Learn how to make your own homemade tasso ham and then use it when you make homemade jambalaya. Tasso ham is a smoked meat, which is almost the same with Creole or Cajun cuisine.
It’s a product of Louisiana’s rich culinary melange. Even if this smoked meat is similar in various ways to Andouille, Tasso is actually a Spanish term. It comes from Tasajo, a Spanish word that means a slice of a cured dried meat.
It was in mid to late 1700s when a dried and salted meat strips was mentioned. It was known as Tassagear and in 1800s, sun dried buffalo strips were made in tasajo and were sold in the French settlements. Like Andouille, the tradition to make such dried meats was carried on by the immigrants.
Today, the Tasso ham is renowned by a lot of people as a spiced and heavily smoked meat. The term ham may lead to confusion since processed meat isn’t made from same parts that ham was made from. It is made with pork shoulder. Then, pieces are cured using curing salts as well as sugar.
After that, it will be left to set for about three to four hours to preserve it. It’s followed through rinsing and generous seasoning of black pepper, salt, garlic, and cayenne pepper that provides its flavor.
Due to spices used when making Tasso, it has spicy and hot taste, which is common among the Cajun foods. Coming from pig’s fatty portion, this meat is full of flavor. In addition to that, the process of cooking enables it to have heavy smoke taste. Its smell is a combination of peppery and smoky.
It’s considered as a delicacy and may be eaten alone once sliced thinly. The common use of tasso ham is as a form of seasoning for vegetables, soups, gumbo, red beans, rice, and jambalaya.
If you are wondering on how you can make Tasso ham, Chef Tom from All Things BBQ will help you. Check out his video and know the best way to make this delicious ham!
Once you have your tasso you can go on to make jambalaya
