Amazing Apple Butter Brisket Recipe - Living Sweet Moments (2024)

FAQs

Does apple butter need to be refrigerated? ›

Average shelf life unopened is 11 months. But after you open a jar, it is very important it is re-capped and refrigerated. It will last about a month in the refrigerator, but we usually finish out a jar in a couple of days. The same goes for any baked goods or cooked items made with apple butter.

Apple butter can be a great way to balance sauces, marinades, glazes, sandwich spreads and dressings. It can add depth of flavor and moisture to baked goods like muffins, cakes, waffles, and cookies. And it can be swirled into cheesecake, ice cream, and oatmeal!

Sometimes seasoned with cinnamon, clove, and other spices, apple butter is usually spread on bread, used as a side dish, an ingredient in baked goods, or as a condiment.

Historians do know that apple butter can be traced back to Germany and Belgium during the Middle Ages. The practice was likely brought to Appalachia by the Pennsylvania Dutch, who migrated to Western North Carolina after the American Revolutionary War.

To thicken your apple butter after puréeing, continue to cook it uncovered, stirring occasionally, in the slow cooker until it's reached your desired consistency. This apple butter will continue to thicken as it cools.

During the slow cooking, the sugars that are naturally present in the apples caramelize into a deep, molasses-like flavor, and a dark color. This gives the apple butter its rich, sweet flavor and dark brown hue.

Since it's sweet, apple butter can pair with many different kinds of cheeses — try your favorites and see what works best. If you need some suggestions to begin, try a sharp cheddar, an oozy brie, or a tangy chèvre.

Once the apple butter has cooled and been placed into jars or airtight containers, store using the following guidelines: Refrigerator Storage – You can store the apple butter in the fridge for up to 1 month. Freezer Storage – You can store the apple butter in the freezer for up to 1 year.

Applesauce is a fairly quick process, cooked apples run through a food mill. Apple butter is basically concentrated apple sauce, cooked down even more until it's thicker, silkier, and more intensely apple flavored. Like the difference between tomato sauce and tomato paste, essentially.

What does apple butter mean in slang? ›

2. apple butter. "flattery, smooth talk"

Other Interesting Facts Related to Apple Butter:

Copper pennies are placed in the apple butter kettle to scrape the bottom of the kettle and prevent the apple butter from burning. It was said that a young woman who splashed the butter when she stired the kettle would make a poor housewife.

Apple-Butter in Pennsylvania. One of the most delicious dishes among our Pennsylvania German farmers is apple butter. It is made in the fall of the year, of ripe apples and pure sweet cider.

Scorching on the bottom of the pot can easily ruin a whole batch of food. Copper is a reactive metal. There's a possibility that it made the acid in the apples bitter. On further research, if that kettle wasn't lined with any other metal, you shouldn't eat that apple butter.

Copper's ability to heat its contents evenly is also advantageous in making apple butter.

Homemade apple butter can stay good, in the refrigerator, for up to 1 month. If it is preserved by water bath canning, it will be shelf stable for up to 18 months depending on the canning lid used.

*You can also preserve your apple butter via the water-bath canning method, which uses a canning pot. The recommending processing time is 10 minutes for pints and 15 minutes for quarts. Home-canned apple butter has a shelf life of about two years. Store in a cool, dark place.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends leaving butter at room temperature no more than two days. After that period of time, the butter can turn rancid. This will cause off flavors and unpleasant texture. However, if you follow the butter storage tips above, butter can stay fresh up to two weeks on the counter.

Should You Leave Butter on the Counter? According to the USDA, butter is safe at room temperature. But if it's left out for several days at room temperature, it can turn rancid causing off flavors. The USDA does not recommend leaving it out more than one to two days.