Traditional Scrapple Recipes

SCRAPPLE

Steps:

• To a large stockpot, add the pork butt, hocks, onion, celery, peppercorns and bay leaves. Barely cover with water and simmer over low heat until the pork is tender and the meat falls off the bones, about 2 hours.
• Drain and reserve the stock. Pour the solid contents onto a baking sheet so that you can easily discard the celery, onions, peppercorns, bay leaves and all of the bones. Make sure to pull the meat completely off the bones, being careful to remove all the small pieces of bone.
• Add the meat to a food processor with the blade attachment and pulse to coarsely chop. Don't over grind it.
• Measure 1 gallon of stock and return it to the pot along with the chopped meat and the salt, ground black pepper, cayenne, and sage. Bring to a simmer over low heat.
• Add the cornmeal and stir, stir, stir. Simmer until smooth and thick, about 15 minutes. Add a little stock or water, if needed, to ensure a smooth texture.
• Pour into 3 loaf pans and refrigerate until solid, preferably overnight.
• Unmold, slice and fry in clarified butter until golden brown. Serve with applesauce or maple syrup.

REAL SCRAPPLE

Steps:

• NOTE: the meat involved is Pork head, meat, feet, heart and tongue, or other pork trimmings, if desired, including liver.
• Place them in a water in a covered container until the soft tissue separates readily from the bone. Separate tissue from bone and grind with a fine grinder. Return the ground meat to the strained soup container and boil. Cereal is then added. A common cereal mixture is seven parts cornmeal and three parts of either buckwheat, white, or rye flour.
• Approximately 4 lbs of the ground meat combined with 3 lbs of soup (liquid) plus 1 lb of cereal is sometimes used. Gradually moisten the cereal with a cool liquid (water or the cooled soup) to prevent lumping. Add this premoistened cereal to the ground meat-soup mixture slowly then boil for 30 minutes.
• Prior to finishing boiling, add seasoning.
• A suggested seasoning combination for 8 lbs of finished scrapple would include 3 oz salt, 1/4 oz black pepper, 1/4 oz sweetened marjoram, 1/4 oz nutmeg, 1/4 oz sage or thyme, and 2-1/2 oz onions. Some prefer to add a pinch of mace and a pinch of red pepper also.
• After the seasoning is mixed thoroughly and the onions cooked, pour the scrapple into pans (not bowls) and refrigerate to 30 - 32F degrees immediately.
• Note this is usually made in large batches and saved throughout the year until the next butchering. It uses every part of the pig so nothing is wasted. It wasn't a throwaway society. This is also NOT a city recipe. They didn't butcher as they did in the country.
• number of pans is a guess.
• Note: IF you want the instructions for cleaning the meat [from head and so forth] zaar me. I am not going to post it because more people are going to look at this that are NOT going to do it yourself than people who are. Some just don't wanna hear it and that isn't a problem. My brother always turned green.

CORNMEAL SCRAPPLE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine the cornmeal, milk, sugar and salt; gradually stir in water. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook, covered, 10 minutes longer or until very thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in sausage. Pour into a greased 7-1/2x3-1/2x2-in. loaf pan (the pan will be very full). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerator. , To serve, unmold and cut into 1/3-in. slices. Dip both sides in flour. In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat; brown scrapple on both sides. Serve with maple syrup if desired.

SCRAPPLE

Steps:

• Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and rinse in colander under cold water, breaking sausage into pea sized pieces.
• Return to skillet along with the condensed milk, and heat over medium until just bubbling. Immediately stir in the cornmeal and pepper and reduce heat to simmer. Continue cooking, 5 minutes total; mush will be stiff.
• Pack into 8x4 loaf pan, cover and chill overnight. To serve, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and saute until golden in nonstick skillet.

EASY SCRAPPLE

Steps:

• Pour 2 cups of water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
• Cut sausage into pieces and add to boiling water mixing throughly (a potato masher works well). Once sausage is done take pan off heat and add red pepper flakes and sage.
• Add cornmeal and mix throughly and pour into loaf pan.
• Refrigerate until completely cooled.
• Slice and fry in frying pan with cooking spray.

OLD-FASHIONED SCRAPPLE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan combine pork, cornmeal, chicken broth, thyme and salt.
• Bring to a boil, stirring often.
• Reduce heat and simmer about 2 minutes or until mixture is very thick, stirring constantly.
• Line an 8x8x2-inch baking pan or a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with waxed paper, letting paper extend 3-4 inches above top of pan.
• Spoon pork mixture into pan.
• Cover and chill in the refrigerator 4 hours or overnight.
• Unmold; cut scrapple into squares.
• Combine flour and pepper; dust squares with flour mixture.
• In large skillet brown scrapple on both sides in a small amount of hot oil.
• Serves 12.

EASY SCRAPPLE

Steps:

• 1. In a Dutch oven or large heavy saucepan scramble fry over medium heat sausage and onion until sausage is no longer pink; drain excess fat. Add milk, salt and seasoning. Over medium low heat, scraping bottom of pan to loosen drippings, bring to a boil; slowly sprinkle/sift in cornmeal, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Continue to cook and stir for 10 minutes. Rinse a standard bread loaf pan with cold water; spread and pat scrapple mixture into damp loaf pan (may slightly cool scrapple mixture and place in plastic wrap lined loaf pan). Cover and refrigerate overnight. To serve, unmold scrapple from pan. Slice scrapple into 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick slices (thoroughly chilled or partially frozen scrapple slices easier). Butter hot griddle or fry pan, add scrapple slices (slices should not touch) and brown on both sides. Serve scrapple warm, drizzled with maple syrup, and a glass of milk and fruit for a hearty breakfast or brunch.
• 2. Notes: Scrapple is short for meat scrapes. In pioneer days and even today in Pennsylvania Dutch country scrapple was/is a way to use scrapes of pork during the annual harvest. Today's recipe is "much" easier to make, faster, healthier, and is suited to city dwellers. There are many variations - each created to suite the taste preferences of the family. This recipe is basic, experiment with your own variations. Recipe serves 6-8
• 3. *Variation in preparation: use lean pork cuts, cut in chunks, place in large pan, cover with water or chicken broth, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and stew until meat is fork tender. Remove meat from cooking liquid and shred with a fork. Measure remaining liquid, add milk to make 1 quart liquid. Prepare scrapple following directions above. **Variations in seasonings and ingredients, try one or more: pinch ground cloves, pinch ground nutmeg, dried thyme or marjoram, 1/2-1 cup chopped apple, chopped cooked ham etc