Baking Tobacco

[cranseiron]

Well, I just tried baking a tin of Briar Fox at 300 degrees. After maybe ten minutes or so I had a nice little explosion go off in the oven-- glad the wife is away at work. This tin was from 2013 and was under a bit of pressure already, so my take-away is you assume additional risk baking older tins. So, back to square one and now with only new tins.

 

[gloucesterman]

300 is way too high. 200 for about 2 hours produces amazing results. It's called "stoving".

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Ha ha ha, oh, sorry to hear. Most tins are sealed under vacuum, except for C&D and McClelland. But C&D and GLPs tins are even more renown for being sealed under pressure, instead of vacuum. This was a disaster in the making.

Why did you select Briar Fox?

Anyways... I have baked tins of Erinmore flake at a much lower temperature, like maybe 180F overnight. There are several posts about the process. I wouldn't push a tin, even a vacuumed tin up to 300F, because then you'd be heading into a range that the delicate leaf would probably burn, especially with the casings.

 

[cranseiron]

Well, uh, I have Fred Hanna's book where it talks about baking tobacco. I didn't have the book open and thought I recalled his numbers as 300 degrees for 190 minutes. I just checked and I reversed his numbers. My methodology was not quite up to scientific standards.
I selected Briar Fox because several years ago I thought I liked it but, the more I smoked it I really never took to it. So, I thought I'd experiment to see if I could improve it. I just hope the smell goes away before wifey gets home!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Actually, 300F for 190 hours just might improve Briar Fox, ha ha.

 

[cranseiron]

Good one Cosmic!

 

[toobfreak]

Wow! You were almost 90° above the boiling point of water! There must have been a raging boil of steam in that can. Too bad you didn't puncture a pinhole in the lid, it probably would have been whistling. I wonder, were you able to collect up and save any of the tobacco? If you did, I would put it in a jar and let it rest for a few weeks then try it. It likely won't be any better than before cooking, maybe worse, but knowing the results might be interesting.

 

[backwoodsjack]

You will need a relief valve (or just re-tin in something that is not sealed)
I have introduced whiskey to some blends and cooked them at 220 F for 2-3 hours.
The results were pretty tasty. I blended this concoction with unmolested weed and produced an enjoyable smoking mixture.
It is truly unique as well.
joe

 

[montalslog]

I have introduced whiskey to some blends and cooked them at 220 F for 2-3 hours.

That sounds divine.

 

[cranseiron]

Yea, that sounds like a great idea, Joe. I'll have to perfect my technique before I attempt these "advanced" methods, though. :^

 

[cranseiron]

toobfreak, I was able to salvage most of it and jarred it up. I'll give another shot at some point in the future.

 

[jabo]

DAMN y'all . You've piqued my interest. Got about an ounce or so of yellow Virginia in the oven at about 200 degrees right now. Gonna cook about 2-3 hours. At least I got some comparison. Will give a report on the results. Are we sick or what ? ;☆

 

[jabo]

Ok, the blending yellow Virginia is cooked and tested overnight. A small bowl this morning. Seems sweeter. Will be testing throughout the weekend with various pipes. Stand by for "expert" results !

 

[bigtex]

I have done this with Mac Baren Virginia #1 quite successfully. I placed the tobacco with added liquor into a canning jar, covered the top with aluminum foil that I "tented up" and placed the jar ring on and cooked away at 200F for 2 hours. When I bake tins, I drill a very small hole in the top of the tin and cover it with the aluminum duct tape as a relief valve of sorts. Never had a problem.

 

[cranseiron]

Ok, here's an update to my exploding Briar Fox debacle:
After salvaging my scattered Briar Fox from the oven last week, I split the four ounces into two tins and put a little of the original exploded stuff that had baked for three hours to the side for sampling. I put a rehydrator button in one tin and wrapped it with foil. In the other tin I poured about an ounce of bourbon and then covered it with foil. I placed both in the oven at 190 degrees planning to bake them both for another three hours.
While waiting on this new baking process I sampled the original tobacco that had baked for three hours and exploded. Wow, what a marked difference. I never cared for Briar Fox-- thought I did, but changed my mind-- as I found it kind of harsh, a bit ashy, etc. Three hours of baking mellowed it in a striking manner and gave it a pronounced stewed fruit taste and a mild mellow sweetness. I was impressed.
When the three hours were up I pulled the two tins out of the oven and let them cool for several hours. I sampled the tin without the bourbon and it was interesting in that the rich stewed fruit taste had left and was replaced by a very mellow dark Virginia taste and a slight nuttiness and a somewhat reduced sweetness. I was struck by how smooth the tobacco had become and quite enjoyed this smoke also. The tin with the bourbon turned out a disappointment. It didn't carry any of the bourbon flavor other that a hardly detectable fruit sweetness. It had lost the smooth roundness, nuttiness and Virginia taste of the other sample-- rather insipid.
The original tobacco baked for three hours was a big success in my estimation-- richer and maybe more "alive" if you will than the six hour sample. The six hour sample was good too and I was in no way disappointed with it. In summary, a tobacco I disliked and was going to get rid of turned into one that in now very enjoyable. I have an additional two eight ounce tins I'm now going to retain. Although, I don't think I'll stove them right away, but rather cellar them until I'm ready to smoke them and then stove. Stoving and then ageing is another experiment altogether. As an aside, the stoving didn't stink up the kitchen so don't be afraid to try this at home-- maybe wait till the wife is off shopping, though

 

[backwoodsjack]

Does the bourbon batch have a strong whiskey note? You may find that jarring this and letting it rest for a few months will yield a vary different experience. Time in a jar will allow the weed to absorb that essence.
When I add whiskey and stove, the weed comes out way too moist. I tray it for a while and jar it, Let it sit for a few months then come back to it. If it has a very strong liquor scent (too strong) blend a bit of another weed with it to your liking.
It imparts a subtle whiskey aroma, not necessarily a dominant whiskey flavor.

 

[cranseiron]

Backwoods, no strong whiskey note. I was going to trash it, but I'll take your suggestion and jar it up.

 

[toobfreak]

Any time you cook a tobacco like this you ought to let it rest for a few days to a few weeks at least before deciding what you have. After much experimentation with natural aging, microwaving and various baking methods, I've come to the conclusion that most of them lead to a similar result, the difference being mainly how fast you get there. Not only does the heat induce chemical changes but it also speeds up the action of little microbes, not unlike the pressing, stoving and steaming of many commercial blends! IMO, some of the results might take up to 10-30 years natural aging if just left in the jar alone!