texaque
Well-known member
Many times I have wanted Tasso Ham for cajun dishes, especially gumbo or red beans and rice, during football season. Tasso ham is a cured pork that is heavily seasoned and is used to spice dishes, not to eat straight.
I have always settled for sausage and a bunch of spices. Because the stuff is impossible to find. So I made it. My first cure.
Turned out to be easier than i thought. De-bone a butt, slice it into strips about an inch thick. Make a dry cure of kosher salt cloves allspice garlic bay leaves crushed or ground..... whatever you like. Rub it all over your strips of shoulder and let them rest in the fridge for 3 or 4 hours. Remove wash off the salt cure and place on a wire rack turn once over the next 3 or 4 days.
Make an super spicy rub 2 parts cayenne, 1 part black pepper, 1 part marjoram, and anything else you want. I put it all in a gallon bag and tossed to heavily coat the ham..... then smoke that farkin pig. Just a couple hours but try to get that smoke in there, I did pecan and hickory.
I have always settled for sausage and a bunch of spices. Because the stuff is impossible to find. So I made it. My first cure.
Turned out to be easier than i thought. De-bone a butt, slice it into strips about an inch thick. Make a dry cure of kosher salt cloves allspice garlic bay leaves crushed or ground..... whatever you like. Rub it all over your strips of shoulder and let them rest in the fridge for 3 or 4 hours. Remove wash off the salt cure and place on a wire rack turn once over the next 3 or 4 days.
Make an super spicy rub 2 parts cayenne, 1 part black pepper, 1 part marjoram, and anything else you want. I put it all in a gallon bag and tossed to heavily coat the ham..... then smoke that farkin pig. Just a couple hours but try to get that smoke in there, I did pecan and hickory.
