Most dips use at least some fire cured tobaccos. You really don't have to though and air cured will have less TSNA's. A coffee grinder will do nicely for shredding. A burr grinder can give you a consistent grind unless you are looking for a long cut type. For long cut I think the cigarette smokers can be of better help but I have seen (online) paper shredders being used successfully. If you are grinding it you will want to let it dry out a little beforehand. You will want to add an alkalizer to freebase more of the nicotine. Sodium carbonate (washing soda) is the most easily obtainable. Ammonium chloride is another accessible food product that will do the trick. These can be added at around a three percent by weight total (not each). Salt is another ingredient you will want to add. It will bring out the flavors and help preserve your snuff. You can salt to taste really three percent would be a good starting point. You can go more or less from there. You can add a sweetener but this is more common for dip than chew. The salts should be diluted in liquid before adding to the dry ground tobacco. This liquid can consist of just about anything you want to flavor your snuff. A licorice root tea, for example, will do wonders as a casing here. You can also use juice or just water with a few drops of flavor essence added. If too much liquid is added you can let some evaporate on a low heat. This recipe is good for making all types of smokeless tobaccos.
Also see the snuff recipes thread
