The Ultimate Guide to Making Delicious Scrapple
Scrapple, a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch dish, is a savory, hearty breakfast staple that's surprisingly easy to make at home. This comprehensive guide will walk you through every step, ensuring you create a batch of scrapple that's both delicious and authentic. Let's dive into the details!
What is Scrapple?
Scrapple is a unique dish made from leftover pork scraps (hence the name!), cornmeal, and spices. It's essentially a savory porridge that's formed into a loaf, cooled, and then sliced and fried before serving. The result is a crispy, flavorful treat that's perfect for breakfast, brunch, or even a light dinner. It's a truly unique culinary experience!
Key Ingredients for Authentic Scrapple
The beauty of scrapple lies in its simplicity. While you can adjust spices to your liking, these core ingredients are crucial for that authentic taste:
- Pork Scraps: This is the foundation of scrapple. Traditionally, these are leftover bits from pork butchering, including skin, heart, liver, and sometimes even trimmings of the shoulder or other cuts. You can find these pre-packaged in some butcher shops.
- Cornmeal: Provides the structure and texture to the scrapple. Yellow cornmeal is the most common, giving a bright yellow color and a slightly sweet taste.
- Onions: Adds subtle sweetness and depth of flavor.
- Spices: A blend of sage, thyme, black pepper, and sometimes red pepper flakes creates the signature savory profile. Feel free to experiment with other spices, such as marjoram or allspice.
- Flour: A small amount of flour helps bind the ingredients together.
- Broth: Pork broth is traditional but chicken broth can be substituted. This provides moisture and helps create a smoother texture.
Step-by-Step Scrapple Recipe
This recipe yields approximately 8 servings.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs pork scraps (combination of skin, heart, liver, etc.)
- 2 cups yellow cornmeal
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sage
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups pork broth (or chicken broth)
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
- Prepare the Pork: Rinse the pork scraps thoroughly and place them in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 2-3 hours, or until the pork is very tender.
- Grind the Pork: Once the pork is cooked, remove it from the pot and let it cool slightly. Then, grind the pork using a meat grinder or food processor until finely textured. You can leave some small pieces for added texture if you prefer.
- Sauté the Onions: While the pork cools, sauté the chopped onions in a pan with a little bit of oil or butter until softened.
- Combine Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, sautéed onions, cornmeal, sage, thyme, black pepper, red pepper flakes (if using), flour, and salt. Stir well to ensure all ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Add Broth: Gradually add the pork broth to the mixture, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Continue stirring until a thick porridge forms.
- Cook the Scrapple: Pour the scrapple mixture into a greased loaf pan (approximately 9x5 inches) or other baking dish. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for approximately 1-1.5 hours, or until the scrapple is set and firm.
- Cool and Slice: Let the scrapple cool completely before slicing it into 1/2-inch thick pieces.
- Fry and Serve: Fry the scrapple slices in a lightly oiled pan over medium heat until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Tips for the Perfect Scrapple
- Don't be afraid to experiment: Scrapple is a very forgiving dish. Feel free to adjust the spices to your liking or add other ingredients like diced vegetables or herbs.
- Proper cooking is key: Ensure the pork is cooked thoroughly before grinding to prevent any risk of foodborne illness. The scrapple should also be baked until fully set.
- Make it ahead: Scrapple can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for several days. This makes it perfect for meal prepping.
Serving Suggestions
Scrapple is incredibly versatile. Try it with:
- Maple syrup
- Hot sauce
- Fried eggs
- Grits
- Potatoes
Enjoy your homemade scrapple! Let us know your favorite ways to enjoy this Pennsylvania Dutch delicacy in the comments below.
