Leaf chew, chaw , etc. Recipes

[Smokin Harley]

Found a few recipes for making RedMan or Levi Garrett style chew...Every one I've seen is pretty basic and only a few ingredients-
Tobacco -cured,stripped of its main rib
apple cider
black strap molasses
salt

Instructions are just as simple.
Take a sauce pan on stove top and in small increments boil down(reduce liquids) of the apple juice. Boil some ,add some , etc until its reduced liquid by half .
Add a tablespoon or 3 of the molasses ,stir into the reduced apple liquid until evenly distributed ,watching not to burn mixture.
add salt . I imagine a kosher salt , non-iodized would be best. looks like this is to taste (and might possibly to inhibit spoilage/mold??) ,but about a teaspoon stirred into the sticky liquid while heating.
Add roughly shredded tobacco leaf to the mixture continually turning the leaf in the mixture until evenly distributed, heat until the leaf doesn't appear wet but still sticky .
Allow to cool and pack in zip-lok bags.

Most important step here , pay attention...WASH the pan immediately so theres no trace of tobacco existence . Dry and put back where it was before your wife finds out .

Some recipes were as backwoods as taking a non-sappy log (maple,oak, birch,beech,etc)18 inches in diameter, and boring holes 1 inch in diameter and 6 inches deep , 2 inches apart ,stuff the leaf and mixture into these holes ,packing the prepared leaf with a mallet and dowel until it won't fit any more leaf to about 1/2 inch from the top of the hole. Pound a very tightly fitting wooden plug into the top of each filled hole . Hang the log up in rafters (away from the elements) and forget about it for a few months to ferment and dry.
When you just happen to remember the log has been away for a long time ,lets say spring if you put it away in the fall. hack off a hole n plug station and wedge split it to extract a ring of the "plug" of chew and enjoy the wait.
Don't forget to spit.

If anyone has any other variations of this recipe or flavors they like to add ,please share.
Thanks

 

[SmokesAhoy]

A bunch of recipes over in the smokeless tobacco sub forum. The apple juice method even has a YouTube video detailing how to do it.

One theme that comes up frequently in oral tobacco in the unhealthy sense has to do with the sugar content, as such there is a movement towards artificial sweeteners, or none at all.

 

[Smokin Harley]

I bypass soft drinks in general for the most part because of the overuse of artificial sweeteners . If I do drink a soft drink ( I usually mix it with my Jack Daniel's )I look for the mexican made products as they contain real sweeteners like sugar cane , like they were originally made many years ago. I like real ingredients. Sugar , raw local honey,agave nectar .
I can usually tell when artificial sweeteners are in something by the weird aftertaste.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I usually make the following flavored chew/dip: Wintergreen, Cinnamon Apple, Maple and Black Licorice.

 

[Knucklehead]

If I do drink a soft drink ( I usually mix it with my Jack Daniel's )I look for the mexican made products as they contain real sweeteners like sugar cane

Jarritos?

 

[deluxestogie]

Moved this to Smokeless Tobacco.

Bob

 

[kullas]

Some recipes were as backwoods as taking a non-sappy log (maple,oak, birch,beech,etc)18 inches in diameter, and boring holes 1 inch in diameter and 6 inches deep , 2 inches apart ,stuff the leaf and mixture into these holes ,packing the prepared leaf with a mallet and dowel until it won't fit any more leaf to about 1/2 inch from the top of the hole. Pound a very tightly fitting wooden plug into the top of each filled hole . Hang the log up in rafters (away from the elements) and forget about it for a few months to ferment and dry.
When you just happen to remember the log has been away for a long time ,lets say spring if you put it away in the fall. hack off a hole n plug station and wedge split it to extract a ring of the "plug" of chew and enjoy the wait.
Don't forget to spit.

If anyone has any other variations of this recipe or flavors they like to add ,please share.
Thanks

Back when my Grand Father was alive this is the method he used but he would use a fresh cut hickory log. when he was done with the log he would cut it up for firewood so nothing went to waste.

 

[Smokin Harley]

Jarritos?

I've had a few Jarritos , tasty ,different. Mostly just the Mexican Coca Cola , just tastes like it did when I was a kid.

 

[squeezyjohn]

I'm right with you on artificial sweeteners ... can't stand the aftertaste! However I won't use sugar, fruit or any other thing sugary in my smokeless tobacco recipes because I figure that any substance I'm addicted to keeping in my mouth for long periods of time next to my teeth will probably give me tooth decay or worse if I sweeten them naturally.

I go for salty chew or snus because it's a different kind of flavour enhancer and you don't really absorb the salt unless you swallow the tobacco! It's traditional in some parts of Europe. If I want to mellow out the taste with a little sweetness I use liquorice root or xylitol in tiny quantities - both of which promote good dental health.

 

[squeezyjohn]

Most important step here , pay attention...WASH the pan immediately so theres no trace of tobacco existence . Dry and put back where it was before your wife finds out .

Man I can REALLY identify with this ... don't get found out guys!

 

[kullas]

I'm right with you on artificial sweeteners ... can't stand the aftertaste! However I won't use sugar, fruit or any other thing sugary in my smokeless tobacco recipes because I figure that any substance I'm addicted to keeping in my mouth for long periods of time next to my teeth will probably give me tooth decay or worse if I sweeten them naturally.

I go for salty chew or snus because it's a different kind of flavour enhancer and you don't really absorb the salt unless you swallow the tobacco! It's traditional in some parts of Europe. If I want to mellow out the taste with a little sweetness I use liquorice root or xylitol in tiny quantities - both of which promote good dental health.

Is there a recipe you like more than others?

 

[squeezyjohn]

My favourite chew is definitely to take colour cured rustica tobacco and spray it with a mixture that I make myself. I take one 3 inch section of liquorice root and boil it in 200ml water to add a little natural non-sugar sweetness until it has reduced by half. I add to that 6g of sea salt, 1 teaspoon of propylene glycol and I normally flavour it with 15 drops of bergamot essential oil. When the leaf has rehydrated to a high case (but not too wet) I braid the leaves in a long thin tightly-rolled twist (preferably under 1cm thick), tie them up, give them another spray when finished and then leave them to dry out until needed by hanging them.

This gives a good consistency - it does not go rock hard because of the propylene glycol. The flavour is very similar to a traditional Swedish snus, but the process is far less messy. I cut off a small half-inch section and use it under my top lip like snus - but it would also be very good in the cheek. You need far less of it than American chew because the rustica tobacco is so strong - but you can still play with it and give it a little chew to make it release flavour and nicotine on demand which you cannot do with snus.

I have high hopes for my giant leaved rustica harvest this year ... I am leaving them to go super ripe so that they are as strong as they can be. But you must be careful with this recipe because too much strong rustica can be an unpleasant experience ... never use too much!

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I'm right with you on artificial sweeteners ... can't stand the aftertaste!

Unless you are using a pure artificial sweetener it could be what you are tasting is all the bulking agents added to the sweetener. The pure stuff is super concentrated. For instance, to sweeten a 1/2 gallon of tea I use a tiny micro dot (something like a 1/32tsp).

 

[Smokin Harley]

Man I can REALLY identify with this ... don't get found out guys!

I got busted yesterday ...I had to "borrow" one of my wifes older hair straighteners to use as a heat sealer on a vapor proof bag to send a sample to a fellow member.
I unplugged it to cool and got sidetracked the rest of the day . Wife came home and had a very concerned look on her face as she asked me "Do I even want to know what my hair iron was doing out?" ...I told her exactly what I used it for and apologized for not putting it back...
then she said (and let me off the hook a bit ) "at least you used that one ,and not my $100 one", as it is not her favorite anyway . WHEW !!

 

[deluxestogie]

You can find heat sealers, used, on ebay for about $30. How much would you guess a divorce attorney might cost?

Bob

 

[Smokin Harley]

How much would you guess a divorce attorney might cost?

Bob

Hah, I know that amount all too well from the first wife... I got off lucky as far as attorney fee. I think it was in the neighborhood of $12,000 but the residuals were about twice that.

I can go to Target and buy a brand new hair iron for $10 .

 

[kullas]

Hah, I know that amount all too well from the first wife... I got off lucky as far as attorney fee. I think it was in the neighborhood of $12,000 but the residuals were about twice that.

I can go to Target and buy a brand new hair iron for $10 .

You know why they say a divorce is so expensive...


because they are worth it.

I cant say to much as i have been married for almost 17 years and i have a good marriage

 

[Smokin Harley]

I'd never wish my kids away but knowing what I know now ,I sure wish I had found the lady I'm married to now before my kids' mother.
Our 2 yr anniversary is tomorrow .

 

[kullas]

Congrats on your anniversary

 

[Knucklehead]

I'd never wish my kids away but knowing what I know now ,I sure wish I had found the lady I'm married to now before my kids' mother.
Our 2 yr anniversary is tomorrow .

Congrats to you, best of luck to the missus. 2nd Anniversary, wow, one more year and the honeymoon will be over.