Making Tasso

Any recommendations on how to add the pink curing salt to the mix? I know it is quite potent. Replace some of the ingredients in the recipe to add it? Or just add it on top?

I either mix my own basic cure (pink salt, kosher salt, sugar) or use morton tender quick. I'll slice steaks of boston butt and dredge and cover with the cure. I'll refrigerate overnight and then rinse really well. I'll season it with either a DIY salt free cajun seasoning blend or use salt free tony's, slap ya momma, etc. I then smoke at 180 degrees for a few hours.

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2 ounces grams

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I'm curious on this as well. I wouldn't think so, but from what I have seen the curing salt does give it that pink color typical with what you see in these cured meats.

This board needs to realize that sodium nitrite (cure) changes the taste and the final product. Cook a pork roast and It’s white. Take the same pork roast and cure it, and it’s a pink/purple ham. Cooked pork and ham taste different. Tasso is cured, which is why it’s real name is “Tasso ham”. If you don’t cure it, you have pork steaks.

Look up a basic cure recipe (nitrite, salt, sugar. Pickling spice, and water). Inject the meat with it and then let it marinate in the same brine overnight. That’s all it takes to cure.

I would suggest using Morton's Tender Quick for anyone just starting out curing meat. Just follow the directions on the package. If you use too much it would be too salty to eat.

Using pink salt( cure #1 )is not difficult but you need to make sure you understand its use and pay attention to what you are doing. You can use too much and make a toxic product.

Wet curing is more forgiving then dry curing.

I make buckboard bacon, ham and turkey ham when turkey breasts go on sale. All good stuff.

Just to update everyone after getting some pink salt and deciding on my process, I have found and decided to try the following recipe (Uses Brine and Seasoning from Paul Prudhomme and a cure from Butcher Merle Ellis):


Pickling Brine:
5 cups (40 oz) water
1/2 cup (5 oz) table salt
2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp (1 oz) white granulated sugar
5 tsp (1 oz) cure, Prague powder #1 or pink salt (saltpeter)


Chef Paul Prudhomme's Tasso Seasoning
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp table salt
1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp white granulated sugar
4 Tbsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp ground white pepper
2 Tbsp plus 1 1/4 tsp ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
3 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp onion powder
2 Tbsp plus 1 3/4 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp plus 2 1/2 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp plus 2 1/4 tsp gumbo filet (optional)

Instructions:

Cut raw pork butt into strips about 1 1/2 inches to 1 3/4 inches thick.

Mix up water, table salt, sugar and cure (Pink Salt - salt peter) into a pickling brine until everything is dissolved.

Place sliced pork strips in pickling brine and cure for two days, in a covered container, in the fridge.

Remove pork strips from cure brine and rinse well and pat dry.

Roll the strips of cured pork in the the Chef Paul Prudhomme's Tasso Seasoning mix coating the meat completely, and pat it into the meat well.

Let the seasoned meat sit, covered, in the refrigerator for three days to marinate.

Smoke marinated pork strips slowly to an internal temperature of 165-F using hickory chips. About 8 to 12 hours.

I will post back with pictures in a week or so.

Here’s what I ended up with. It is delicious and I made a smaller batch about ~3.5lb since it was my first time. Came out great.