Queso Rojo is only made in Lluta by peasant families in their home-dairy or by local small-scale, artisanal cheesemakers. While each family and each cheesemaker has a “secret” recipe handed down for generations, generally speaking, after milking the cows and filtering the raw milk it is immediately processed. Without heating, rennet is added to the raw milk and left until the milk coagulates. After breaking down the curd mass with a wooden spoon, the mixture is strained to remove most of the whey.

The curd is then put into round molds, traditionally made of woven rope, which give the cheese a lovely corrugated outside, and lightly pressed to remove more whey. Afterwards, the cheese is covered in plenty of crushed red salt from the nearby mine and left to rest for anything between a day and a week before consumption.