Apple Butter, people usually call it a tradition of fall. If you were up to make something with the family altogether, Apple butter would be the most decent content so far. There are many traditional ways by those it can be made.
If you are looking for one of the easiest or smoothest ones, this is the way or this is what you are looking for. In this article, we’re going to discuss the procedure of making apple butter with a copper kettle. Besides, what you need to keep in mind and things to be aware of while you’re making apple butter for your family.
Why copper kettle?
It can simply pop up in your head, ‘why would I need a copper kettle for”. Let’s give you a hint of “why” Copper is able to heat the content properly by keeping the measurements balanced. While any pot made of iron ruins the color of the butter because of the reaction of metal all over the content. So we get the idea that Copper does the job quite well.
If you want to make a little portion of apple butter for only you or a small 2 member family, you can use smaller kettles or a copper tea kettle. In that case, the procedure will be slightly different from this one.
Tools you would need:
- Woods that burn smooth and even (For note don’t use anything that tends to be smoky)
- Slicer/Peeler
- Stirring Paddle
- Kettle of Copper
Ingredients:
- 3 gallons of apple cider
- ¾ cup of cinnamon
- 4 pounds of sugar
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 20 gallons of apples
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cloves
Instructions:
The day before:
- First of all, wash all the apples as you know the germs. Then the peeling part, it can be done without even peeling but that would make the flavor different. But we prefer peeling them before hands. So, we will peel them by using the peelers carefully. It would not take much time with 2 or 3 people doing it together.
- After the peeling part, slice them into half. Then divide the sliced apples into 4 steel pots and pour them with ½ gallon of apple cider. Heat those pots over the stove on a slow flame and let them simmer for 2 hours. Then turn off the heat and let it be for the night.
The day of making the actual apple butter:
- First of all, we start the fire using the woods we have selected. Remember, we were not supposed to choose something smoky. If we did, it would harm the flavor and it might not taste good as well.
- Starting the fire with something that burns evenly such as elm or oak, we shall keep the woods burning till the heat is down to medium and keep the logs going on for an hour or more.
- Now, it’s time to put the copper kettle on its duty. Place it on its stand and pour those 2 gallons of apple cider in it and keep boiling them for an hour while the fire becomes lighter to a perfect heat.
- In the meantime, we can reheat those sliced apples and bring them back to a simmer like the way we did yesterday. It shouldn’t take much time.
- And then we add the sliced apples to the cider we have been boiling on the copper kettle. Remember, it needs to be stirred continuously for the duration of cooking time, and for that, you would need a couple of hands so you must keep them close to help you to stir those delicious apples.
Otherwise, it will stick to the pot and the flavor will be badly harmed.
- After about two hours, we shall add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and the rest of the ingredients to it accordingly and keep the stirring on.
- After 4 hours of stirring, the apple should have gone to a shape like applesauce but not actually applesauce and if it’s not then you must keep them on fire for about one/two more hours.
- And then finally after 8 hours of cooking, we have our very awaiting traditional apple butter which is actually not butter but butter alike.
Conclusion
After all the lumps of apple are broken down, it is ready to be served among the family or to be canned for them as a gift. Careful before putting them into the jars, you might want to check the “how to can properly instructions”.
On a serious note, the recipe given above is for a good shaped large family. So if you want the quantity not that much then copper tea kettle is highly advised. But for a big quantity tea kettle is not preferable.
So, this is how to make homemade apple butter in a copper kettle and it’s pretty easy. If you have any questions regarding the steps, feel free to leave a comment here or contact us directly.
Enjoy!
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