Cookin some Capstan

[mustanggt]

I have baked a tin of Capstan blue at 200 for 4-5 hours. I liked it cube cut in a 35 Dunhill however I thought mixing it with fresh Capstan blue 50/50 would be better and it proved to be to my taste. I get the nice bright and brown flavor of the VA mixed with the stoved VA that really was quite tasty. If you haven't tried baking a tin or two in the oven you might give it a go.

 

[Oxman]

Sounds like a great idea - perhaps some of the unloved tins in my collection would improve with baking!

So question, - do you bake in a sealed pot / tin or how do you stop the tobacco drying right out?

 

[Briar Spirit]

Sealed tin or Kilner (Mason) jar.

I personally couldn't recommend doing it Ox' but if you're just wanting to experiment with a blend or two you can't stand any longer then by all means have at it my friend but don't do it to anything you enjoy smoking, bad mojo mate, seriously.

 

[mustanggt]

I bake it in a sealed tin. It hasn't dried out at all. The old Cajun on this forum recommended it.

 

[desertpiper]

From what I've read, you should probably bake unopened sealed tins. you would have to have a really good vacuum seal, and oven safe container other wise.

 

[mustanggt]

If your tin is open you can put foil tight around it then put the lid back on it then bake it. Some time during the baking process the sealed tin will lose its seal anyway so it isn't a much of problem. Give it a try it may surprise you.

 

[Fumus]

Since others seem to have done this with no bad effects, I guess its safe :scratch:   But honestly the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about a "sealed tin" of anything being baked in an oven is BOOM! Kinda like popcorn, river rocks in a wild-land fire, the cans of re-fried beans and hominy some friends of mine hid in the ashes of a rival groups campfire, (that last one was a particularly stupid idea which fortunately did not result in any injuries).

 

[Oxman]

Thanks for the info gents. I will give it a try in a small kilner jar. I have a bit of old tobacco that does nothing for me so will try that.

 

[desertpiper]

Since others seem to have done this with no bad effects, I guess its safe :scratch:   But honestly the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about a "sealed tin" of anything being baked in an oven is BOOM! Kinda like popcorn, river rocks in a wild-land fire, the can of re-fried beans and hominy some friends of mine hid in the ashes of a rival groups campfire, (that last one was a particularly stupid idea which fortunately did not result in any injuries).

I'm think sealed tins are vacuum sealed. So no air to expand. And a 200 to 300 degree oven is a lot cooler than something like a camp fire. I even thing you pop popcorn at a much height temp.

 

[Fumus]

Since others seem to have done this with no bad effects, I guess its safe :scratch:   But honestly the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about a "sealed tin" of anything being baked in an oven is BOOM! Kinda like popcorn, river rocks in a wild-land fire, the can of re-fried beans and hominy some friends of mine hid in the ashes of a rival groups campfire, (that last one was a particularly stupid idea which fortunately did not result in any injuries).

I'm think sealed tins are vacuum sealed. So no air to expand. And a 200 to 300 degree oven is a lot cooler than something like a camp fire. I even thing you pop popcorn at a much height temp.

Ah, ok. That does make sense.

 

[Dutch]

I tried the method that Fred Hanna suggests with a pound of HOTW with great results. I simply put the entire pound in an old cooking pot, and baked it with the lid on at 180 degrees for 5 hrs. At the end of the baking period, there was quite a bit of moisture inside the pot, especially under the lid. I allowed the pot to sit with the lid on at room temperature for a couple days, to give the tobacco time to reabsorb the moisture it expelled.

I also tried this method with a sealed tin. The tin will pop during the baking process, but it didn't seem to pose any type of safety threat.

After trying it both ways, I preferred using the bulk pound quantity, instead of the smaller tin.

From what I have read, once you choose to stove tobacco in this manner, you can forget about it ever aging the way it normally does. I only use this method when I have a Virginia blend I am anxious to smoke, and don't want to give it 4 or 5 years for aerobic aging in a mason jar or sealed pop top tin. I wouldn't bother baking anything other than a Virginia, since I am just trying to knock off the Virginia bite.

Before you go taking all your pipe tobacco into the kitchen tho, you might want to read what Greg Pease and Russ Ouellette have to say about aging and stoving your tobacco.

http://glpease.com/BriarAndLeaf/?p=39

http://www.talkingtobacco.com/2012/07/pipe-tobacco-academy-aging-pipe-tobacco/

http://www.talkingtobacco.com/2014/04/pipe-tobacco-aging-gracefully/

 

[monbla256]

After you have "cooked" it, do you serve it as a main dish or on the side with the main dish ? :twisted: :twisted: And does it go well with a Bordeaux or a Riesling ? :twisted: :twisted:

 

[mustanggt]

Dessert only, accompanied by a good Port.

 

[thesmoker]

I've tried the cooking method on some Old Gowrie at a low 180 temp with very good results. By the way Mustang I like your avatar.. it reminds of mine..

 

[mustanggt]

I've been happy with the experimenting thus far. I have a lot more I'll try in the future. I like your avatar too but we need to have our individualism intact. 8)

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Dutch, that article is a good'un.   Greg tellin' it like it is, while considering all angles without dismissal.  

Please forgive any illusion of arrogance here, but as a blender, if I wanted a mixture cooked, I’d have cooked it before putting it out to market. As mentioned, there can be advantages to toasting, stoving, steaming, roasting and “panning” tobaccos, but these sorts of processes need to be done precisely, in a controlled manner, and with the final product in mind. It’s not like putting a piece of bread in the toaster or reheating a spiral cut ham.

Obviously it's kind of fun to mess around with tobacco, but generally-speaking, I have too much during any given day to do to play tobacco-cook, especially if it's actually cooking actual food.  :lol:  My tobacco I would like to have exactly (or at least as close as intended) as the blender made it.  If that blend sucks, granted it might be interesting to mix it with stuff, bake it like a souffle, etc., but I usually end up giving it to someone else to try in case they love it as-is.  Meanwhile, I like knowing the variable of my ignorance toward messing with tobacco is best left to those who know a thing or two, and it's kind of cool I can pop a tin of a favorite and start smoking right away, getting what I expect on the first try.

If a chef's food sucks, I suppose salvaging it with condiments and techniques at the table might work, but do you go back to the restaurant to eat his food, or the strange concoction that made it edible in the first place?  

I'd just go with something (or somewhere) else.  

It's your leaf, though--enjoy.   :heart:

8)

 

[mustanggt]

Thanks, I will.

 

[Dutch]

Dutch, that article is a good'un.   Greg tellin' it like it is, while considering all angles without dismissal.  

Please forgive any illusion of arrogance here, but as a blender, if I wanted a mixture cooked, I’d have cooked it before putting it out to market. As mentioned, there can be advantages to toasting, stoving, steaming, roasting and “panning” tobaccos, but these sorts of processes need to be done precisely, in a controlled manner, and with the final product in mind. It’s not like putting a piece of bread in the toaster or reheating a spiral cut ham.

Obviously it's kind of fun to mess around with tobacco, but generally-speaking, I have too much during any given day to do to play tobacco-cook, especially if it's actually cooking actual food.  :lol:  My tobacco I would like to have exactly (or at least as close as intended) as the blender made it.  If that blend sucks, granted it might be interesting to mix it with stuff, bake it like a souffle, etc., but I usually end up giving it to someone else to try in case they love it as-is.  Meanwhile, I like knowing the variable of my ignorance toward messing with tobacco is best left to those who know a thing or two, and it's kind of cool I can pop a tin of a favorite and start smoking right away, getting what I expect on the first try.

If a chef's food sucks, I suppose salvaging it with condiments and techniques at the table might work, but do you go back to the restaurant to eat his food, or the strange concoction that made it edible in the first place?  

I'd just go with something (or somewhere) else.  

It's your leaf, though--enjoy.   :heart:

8)

Kyle, point taken I think. So are you saying that stoving tobacco would be similar to drilling out the shank of a pre Cadogan Comoys Blue Riband in order to make it smoke better? :lol:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Possibly. I'm of the opinion that a man's stuff is his own, and he can screw it up any way he wants as long as he's happy. :lol: I'm also of the opinion that another man can and should place his hand on his forehead in bewilderment when necessary. :fpalm:

8)

 

[MisterE]

I've never done much baking of tobacco, but I have had some success with pressing it. I think there was another post here recently on that topic. EMP pressed to a plug-like consistency is quite tasty, but requires patience to set well.

I don't think there's anything wrong with playing with or modifying tobacco. I've made many mixes and hobo blends, with widely varying results. While fun, I have come to the conclusion that a blend, as intended by the manufacturer, is usually the best representation I can come up with.