A regional specialty of Louisiana, tasso ham is spicy and smoky cured pork. Made with flavorful pork shoulder, tasso ham is commonly used as an ingredient in dishes including soup, pasta, jambalaya, and gumbo. In the 1800s, tasso was made as a travel food, to preserve beef for cattle ranchers on the go. Tasso was not made from pork until after the Civil War, when pork became readily available and proved to be less expensive to raise than beef cattle. The dish’s origins lie with either Native Americans or the Spanish, who made a type of dried beef called tasajo.
Recipe Servings: 6
Prep Time
30 minutes
+ 168 hours resting
+ 168 hours resting
Cook Time
12 hours
Total Time
180 hours 30 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
Directions
- In a medium bowl, make a brine by adding curing mixture, sugar, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and water. Mix to combine until sugar and salt are dissolved.
- In a large container, place the pork butt and pour the brine over.
- Allow to soak, refrigerated, for 1 week.
- Remove the pork and pat dry. Discard the brine.
- Preheat an outdoor smoker to 200–225°.
- In a medium bowl, combine mace, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, sage, thyme, and honey.
- Working with hands, evenly coat pork with mixture.
- Lay the meat on a roasting rack over a drip pan and smoke at 200 to 225° for 12 hours.
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