I ordered some Dark Air KY for perfecting my snuff recipe
while I wait for my black stalk mammoth to grow - going to air dry
to a 1/4 cup tobacco
2-5 teaspoon Water dissolve
1/8 teaspoon baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon salt
add teaspoon or two of Mrs. Butterworth's Sugar Free
or maybe sweetleaf powder (a.k.a. stevia - natural sugar substitute) since I have a bunch of that now
isnt necessary at all but some baking soda or sodium carbonate will raise the ph increasing nicotine uptake and also makes it harder to mold
sodium carbonate AKA washing soda is better than baking soda but much stronger I would say use 50% less = 1/16 teaspoon sodium carbonate
By experience I know to much sodium carbonate wont be pleasant I have a can here you can just tell by the smell coming off it its to much
Salt also preserves but baking soda is somewhat more saltly so you may need to add more salt if using sodium carbonate
Again I would say no more than 50% more salt perhaps more like 3/16 teaspoon salt
remember you can always add more but diluting a big batch can be a real pain and tastes differ
I have a older 1 1/2 cup black & decker handy chopper just for tobacco since when the local store ran out of Copenhagen fine cut I made my own from Long Cut. just as good!
you can pick up a Handy Chopper Plus now pretty cheap rather than tear up a full food processor (my attempt at some paper making!) anyway its just great for all small experimenting
I dont know about the crockpot method but guess its for the color humm I'll have to look for a second crockpot to play with
mixing and keeping it in a hot place say over the hot water heater should darken it up over time though
a friend (78yr old) who buys 45-90 lbs at a time from NC (mostly for chew) has helped me invaluably
once I have some large stems I'll chop n throw em in a jar of water to steep for later use you can then "flavor" to your strength liking
just some of this water & flavoring (juice) in a baggy on the dashboard seem to work fine
True Apple and Cherry flavored Chew will mold quite quickly, keep even small batches refrigerated and sealed good
If you have a cherry tree (even a crappy one 'just for the birds') you just cant beat good ole cherry juice yum
I do have half a jar of blackstrap molasses but that stuff isnt cheap! and it created a problem with ants the last time used.
you may thinks im half crazy to but kool aid and jello gelatin might make for some interesting mixes later...
You can find copenhagen / skoal snuff ingredients on their site
http://www.ussmokeless.com/en/cms/Home/default.aspx
copenhagen is a mix of dark fire cured and dark air cured as I suspect most snuff s to be
Redman is a really nice snuff (I thought I wouldnt like after trying the chew) but I have no idea how to get anywhere close to redman
I think it has alot to do with what tobacco is used and in what amounts blended?