simply add milk, and the jocoque culture is already there. A glass jar will work, but you would have to add the jocoqiue culture to the jar. In the old days, they wouldn’t wash those jocoque clay pots, so they stayed pretty ripe, but it was hte way the milk preserved itself. Give it a try. If it is a fail, your cat (or dog) will love it! Try a small test, like about a quart, and see what happens. Best of luck, let me know if you have any questions, and keep me updated!
MG
Great answer Melissa Guerra.
Anytime Steve! MG
When the jocoque is fermenting for 48 hours, is the lid on or off the jar? Thank you
Hi Ryan! Usually we put cheesecloth or parchment on top just to keep out the bugaboos. I think the lid also prevents any drying out of the outer layer. However, some large containers don’t have lids, so feel free to improvise. We do! Thanks for your note!
I’d be concerned with the lead paint on tje pot more than anything else.
Hey Joe! You are right! All clay has a tiny amount of lead in it as it is a natural element in clay. I don’t know how I grew up with this stuff!
What are some techniques for maintaining the 70-85 degree temperature if you don’t live in a warm climate? Immerse the pot in a Bain Marie over the stove? Sou- vide?
Hi, what you ned is a consistent temp so you will need to be crafty in the winter. Do you have a furnace that you could leave it near? Or I have even seen people do well with a heating pad under the bowl, set on a low temp. The oven would be too hot, and inconvenient. My vote would be on the heating pad. email me directly if you have more questions melissa@melissaguerra.com
Thanks for the recipe, really well explained, detailed and history embedded, it reminds the exact old days and techniques that it were used on the past and the way exactly that many families have it done.
I was just searching and pick on this one and it’s excellent.
Thank you.
Thank you so much for your nice note! I love historical cooking, but the recipes are so difficult! Glad you enjoy them too!! Best, MG
I have Mexican low fired clay bean pots that are only glazed on the outside and are lead free. i use these on my gas stove with a flame retarder and in some cases the clay pot is placed directly on the gas burner. Never had a problem. It may be because I soak the beans in the same pot and the clay absorbs water. I also use them for garbanzo beans and sopa de carne etc.
Hi Mark! Some people I talk to are really freaked out by the thought of using clay pots. Not sure why, but I use them when I find good ones. My Spanish pots are pretty cracked up and almost unusable. ALMOST! I will keep using them as long as I can! I think using them often is key as they need moisture int he clay structure to keep the clay alive and expandable. Glad other folks like them as much as I do! Thanks for your note!!\
MG
Hi Melissa,
I read that some people make jocoque using expired milk. What are your thoughts on this?
Hi Yvette, jocoque really is just spoiled milk, but there is a difference in perception from “spoiled” and fermented. When milk goes sour, it is simply fermenting and can be converted into different products. Yogurt is fermented too. “Expired” milk is milk that is fermenting on its own, while jocoque and yogurt usually have some sort of culture introduced to the milk by the person making it. In the old days, milk or any food wasn’t discarded if it was less than fresh. They simply guided the fermentation process so that a safe, delicious processed version of the the original ingredient was the result. Hope that helps!!
MG
Thank you much for the recipe, my grandmother back in México used to make the best jocoque ever and I loved going into her kitchen and believe it or not I loved adding a litttle bit of salt and mix it with some refried pinto beans… It was the best!
I am so glad! I love old ranch recipes, and try to recreate them whenever I can. Glad you enjoyed it!!
MG
Hi! I love jocoque! Used to have it all the time in Mexico when visiting my grandparents in Zacatecas! They sell jocoque here in LA at the Mexican market and the clay pots. Will using jocoque as the starter improve the final product? I’ll give it a try!! Thanks for posting!
Hello! I do think using a starter would help, but we don’t have any sources for that here locally. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out. Enjoy!
MG