Scrapple--A Southern Delicacy (2119 hits)
Category: Science & EnvironmentalRating: 1.04 on 29 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by <baking_Lady> (View user info) at 2005-04-22 02:22:18 EDT
I had this for the first time during a trip to Maryland.
I loved it.
http://www.velvitoil.com/Scrapple.htm
SCRAPPLE
Cool weather conjures up thoughts of hog killin' and scrapple makin'. After the hams and bacon have been put down in cure and the sausage is all ground and the lard rendered and the feets pickled and the snouts soused, you take what's left (the scraps) and make scrapple. Now, I have seen a lot of recipes for making scrapple. Most say to start with a shoulder or some such good piece of meat. Blasphemy! Everybody knows there are better ways to use a shoulder and such wanton waste would not have been tolerated back when times were tight and folks had to make the most of what they had. I have also had some Pennsylvania scrapple that was way too strong in liver. Here's how we used to make it back when I was a youngun.
Ingredients:
1 Grandmother to make sure everything is done "just so"
1 Mother to do most of the preparations. Overseen by ingredient #1
2 Children, big enough to stir the pot but not smart enough to be somewhere else
Hog heads (number depending upon how many hogs were killed)
About 1/4 of the livers (the rest having been made into liver pudding or fried)
Hearts
Various and sundry other parts of the pig not used to make other delicacies
Salt
Sage
Pepper
Maybe a little celery salt to highlight the flavors (optional)
Stone ground white cornmeal
The feature attraction is the cleaned head. Remove the eyeballs (the brains were removed on killing day and scrambled with eggs the next morning), break the head(s) into manageable pieces with a cleaver, and cook them down in a kettle of boiling water 'til the meat is easily pulled. Skim the fat from the water and save. Pull all of the meat and fat (separate) from the heads and chop up the chunks. Cook the liver and heart and whatever else wasn't used in other delicacies and grind them up. Get a tote-sack full of corn meal and keep it handy. Put the meat, heart, and other scraps (except liver) back into the simmering kettle of stock. Add liver until you can taste it but the liver flavor does not predominate. You can put some of the fat in if you wish. Add salt and celery salt - the cornmeal will take a lot of salt so you get this mixture fairly salty. Stir. Taste. Add sage and pepper to taste - not too much, now. Stir. Taste. Pass the spoon around so everybody can pass judgment. When it's right, you should taste salt first, then liver - but not too strong, rich pork meat flavor and a hint of sage. When everybody (especially ingredient #1) is agreed that it couldn't possibly be better, bring out the cornmeal and kids.
Now comes the hard part! Slowly stir in the cornmeal with a long wooden spoon - not too much at a time, now. Keep stirring. Add cornmeal. Keep stirring. Add cornmeal. Keep stirring. As the mixture starts to get thick, add some of the liquid fat that had been skimmed earlier. Keep stirring. Not thick enough yet. Add a little more corn meal. Keep stirring. A little more fat until there is a slight sheen to the surface but no visible oil. Keep stirring.
"Just where do you think you're going? Get back there and stir that pot!! "
As the mixture thickens and you fine tune the ratio of fat to cornmeal, it will start to separate from the sides of the kettle. This is a good thing 'cause the kids are about tuckered. Ladle it into lightly greased, shallow, rectangular or square tin pans to a thickness of about 2 1/2 inches. Be careful - it's still hot! Start slapping it down with the palm of your hand. Slap it like you mean it! SLAP IT! If you are doing it right, your hand should be beet red, sore and covered with a light coat of pig oil. Good. Now let the pans cool, cover with waxed paper and put them in the frigidare or cold pantry.
Next morning, remove scrapple from the pan and slice about 3/8" thick. Lightly flour both sides. Heat about 1/4" of bacon grease in an iron skillet 'til it just starts to smoke. Fry until outside starts to crisp but the inside is still soft. Drain briefly on a paper towel. Serve with Log Cabin syrup and eggs. There's nothing else like it in this world!!
User Reviews
Submitted by baking_Lady (user info) at 2005-04-22 19:37:13 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by CookieLass (user info) at 2005-04-22 12:47:45 (#)
Ranking: 1
*gag* and to think... you people say that Scots are gross for making haggis. How is this any better, I ask you?
http://www.ubersite.com/m/64616
So you missed my post on haggis then?
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2005-04-22 13:43:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
My good friend's roommate used to date the heiress of the Rappa Scrapple empire.
I was just impressed that there even was a Rappa Scrapple empire.
Submitted by CookieLass (user info) at 2005-04-22 12:47:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
*gag* and to think... you people say that Scots are gross for making haggis. How is this any better, I ask you?
Submitted by urbaneruralite (user info) at 2005-04-22 11:23:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Looks like liver puddin'. I love liver puddin' on white bread with Duke's mayo.
Submitted by swing39 (user info) at 2005-04-22 10:44:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Scrapple is indeed the king of breakfast meats!!!
I ordered it in a South Jersey diner once and my friend got physically ill watching me eat it! Good times!
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2005-04-22 10:43:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
Or, drive to the fucking Piggle Wiggly and buy two boxes of Hostess Twinkies.
Submitted by pantsarestupid (user info) at 2005-04-22 10:40:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2005-04-22 08:19:16 (#)
Ranking: 1
I'm from the South and I can assure you that we don't eat that shit
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I'm from Alabama and i've never even heard of it.
ugh.
Submitted by MarthaStewart (user info) at 2005-04-22 10:28:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
You forgot the cinnamon.
Submitted by Totally_useless (user info) at 2005-04-22 09:26:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Looks like a big brick of hash, if you ask me...
Is it smokeable?
Submitted by Adamdidit2u (user info) at 2005-04-22 08:51:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I'm from MD, and I LOVE, LOVE this stuff.
Submitted by knucklesnelson (user info) at 2005-04-22 08:31:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
im not eating that
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2005-04-22 08:19:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
I'm from the South and I can assure you that we don't eat that shit. At least white people don't.
Submitted by Huber_the_Nose (user info) at 2005-04-22 07:34:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
haha.....my bad.....for some reason i was thinking of maine.....
....yes....im an idiot
....and NO...im not fucking canadian
Submitted by syd_knee (user info) at 2005-04-22 07:27:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Huber_the_Nose (user info) at 2005-04-22 06:32:24 (#)
Ranking: 0
.......Since when do "southern" delicacies come from Maryland?.....or Pennsylvania for that matter....
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must be canadian
i thought everyone knew what scrapple was.
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2005-04-22 07:24:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
My cousin makes this stuff on his farm. I never asked what's in it though.
Submitted by baking_Lady (user info) at 2005-04-22 07:20:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Wow, you must be goth.
Or Hungarian.
Submitted by Adereterial (user info) at 2005-04-22 07:15:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Sounds, quite frankly, gross.
But then I eat Black Pudding, the principle ingredient of which is... Blood.
Submitted by baking_Lady (user info) at 2005-04-22 07:07:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Huber_the_Nose (user info) at 2005-04-22 06:32:24 (#)
Ranking: 0
.......Since when do "southern" delicacies come from Maryland?
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http://www.jabberwocky.com/photo/pcd1045/mason-dixon-line.jpg
Submitted by missflibble (user info) at 2005-04-22 06:55:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
I'd try it at least once.
Submitted by Huber_the_Nose (user info) at 2005-04-22 06:32:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
.......Since when do "southern" delicacies come from Maryland?.....or Pennsylvania for that matter....
Submitted by Lisa (user info) at 2005-04-22 05:01:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Recipe: Arterial Poison
Ingredients:
1 Grandmother to make sure everything is done "just so"
1 Mother to do most of the preparations. Overseen by ingredient #1
2 Children, big enough to stir the pot but not smart enough to be somewhere else
Hog heads (number depending upon how many hogs were killed)
About 1/4 of the livers (the rest having been made into liver pudding or fried)
Hearts
Various and sundry other parts of the pig not used to make other delicacies
Salt
Sage
Pepper
Maybe a little celery salt to highlight the flavors (optional)
Stone ground white cornmeal
Ingestion is harmful. If swallowed, induce vomiting with Emetic Formula:
Ingredients:
1 Grandmother to make sure everything is done "just so"
1 Mother to do most of the preparations. Overseen by ingredient #1
2 Children, big enough to stir the pot but not smart enough to be somewhere else
Hog heads (number depending upon how many hogs were killed)
About 1/4 of the livers (the rest having been made into liver pudding or fried)
Hearts
Various and sundry other parts of the pig not used to make other delicacies
Salt
Sage
Pepper
Maybe a little celery salt to highlight the flavors (optional)
Stone ground white cornmeal
Submitted by rad1101 (user info) at 2005-04-22 04:34:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Does this make you feel better, you whiny cunt?
Submitted by Spam (user info) at 2005-04-22 04:32:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Link exchange then eh?
http://www.ubersite.com/m/64748
Submitted by Duke_Diggler (user info) at 2005-04-22 03:48:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
sounds kinda gross but I'll give it a whirl if the opportunity arises. Very thorough instructions, grandma :)
Submitted by Ducky (user info) at 2005-04-22 03:33:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Wow. Scrapple. So what happens if I don't have one of the ingredients? Missing a grandmother. Can I use anyones?
Submitted by rad1101 (user info) at 2005-04-22 03:31:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I saw some of this crap in Ocean City.
Yuck.
Submitted by baking_Lady (user info) at 2005-04-22 02:53:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I couldn't find a picture of a good B-More scrapple.
I had to settle on the Pennsylvania scrap.
Submitted by Siren (user info) at 2005-04-22 02:43:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
They sell scrapple in supermarkets all over Baltimore. It looks like gristle loaf if you as me.
Submitted by Allyson (user info) at 2005-04-22 02:37:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
i'm a chef...
and it sounds like head cheese, untill you add the corn...
but i think i'll make it as a special tmro. Thank you!!!