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The Periqueining

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Smokin Harley

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thanks, yes I was referring to a flavor difference imparted by the oak. Maybe the st james parish oak barrels are more of a tradition than a supply issue.
 

DIY Pete

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ok, I understand your euphemism now...I'd have never figured that one out without help.
So - back to baccy packin'....
(this question is for anybody who has made perique ) is there a distinct or even noticeable difference in end product between pressing in a simple 5 gallon bucket or metal "vessel" rather than pressing in an oak barrel?
I'm currently working overtime again(nuclear power outage) and don't have time to track down an oak barrel or keg. I can pick up a clean bucket though easily and cheap.

Here's a barrel for you. The price is right but the drive is a bit much. This guy always has them it seems like so if you are heading west on I-80 you might want to snag one.
Pete

https://desmoines.craigslist.org/mad/5764282826.html
 

ProfessorPangloss

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Well, it's taken 5 days, but there's some gnarly mold growing on the exposed leaf between the plug and the side of the pot. The distilled water is sitting partway up the plug, so I'd say 99% of the tobacco is covered. I wonder if I could kind of pick it off with a vinegar-soaked paper towel. I don't want it necessarily to bloom and release spores. It's sitting in my dining room at the moment, so it can't be allowed to get *too* gnarly or wife might start asking questions.
 

Brown Thumb

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Cut it off, don't let the leaf hang out. Ain't nothing gonna survive in the sauce.
 

SmokesAhoy

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It'll start to stink like death, might want to start looking for a backup location.
 

Smokin Harley

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Here's a barrel for you. The price is right but the drive is a bit much. This guy always has them it seems like so if you are heading west on I-80 you might want to snag one.
Pete

https://desmoines.craigslist.org/mad/5764282826.html
Thanks Pete, I have a source or two for a barrel . Local spirits distillery owner and I are "talking" because last year I infused some cigars for him with his own coffee infused rum, fantastic by the way. Last time my wife and I were in his place I discussed acquiring a barrel from him for perique fermenting . The other source is Menards, they sell (wine) barrels in the spring for $129 . Once I get off this long hours of working non stop I'll head over to his place and see what hes willing to give me. I'll definitely report on my progress/results. I didn't really want or need a barrel that big (33-53 gallons )for a 1 1/2 inch plug of compressed tobacco but a custom made keg that would hold a gallon or 2 liquid would most likely cost me the same. Beggars can't be choosers.
 

BigBonner

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Making Perique needs a lot of pressure . Leaf needs to have high moisture before it is pressed .
I would let mine sit after pressing and come back and press some more . When it hit the right amount you will hear the water come out and some trapped air bubbles .
The tobacco should start fermenting and bubble come up the side like beer but slower .
Big whiskey barrels hold a lot of tobacco . The small 15 gallons will hold about 150 pounds of tobacco .
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BigBonner

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On those barrels , over 7000 pounds .. I used both jacks at the same time . One on each side of the beam . There is a little dry tobacco on the lid . It was a hand just laid there . Top left in the barrel you will se the black liquid .
Checked it every day and if it was not bubbling / fermenting , the I added more pressure .
 

Jitterbugdude

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thanks, yes I was referring to a flavor difference imparted by the oak. Maybe the st james parish oak barrels are more of a tradition than a supply issue.

I don't think it really matters what kind of container is used. Think about the barrels they use in St Jame's Parish. After the first couple of batches there is so much goo that is absorbed into the wood that it effectively creates a barrier between the tobacco and the oak. The very first time or two you might get an oak-like flavor but after that you might as well use any container that suits your needs.
 

ProfessorPangloss

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I've been watching it this week and adding a splash or two more water by the by, as well as a quarter turn here or there. There's a little fruity fermenting smell if I get down in there and sniff. If I get time this weekend I plan to unpack and re-pack. I'll probably follow the Brown Thumb method and place it all on plastic of some kind, saving the goo, and adding whatever water is necessary to achieve re-goopification (industry term).
 

deluxestogie

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So far as I have been able to determine, unpacking the leaf--and airing it, then repacking it serves to darken the color of the leaf (I think by just oxidizing nicotine). It really doesn't seem to matter how brief the air exposure is, and the exposure doesn't seem to affect any other aspect of the final product, apart from the color.

Bob
 

BigBonner

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With the big barrels , when you let the pressure off , the tobacco absorbs most of it back up like a sponge . Let it set for a short period after you release the pressure for absorption to take place .
 

Smokin Harley

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I don't think it really matters what kind of container is used. Think about the barrels they use in St Jame's Parish. After the first couple of batches there is so much goo that is absorbed into the wood that it effectively creates a barrier between the tobacco and the oak. The very first time or two you might get an oak-like flavor but after that you might as well use any container that suits your needs.
I think I have to disagree with you . If this is fermented in the wooden barrel , there is a porous surface in the oak. The fermentation develops a culture that once started ,multiplies like yeast (think sourdough here) and gets into the wood pores. Each consecutive batch thereafter is restarted by the same "mother" being reactivated. In a non-porous vessel (plastic , stainless steel) the culture would be started new each batch, possibly and most likely having slightly different end results. Just my guess/thoughts and $0.02 . I could be wrong.
 

Jitterbugdude

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If this is fermented in the wooden barrel , there is a porous surface in the oak. The fermentation develops a culture that once started ,multiplies like yeast (think sourdough here) and gets into the wood pores. .

Makes sense but probably for people that keep going from batch to batch. I make Perique every couple of years and I think the microbes would die or change over the course of time as the oak dries from not being used. As a matter of fact just last night I dug out my oak lid that I use to press the tobacco with. It's pretty nasty looking. I'll probably clean it with a good soaking of peroxide. I'm either going to start a batch of Turkish or Flue cured... haven't decided yet.
 

ProfessorPangloss

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I could have but I hit with some 10% hydrogen peroxide and a scrub brush. It is now pressing upon some Lemon Flue-cured tobacco.... :)

This raises questions: are the enzymes and bacteria responsible for perique denatured or otherwise changed by flue curing? Some bacteria can survive those temps, but I think the enzymes are toast.
 

Smokin Harley

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Been working tons of hours( as of the far end of today ,yes Sunday, I'll have put in almost 67 hours) Came home from work last night and made it a point to go out to the barn and check my curing sucker perique leaf . I had picked it clean a week ago today and wire strung it . It was green but mottling already. I knew we had some mild weather coming ,which we did, plus rainy days. So, I small piled it over a bath towel inside a small plastic kiddie pool . I laid it in a circle and folded the towel edges up over and around the leaf. mid-week I checked it and about half of it had yellowed up,so I took it up and re-piled it. Last night most of it had yellowed up. Only 4 tip leaves remained dark green so I tossed those aside and hung the yellowed strings up to dry. None of the leaf turned gooey ,mold or even smell weird. Kind of leathery but very nicely colored a golden yellow so far. Some edges were already turning a nice chocolate brown. I'm just winging it at this point just because I don't have time to babysit it. Updates as I get time.
 
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