Finally Apple Butter ( now that we have full power after the storm )

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DRKsmoking

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Jan 27, 2021
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Middle Sackville, Nova Scotia ,Canada
Finally made the Apple Butter And this is going to be great as a base for many cooks and glazes

I decided to make a separate post instead of in my last post on the Pickles and jams , as it was after the storm and power loss.
And it is a different process from the pickles


Apple butter is a lot thicker and smoother than apple sauce, and my flavor is better with the spice I add

Back in the first post with the Pickles and jams etc I mentioned I had to pick all the apples I could before the storm hit . We have 3 dwarf trees with total of 7 kinds of apples

Washed them , removed the core and chopped , leaving on the peels as that helps with the pectin for the preserve.
This time I used a slow cooker as it is more forgiving than a pot unless you are standing over it, and this takes a long time .
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after a few hours the apples start to get tender, just keep stirring until very mushy.
I started to mash them and than said no use the hand blender. Than I put through a sieve.
Back into the slow cooker and added the spices
3 cups apple juice
1 teaspoon of Cardamon
1 1/2 tea of Cinnamon
1 1/4 tes of AllSpice
1 Pound of sugar ( Was going to add 1 1/2 pound but this was good to me )

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After the spices it starts to turn deep golden brown

Like I mentioned this takes quite a long time to cook down to a thick consistency ,

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I could have went longer but it was going on for 14 1/2 hours lol, finished at 1 am in the morning, should have started earlier,

The way to test is to put some on a plate and give it 30 seconds and than run a spoon through it and if the sides stay apart ...ready to bottle
So do the norm. washed and placed bottles into oven at 225 Deg. for half hour
Bottled and enjoyed it the next morning on my toast These are shelf safe for a year ...will not last that long, lol

The small ones are for Mona's family because I know she will be giving them to them
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Like I said this is going to be great on lots of things
I think ribs will be my first test for smokes . but first on some tea biscuits

Thanks for making it to the end

David
 
I've loved apple butter since I was a kid. Always noticed how few ingredients it takes to make some really good stuff but never took the jump to make any. Believe it or not, one of my favorite applications for it is on pancakes when Tracy decides that's what we're having for Sunday breakfast :emoji_wink: Nice job David!! I might just be stealing this one.

Robert
 
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I've loved apple butter since I was a kid. Always noticed how few ingredients it takes to make some really good stuff but never took the jump to make any. Believe it or not, one of my favorite applications for it is on pancakes when Tracy decides that's what we're having for Sunday breakfast :emoji_wink: Nice job David!! I might just be stealing this one.

Robert

Thanks Robert for the like and the comment

I used to make this years ago and sell at the farmers market, it was a hit back than. But I used to do it over a stove and in a pot. Had to really watch it from burning. This way takes longer , but safer. LOL

I also love it on lots of breads and pancakes also. I just had it on toast peanut butter and than top with the apple butter . I thought Mona was going to hurl. But it was good lol

David
 
That looks great David. A lot of time invested but the final product is worth it. I bet that would taste great as a glaze/gravy for smoked pork tenderloins.

Point for sure
Chris
 
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That's some fine looking jam and a longtime favorite David! I just might give this a shot, I'm not diabetic but close enough I don't use much sugar, just replace that stuff with Splenda. I'd imagine the shelf life is indefinite after being jarred and pressure cooked ? RAY
 
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That looks great David. A lot of time invested but the final product is worth it. I bet that would taste great as a glaze/gravy for smoked pork tenderloins.

Point for sure
Chris


Thanks Chris for the like and the comment

Yes Chris, it was time consuming for sure BUT well worth it. And it sure would and will when I smoke one , it will be some ribs first , but I can't stop grabbing a spoon and dipping into it out of the fridge.

It's that good for sure

David
 
looks so good, love apple butter!! thanks for sharing your recipe and congrats on getting full power back!
Thanks tbern for the like and the comment
yes I like it a lot also, will be having lots of things with it also

Yes we were lucky only 5/6 days with out real power, but many still without power and lots actually lost homes and business.

David
 
Never had apple butter, but it sure sounds good! How many pounds of apples did you use??
I'll be trying this one for sure.
Glad to hear things are returning to normal for you.
Gary

Thanks Gary for the like and the comment

Well Gary it is not like apple sauce , it is smoother and thicker, and depending on the spice level, many people have different amounts and spices.
I used to use nutmeg but now I really enjoy Cardamon and when I used to sell it at the farmers market many years ago I used 1 1/2 pounds of sugar, but I like it for me with just the 1 pound, could have been my apples. Because I used to just use Cortland , this time I had all of my trees mixed into the same pot.

So to your Question about how many apples, the crock pot is a 6 Quart container ,and I chopped the pieces pretty small about 3/4" and really filled up the crock than just add 2 cups of water to help them from sticking ( could have just used 2 cups of apple juice instead ) silly me not thinking. So that is about 24 cups of chopped apples ( 6-8 pounds of apples )

Hope this helps Gary. Any questions just ask

David
 
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That's some fine looking jam and a longtime favorite David! I just might give this a shot, I'm not diabetic but close enough I don't use much sugar, just replace that stuff with Splenda. I'd imagine the shelf life is indefinite after being jarred and pressure cooked ? RAY

Thanks Ray for the comment
Yes the apple butter is great , and can't wait to use it as a glaze etc. As long as I can stop eating it out of the bottle.

As for the sub of sugar, I know that Splenda can be used for things as an equal 1 cup sugar = 1 cup of Splenda
But I have never used it in preserves, so I would have to look that up as sugar is needed to help with the preserved product.

Also when doing pickles and things I do the water bath canning process, BUT when I make my Jams and Jellies they go straight into hot sterilized bottles and lids and the preserves were just finished being boiled or very hot.
They are shelf safe for at least a year and I have had them longer when I have made larger batches ( this will not last here anywhere close to a year as I will have eaten it way before that, lol.)

David

Just found this before I posted, so you can use Splenda but need a special pectin. I used no pectin but the sugar and the natural pectin from the peels helped with mine to set.
( 1 )
Can you use Splenda to make preserves?
Splenda® does not provide the same preservative properties as sugar, it is not suitable for use in preserves or pickled fruit.Aug 29, 2019

( 2 )
Does pectin work with Splenda?
Regular pectin needs sugar and acid to gel. When sweetening homemade jams and jellies with Splenda Original Granulated Sweetener, you must use pectin specifically manufactured for sugarless or low-sugar recipes. These are low methoxyl pectins.


Hope this helps

David
 
Thanks Ray for the comment
Yes the apple butter is great , and can't wait to use it as a glaze etc. As long as I can stop eating it out of the bottle.

As for the sub of sugar, I know that Splenda can be used for things as an equal 1 cup sugar = 1 cup of Splenda
But I have never used it in preserves, so I would have to look that up as sugar is needed to help with the preserved product.

Also when doing pickles and things I do the water bath canning process, BUT when I make my Jams and Jellies they go straight into hot sterilized bottles and lids and the preserves were just finished being boiled or very hot.
They are shelf safe for at least a year and I have had them longer when I have made larger batches ( this will not last here anywhere close to a year as I will have eaten it way before that, lol.)

David

Just found this before I posted, so you can use Splenda but need a special pectin. I used no pectin but the sugar and the natural pectin from the peels helped with mine to set.
( 1 )
Can you use Splenda to make preserves?
Splenda® does not provide the same preservative properties as sugar, it is not suitable for use in preserves or pickled fruit.Aug 29, 2019

( 2 )
Does pectin work with Splenda?
Regular pectin needs sugar and acid to gel. When sweetening homemade jams and jellies with Splenda Original Granulated Sweetener, you must use pectin specifically manufactured for sugarless or low-sugar recipes. These are low methoxyl pectins.


Hope this helps

David
Great info there David, thanks a ton! As much as I like the stuff, I'll just pass on it. Thank you! RAY
 
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Yum! Good looking stuff you got there. A friend of mine's dad owns a farm in Michigan and until this year we received tons of honey crisp apples every fall. I always wanted to try making some apple butter but never got around to it.
 
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Man looks so good David! I grew up on this as a staple in my grandmas house. Apple butter on toast so good.

Thanks Jeff for the like and the comment

Yes I really like it also. Have not made it for over 20 years. Used to sell a lot of it at the farmers Market
I love it on toast or biscuits also. Can't wait to us it as a glaze.

David
 
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