Making Tasso Ham

[GoDawgs]

I came upon a recipe for making Cajun tasso ham based on a Paul Prudhomme recipe. I'm going to try this the next time they have boneless butt on sale.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct- ... story.html

[worth1]

I've went through or about to go through 3 pork butts lately.
Bought one yesterday a little over 8 pounds bone in for 13 dollars.
One is in a curing brine to make a ham.
The other was sausage.
No idea about the latest one.

[worth1]

I came upon a recipe for making Cajun tasso ham based on a Paul Prudhomme recipe. I'm going to try this the next time they have boneless butt on sale.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct- ... story.html

I saw the recipe but the next time they wanted my email.
Not gonna happen.
I wanted to stress that the person mentioned curing salt.
Depending on what you use depends on how much.
Don't mistake what they are calling saltpeter with what is chemically called saltpeter.
All of our curing salts today are sodium nitrite and nitrate.
Much more potent and poisonous than potassium nitrate.
They mentioned tender quick.
It's 1% each of sodium nitrite and nitrate.
NOT saltpeter.
Insta cure #1 is 6.5 % sodium nitrite.
Insta cure #2 is 6.5 % sodium nitrite and 1% sodium nitrate.
Both of these are commonly called pink salt.
Number 2 is for long slow curing and drying where the nitrate turns into nitrite.
I just wanted to clear that up as to how much you or anyone else would use depending on what they used.

[GoDawgs]

In case anyone wants the recipe without having to deal with the link, here's the copy I made for myself:

TURNING PORK BUTT INTO TASSO IS AN OLD CAJUN TRICK
By Merle Ellis
Chicago Tribune
May 16, 1985 at 12:00 am
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct- ... story.html

It all started two weeks ago when I found boneless pork butts on sale and bought two because there are so many good things to do with them. I decided to make a Chinese-style barbecued pork with one of them. That was easy. The second pork butt was to be turned into ''tasso.'' That`s a different story.

Tasso is a spicy, heavily peppered and smoked pork butt that is an essential ingredient in many wonderful Cajun dishes. I have had it in jambalayas, gumbos and with greens, but I had not--until I found those pork butts on special--tried to find a recipe for making it. That`s not easy.

In Louisiana`s Cajun country, nearly every butcher and many cooks make their own, but not much, it seems, has ever been written about tasso. Fortunately, I know two Cajun butchers and a few good Cajun cooks.

I contacted Romeo Nadeau, said to make one of the best tassos in Louisiana, and got his recipe.

I don`t have a professional smokehouse--I`ve only got one of those little commercial smokers. And I have only one boneless pork butt--about 5 pounds, not 50. But, thanks to Nadeau, I had a start. I reduced his pickle recipe to just over 1 quart of water, 1/2 cup of salt, 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons of cure (saltpeter)--you also could make a pickle using Morton`s Tender Quick or Heller`s Complete Cure with Sugar, following the instructions on the package.

Mix the water, salt, sugar and saltpeter in a glass or plastic container deep enough to hold the solution and pork butt. Completely emerge the pork butt in the pickling solution and store it covered in the refrigerator for two days.

While my pork butt was pickling, I did a little more research on tasso. You would be hard pressed to think for long about any kind of Cajun cooking without the name of Paul Prudhomme coming to mind. No one has done more than he to bring good Cajun food to the fore. His book, ''Chef Paul Prudhomme`s Louisiana Kitchen,'' (Morrow, $19.95) has five recipes that call for tasso. I called him to pick his brain.

''I`ve got a special seasoning mix I use,'' he said, ''but it`s for 50 pounds of meat. Give me two days and I`ll break it down for you.''

Pickling Brine
Just over 1 quart of water
1/2 cup of salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons of cure (saltpeter)--can Morton`s Tender Quick or Heller`s Complete Cure with Sugar, following the instructions on the package.

PAUL PRUDHOMME`S TASSO SEASONING

Makes Five pounds tasso
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Standing time: 3 days
Smoking time: 4 to 12 hours

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons sugar
4 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons plus 1 1/4 teaspoons ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
3 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons plus 1 3/4 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon plus 2 1/4 teaspoons gumbo file powder (optional)
5 pounds boneless pickled pork butt, see text above

1. Mix all ingredients, except pork butt, together.

2. Dry the pork butt off with a paper towel. Roll the pork in the seasoning mix, coating the meat completely, and pat it in well. Let the seasoned meat sit in the refrigerator covered for 3 days.

3. After the 3 days, smoke it to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. I smoked two pieces in my smoker with hickory chips for about 12 hours. Another two pieces I smoked in the oven of my electric range, using liquid smoke. They came out great both ways.

4. For the liquid smoke technique, I set my oven on warm (about 135 degrees), as Romeo does in his smokehouse, to dry the surface. Then I increased the temperature to 175 degrees and sprayed the meat with full-strength liquid hickory smoke from a plastic atomizer bottle. I gave it a fresh shot of liquid smoke every half hour until it was cooked to the recommended 165 degrees (about 4 hours).

WHITE BEANS AND TASSO
6-8 servings, Preparation time: 30 minutes, Standing time: 30 minutes, Cooking time: 3 1/4 hours

1 pound white beans (navy or great northern)
1 pound tasso, cut in 1/2-inch cubes, see recipe
2 quarts water
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup chopped parsley

1. Cover beans with water and soak overnight. Or pour beans into 2 quarts of boiling water, remove from heat and let stand 1 hour.

2. Heat beans to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 45 minutes. Add tasso and continue simmering another hour. Add onions, garlic, salt, black pepper, red pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Continue simmering another hour. 3. Remove from heat and let cool 30 minutes, then bring to a heat again.

(This rest period often is called for in Cajun recipes to let the flavors develop.) Reduce heat to simmer, add oregano, thyme, green onion and parsley and continue cooking 30 minutes. Add water if necessary. Serve over steamed rice.