Smoked Butter - From Scratch Q/view

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mr t 59874

Master of the Pit
Original poster
SMF Premier Member
Jun 9, 2011
2,630
266
Trout Creek, Montana
After years of being unsatisfied with the results of smoking butter by the block and not getting thorough smoke penetration, it was decided to take a different approach.

 In the past, when in immediate need of salt free butter and if heavy cream was on hand, we just made our own.

Homemade butter can be made in a matter of minutes with minimal equipment .

1



Butter can easily be made by using any of the above for churns.

2



Basic equipment left to right: Food processor with chopping blade, heavy cream, wooden paddle, measuring cup and smoke generator.

3



Place two cups of heavy cream into food processor. If using regular whipping cream, there will

be more buttermilk with less butter taking more time.

4



Applying  apple smoke for a few seconds while churning. Two 3 - 5 second burst with a medium

to heavy smoke produces a very desirable smoke flavor throughout the butter versus 30 minutes or more

smoking it by the block.

5



Cover opening in food processor to contain smoke. Within three minutes, the cream begins to thicken. Within four minutes butter solids are forming.

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Smoked butter and sweet buttermilk . In seven minutes the butter is ready to be pressed.

7



Pouring off the sweet (now) smoked buttermilk which is clean and natural.  It didn't make it to a glass.

8



Pressing excess liquid from butter. It is important to remove as much residual buttermilk as

possible or it will soon go rancid.  Place butter in a bowl of cold water (not shown) when pressing. 

When the water runs clear, the butter is ready for refrigeration or freezing. 

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Using optional pickle press to aid in pushing liquid from butter.

10



Place butter on cling wrap.

11



Roll into log and refrigerate.  The sushi mat was used to assist in rolling the butter into a roll.

12



Individual servings can be made using a candy mold as above.

Results:

Very fresh butter.

2 cups cream = ½ cup sweet buttermilk and 8 oz. of thoroughly smoked butter.

If you would like to make fresh cream cheese.  Remove it as soon as it begins to turn in on itself, prior to turning into butter.

Note:

The above process can be duplicated by using raw milk, if available.  Simply separate the cream and proceed as above.

If smoking your homemade butter, use a thick white or thick white/bluish smoke. Because of the time constraint, thin blue smoke (TBS) would be hardly negligible.   Keep in mind that thick white smoke (TWS) is much less forgiving than TBS and is easy to add more smoke flavor than desired.  Experience will be your teacher when using TWS when smoking products, but it can open a whole new world of smoking to the more adventurous smokers.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/139474/understanding-smoke-management-updated-5-18-13

More information on the heath benefits and techniques of making your own butter can easily be found on the net.

Tom
 
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Wow!  Great tutorial both on how to make butter in a food processor, as well as adding smoke taste to it.  Is that a homemade adapator to the top of your food processor that the smoke generator connects into? 

Thanks for a cool post!

Clarissa
 
I gotta do that, there's a Dairy just 2 mi. away and I'm heading there to ask about purchasing some...
drool.gif
 
Very unique Mr T. I would have never thought of using anything other than a butter churn. I've had my share of turning that crank as a kid.

Is the cream at room temp when you start? Do you let it clabber?
 
Impressive. I have made the Butter before, not always intentionally, but never thought of adding smoke in that manner. Have you tried a similar technique making small batch Smoked Cheese? Well done Sir...JJ
 
Wow!  Great tutorial both on how to make butter in a food processor, as well as adding smoke taste to it.  Is that a homemade adapator to the top of your food processor that the smoke generator connects into? 

Thanks for a cool post!

Clarissa
Clarissa, thank you.  No special equipment here other than the smoke generator. The hose is simply placed in the ingredient tube of the food processor.

Tom
 
I gotta do that, there's a Dairy just 2 mi. away and I'm heading there to ask about purchasing some...
drool.gif
oldschoolbbq, let us know how it turns out for you.

If smoking your homemade butter, use a thick white or thick white/bluish smoke. Because of the time constraint, thin blue smoke (TBS) would be hardly negligible.   Keep in mind that thick white smoke (TWS) is much less forgiving than TBS and is easy to add more smoke flavor than desired.  Experience will be your teacher when using TWS when smoking products, but it can open a whole new world of smoking to the more adventurous smokers.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/139474/understanding-smoke-management-updated-5-18-13
 
Tom i'm going to see if i can get you booked for the Red Green Show...lol
FWIsmoker, Don't know Red Green, but have come close to being booked before, but have been able to come up with good alibis.

Now, go figure how you're going to connect a hose to your Smoke Daddy, and make some smoked butter. If I get back there this summer, I'll be wanting smoked butter on my sweet corn.

Tom
 
Very unique Mr T. I would have never thought of using anything other than a butter churn. I've had my share of turning that crank as a kid.

Is the cream at room temp when you start? Do you let it clabber?
Jarhead, good to hear from you again, hope all is well.

Thank you, we use the butter churn when there are young ones around, it's a good way to get kids interested in the kitchen.

The cream in this case was cool.  As the cream used was pasteurized it will not clabber.  When I use raw milk, it is allowed to clabber in order to make sour cream, cream cheese and the whey is used in the lacto fermenting process and when making kimchi.

Tom
 
Impressive. I have made the Butter before, not always intentionally, but never thought of adding smoke in that manner. Have you tried a similar technique making small batch Smoked Cheese? Well done Sir...JJ
Thank you JJ.  Yes, this technique can be used to put a quick layer of smoke on cheese.  Naturally, it will work best on pre-sliced or shredded cheese by putting on a rack or screen and placing it in a one or two gallon zip bag.  Pump TWS into the bag, zip closed and allow to set for 15 - 30 minutes depending on taste. Of course if more smoke flavor is desired, the process can be repeated. 

Suggest smoking cheese near, but not above room temperature.

Tom
 
Thank you JJ.  Yes, this technique can be used to put a quick layer of smoke on cheese.  Naturally, it will work best on pre-sliced or shredded cheese by putting on a rack or screen and placing it in a one or two gallon zip bag.  Pump TWS into the bag, zip closed and allow to set for 15 - 30 minutes depending on taste. Of course if more smoke flavor is desired, the process can be repeated. 

Suggest smoking cheese near, but not above room temperature.

Tom
Thanks for the response but I was thinking more along the lines of...Smoking the Milk before/during the process of adding Rennet and letting the Curds set up...Smoking the Cheese before it is even Born...JJ
 
Never tried that JJ, but the next time I make sour cream, cottage cheese or need whey, I'll give it a try.  Would be a good easy way to get smoked cottage cheese. 

Thanks for the idea, gotta love teamwork.
beercheer.gif


Tom
 
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