Made a simple traditional chewing tobacco this morning

[Paraord]

And it turned out GREAT!!!! Super simple, about a 50/50 mix of Tennessee Red Leaf and Yellow Twist Bud that had been dried, cured in a kiln, then dried out again. I made a light syrup out of about a half a gallon of apple juice, then added a few tablespoons of molasses and then a few good pinches of salt. After making it I let it sit for a few hours to really soak up the juices. Now I dont chew tobacco, well I should not say I didn't before now and this will be a welcome treat now and again. This stuff turned out fantastic. I tried a little bit while I was out deer hunting this afternoon and really the flavor was excellent. Retained that flavor for about an hour on a little baby bouncy ball sized pinch.
And here are the pictures! I filled one tin thats in the fridge, and 2 little pint jars that went into the freezer.

 

[Charly]

I never tried to make a chew recipe, but maybe I should

I am glad you enjoyed yours.

 

[Paraord]

Its really easy, took maybe 20 minutes to a half hour or so. Like I said the flavor was outstanding, I was really surprised. If you make it let me know how it turned out and how you like it!

 

[CobGuy]

Very cool ... congrats and thanks for sharing!


~Darin

 

[greenmonster714]

Excellent. Gotta try this when the dust settles from this house moving crap I'm all wrapped up in right now.

 

[Paraord]

I put 2 pints in the freezer and filled an old tobacco tin with it and its been in the fridge for a week. Anyone have any other ideas on storage? Or how long itll last in the fridge/freezer? I probably should have let the stuff I put into the tin air out for a little longer like I did the stuff in the pint jars but whatever I suppose.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

It should last at least as long as food does in either the fridge or freezer.

You could dry it out enough that it won't mold. About the same moisture level as if you were going to smoke it.

You could vacuum seal it and keep it in the fridge or freezer to extend shelf life.

You could pressure cook it in mason jars.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I would suggest you put some in a sealed mason jar and leave on your kitchen counter. Check it every few days to see how long it takes for mold to develop. This would give you some feedback on your ingredients. If mold forms within a few days or a week or two you might consider adding more salt to your chew and some vegetable glycerine. With all that sugar you've added you are just begging for some white fuzzy looking stuff, and I don't mean snow.

For reference: I make a year's supply of dip every year. I store it about 6-10 bags that I keep in the freezer. When I need to, I pull one out of the freezer and just keep it on the counter. It does not mold even after 2 months. Keep in mind that I do not add any sugars but I do add salt and vegetable glycerine (both anti-microbials).

What I'm getting at is this: Experiment and find out what works for you. Tailor your recipe and storage method to what you are happy with.

 

[Dunlogging]

And it turned out GREAT!!!! Super simple, about a 50/50 mix of Tennessee Red Leaf and Yellow Twist Bud that had been dried, cured in a kiln, then dried out again. I made a light syrup out of about a half a gallon of apple juice, then added a few tablespoons of molasses and then a few good pinches of salt. After making it I let it sit for a few hours to really soak up the juices. Now I dont chew tobacco, well I should not say I didn't before now and this will be a welcome treat now and again. This stuff turned out fantastic. I tried a little bit while I was out deer hunting this afternoon and really the flavor was excellent. Retained that flavor for about an hour on a little baby bouncy ball sized pinch.
And here are the pictures! I filled one tin thats in the fridge, and 2 little pint jars that went into the freezer.

How much tobacco do you think you used

 

[Dunlogging]

How much tobacco do you think you used

What did you do just put it in low heat?

 

[RyanM22]

I would suggest you put some in a sealed mason jar and leave on your kitchen counter. Check it every few days to see how long it takes for mold to develop. This would give you some feedback on your ingredients. If mold forms within a few days or a week or two you might consider adding more salt to your chew and some vegetable glycerine. With all that sugar you've added you are just begging for some white fuzzy looking stuff, and I don't mean snow.

For reference: I make a year's supply of dip every year. I store it about 6-10 bags that I keep in the freezer. When I need to, I pull one out of the freezer and just keep it on the counter. It does not mold even after 2 months. Keep in mind that I do not add any sugars but I do add salt and vegetable glycerine (both anti-microbials).

What I'm getting at is this: Experiment and find out what works for you. Tailor your recipe and storage method to what you are happy with.

Do you think freezing helps your shelf life?

Have you tried not freezing?

 

[Jitterbugdude]

Freezing definitely helps. I make a year's supply that I call "plain dip". This is jsut a big batch that has been cooked with added salt, glycerine and a non-caloric sweetener. I then store these into roughly 6-8 bags in the fridge. When I take a bag out I add my flavoring. This works well for me because my mood changes quite often. A few weeks ago I was in the mood for Orange flavored dip so I added orange flavoring. As of today I am dipping apple-cinnamon. I've noticed in the past that I had a bag of wintergreen flavored dip that I took out of the freezer and over the course of about a month it slowly lost its flavor. When I take a bag out of the freezer I leave it partially open so the dip can breathe. I do not get any mold growing unless I seal the bag up tight.

I've also stored dip in mason jars for a few years with no mold. I keep the dip on the dry side though. As a matter of fact I have some chocolate dip that is 5 years old in a mason jar with no mold present. I also threw in an oxygen absorber to help with the long term storage.

 

[Paraord]

Medium heat, stirring to ensure it didnt scorch the sugars. I didnt measure how much I used. I would say one heap. It was like a 1/2-3/4 of a hefty mixing bowl of crushed leaves. Kinda just winged it. Give it a try ,its super easy and likely will come out just fine.