Tasso
Tasso
Many cultures
have a version of some kind of seasoned smoked pork they use in
dishes. This is ours. Traditionally,
tasso was made from leftover pieces of pork when the pig was
butchered, and the spices and smoking were ways of preserving
the meat. It's so good, and it adds adds a great
flavor to a variety of dishes, from soups to jambalaya, pastas,
and seafood dishes. Tasso is spicy but not hot, and once you
try it you’ll be hooked. My son even likes to make
tasso po boys. If you've had great jambalaya in Louisiana
and wondered why the jambalaya everywhere else is not as good,
it's probably because the run-of-the-mill jambalaya didn't have
any tasso it it. If you find yourself in a boucherie in
Louisiana, pick up some of their tasso. If not, you can buy
it on the internet. There might be good supermarket tasso
out there, but I've never found any. But fear not! You can
make your own tasso, and it is so much better.
Tasso is usually made with pork shoulder. Don't try to make
tasso out of some really tender cut of pork. All recipes I
know of, use it cut into small pieces, and when you add it to your
recipe it ends up cooking again. If it isn't a little chewy
it will fall apart. Here's a few notes about supermarket tasso
versus homemade tasso. First, if you can find tasso in
a supermarket it will be called "tasso ham". Don't let the
name fool you. Almost certainly, it's not ham, it's
shoulder. Second, supermarket tasso will almost always be
pink and unless you add pink curing salt (Prague powder #1),
homemade tasso will be dark brown after it is smoked. Prague
powder #1 has sodium nitrite in it. I think that most people
will agree that tasso treated with Prague Powder #1 is nicer to
look at. I'm not going to get into whether sodium nitrite is
good or bad for you, that's your decision to make. I've
written this so that you can make your tasso with Prague Powder or
without it.
Seasonings
For Tasso Without Pink Curing Salt (Prague Powder)
|
10 lbs
|
trimmed
pork butt (shoulder) |
| 2½ tbl |
salt |
| 1½ tbl |
brown
sugar |
| 1½ tsp |
cayenne
pepper |
| 1 tbl |
black
pepper |
| 1 tbl |
paprika |
| ½ tsp |
cinnamon |
| 1 tbl |
granulated
garlic |
|
|
| Seasonings
For Tasso With Pink Curing Salt (Prague Powder) |
10 lbs
|
trimmed pork butt (shoulder)
|
2 tsp
|
Prague Powder #1
|
| 2 tbl |
salt |
| 1½ tbl |
brown sugar |
| 1½ tsp |
cayenne pepper |
| 1 tbl |
black pepper |
| 1 tbl |
paprika |
| ½ tsp |
cinnamon |
| 1 tbl |
granulated garlic |
Trim the
excess fat off the pork and cut it into slabs about ¾" inch
thick. Mix the seasonings together. Sprinkle the
seasonings evenly over all the pieces of pork. Place the
seasoned pork in a resealable plastic container or a large
plastic or glass tray. Put the a lid on the plastic container or
aluminum foil on the tray to seal it it and refrigerate at least
overnight, but your tasso will be better if you leave it for 2
or 3 days.
Get your
smoker heated to between 200° and 220°. Use pecan or oak, NOT
hickory. Place the pork in the smoker and crank up the
smoke. Leave it in the smoker for 4-5 hours. Make sure
there is lots of smoke but don't let the smoker get above 225°.
Remove the meat and let it cool completely. Put it in resealable
bags or vacuum seal it. It keeps forever in the freezer.
This is what it
looks like after it comes off the smoker using Prague
Powder. This tasso was made with pork shoulder.
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