# Making Tasso...



## Zwiefel (Nov 22, 2015)

Part 3 in my journey of learning how to make cured meats: Tasso!


Quite the ingredient list that Dardeau gave me...including something I wasn't familiar with...at least not by that name...not really















The most challenging aspect of this project for me was butchering the Coppa out of the pork shoulder...this is not something I've ever seen done, nor have I see this cut in a store.










Here are two Coppas, as you can see, one of them is larger and reflects what I learned from the first one.






The Tasso paste has been applied.






And allowed to sit for 8 days, and unbagged










then air-dried for 24 hours.






A handful of hours on the smoker, with cherry wood...






And this comes out.










Got a batch of red beans prepped for Monday, to make use of this amazing Tasso. My entire house reeks of spices and smoke. Thanks again Dardeau!


----------



## dough (Nov 22, 2015)

you mind giving sharing the recipe or atleast the ingredient list?


----------



## Dardeau (Nov 22, 2015)

Looks nice. If you get an extra turkey, do something like this to the breasts. It makes a perfect turkey sandwich


----------



## Zwiefel (Nov 22, 2015)

dough said:


> you mind giving sharing the recipe or atleast the ingredient list?



PM Sent.



Dardeau said:


> Looks nice. If you get an extra turkey, do something like this to the breasts. It makes a perfect turkey sandwich



Hmmm....I can see these making good sandwiches as they are


----------



## dough (Nov 22, 2015)

oh geez turkey tasso sounds great too.
btw if you guys cant tell I'm a big fan of these threads so thanks to both of you gentlemen.


----------



## Dardeau (Nov 23, 2015)

Pork tongue Tasso is another winner


----------



## panda (Nov 23, 2015)

Goes great with grits!


----------



## Zwiefel (Nov 23, 2015)

panda said:


> Goes great with grits!



Interesting...small cubes? Or a thick slab on top?


----------



## panda (Nov 23, 2015)

small dice, sautee with holy trinity, wine, stock, cream and cajun seasoning.


----------



## Zwiefel (Nov 23, 2015)

panda said:


> small dice, sautee with holy trinity, wine, stock, cream and cajun seasoning.



This might actually be enough to make me try grits again....


----------



## deltaplex (Nov 23, 2015)

Quality of the corn is what I've found to be the key.


----------



## Dardeau (Nov 23, 2015)

Bad grits are so bad. I like the John Martin Taylor's grits


----------



## Zwiefel (Nov 23, 2015)

Dardeau said:


> Bad grits are so bad. I like the John Martin Taylor's grits



the only kind I've ever had....


----------



## panda (Nov 23, 2015)

http://www.loganturnpikemill.com/products/old-fashioned-speckled-white-grits-64.html


----------



## fimbulvetr (Nov 23, 2015)

Wait. Is this our favorite grits thread now? Because these guys http://www.geechieboymill.com grow and grind pretty awesome grits. (My grandmother would tell us all that this is called "hominy", because"grits" is tacky. Which might tell some of you just where, and when, she was from.)


----------



## 99Limited (Nov 24, 2015)

fimbulvetr said:


> Wait. Is this our favorite grits thread now? Because these guys http://www.geechieboymill.com grow and grind pretty awesome grits. (My grandmother would tell us all that this is called "hominy", because"grits" is tacky. Which might tell some of you just where, and when, she was from.)



And in my household it was called hominy grits. :hungry2:


----------



## Dardeau (Nov 24, 2015)

I've tried the geechie boy grit, they are pretty good. They don't get fluffy like the Anson Mills and Hoppin' John grits do, but they have a really good, deep corn flavor.


----------



## DDPslice (Nov 25, 2015)

holy wow, lookin good!


----------



## toddnmd (Nov 25, 2015)

This thread is making my mouth water . . .


----------



## panda (Nov 25, 2015)

anson mills farro, the best!


----------



## Zwiefel (Nov 25, 2015)

I did not foresee a thread about tasso turning into a discussion about the best places for grits and farro....yes, I'm in the right place. :doublethumbsup:


----------



## daveb (Nov 25, 2015)

Difference between Grits and Polenta?
.

$10/serving


----------



## Dardeau (Nov 25, 2015)

daveb said:


> Difference between Grits and Polenta?
> .
> 
> $10/serving



More than that, I'll go into it later


----------



## JDA_NC (Nov 25, 2015)

daveb said:


> Difference between Grits and Polenta?
> .
> 
> $10/serving



:laugh:

Besides the actual difference between corn/milling process etc (that the general public most often won't be able to the tell), the largest cultural difference - to me - is that you cook grits in water and you cook polenta in milk/cream.

In the Midwest everyone seems to cook their grits in milk, which makes my skin crawl a little bit, but live and let live...

I personally don't like the flavor with milk and I also feel like 99% of the time people use it as a way to cover poor technique. I've seen a lot of cooks have zero clue about what to do with grits and how to cook them properly. I used to take for granted that people could cook them.. but then again my favorite Chef/hometown hero wrote an entire cookbook dedicated to Grits in the early 90's and it is and always has been in my mother's kitchen since I can remember. There are millions of things other people grew up eating that I have zero clue about so it all works out in the end.

Grits are my favorite comfort food, especially when it's cold & I'm far from home.


----------



## Dardeau (Nov 25, 2015)

In addition to JDA..
The technique difference is that you cook grits hot and polenta cool. The heat brings out the sugars in the corn which is usually desirable in grits. With polenta you just get it hot enough to cook.


----------



## panda (Nov 25, 2015)

grits - white or yellow coarse grind
polenta - yellow corn medium grind

i make grits with 3:1 water/cream ratio vermont cheddar, where as polenta i do stock/reduced cream and parmesan (plus bay leaf and fresh herbs)

basically grits is a chunky comfort food and polenta is a more refined smoother corn food. that said, i prefer good grits over good polenta

and now we can move the convo over to cornbread


----------



## Mucho Bocho (Nov 25, 2015)

As a child we only ate polenta refried as a cake. Mom would pour cooked polenta in a meatloaf pan and cool then slice and pan sear in butter. Served with Bolognese. We complained. We were kids what the hell did we know. Mom made it anyway. 

Guess what's for dinner tonight. 

Sorry Z for hijacking. Nice looking Tasso. I'm inspired. You're Beautiful!


----------



## Zwiefel (Nov 25, 2015)

Mucho Bocho said:


> As a child we only ate polenta refried as a cake. Mom would pour cooked polenta in a meatloaf pan and cool then slice and pan sear in butter. Served with Bolognese. We complained. We were kids what the hell did we know. Mom made it anyway.
> 
> Guess what's for dinner tonight.
> 
> Sorry Z for hijacking. Nice looking Tasso. I'm inspired. You're Beautiful!



I wish the childhood that I neglected was as good as yours 

All good, and thanks!


----------



## 99Limited (Nov 25, 2015)

Mucho Bocho said:


> As a child we only ate polenta refried as a cake. Mom would pour cooked polenta in a meatloaf pan and cool then slice and pan sear in butter. Served with Bolognese. We complained. We were kids what the hell did we know. Mom made it anyway.
> 
> Guess what's for dinner tonight.
> 
> Sorry Z for hijacking. Nice looking Tasso. I'm inspired. You're Beautiful!



My mother would do the same thing with grits and the next morning for breakfast she'd cook it the same way except we would pour syrup over it.


----------

