Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 3 hrs 30 mins
Chill Time: 3 hrs 20 mins
Total: 7 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 8 to 12 servings
Yield: 12 slices
Scrapple is a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch dish made from pork scraps and cornmeal. This version uses pork butt and bone-in pork for ease. The result is a savory loaf with a sausage-like flavor, perfect for breakfast or lunch.
Ingredients
For the Scrapple:
- 3 pounds boneless pork butt, or 5 pounds bone-in pork butt
- 2 pounds bone-in pork, such as rib tips, pork hocks, or shanks
- 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 whole bulb garlic, halved crosswise
- 5 large dried bay leaves
- 1 1/2 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons fine salt, more to taste
- 12 large fresh sage leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, or marjoram
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste
For Serving:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, more as needed
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, optional
Steps to Make It
Make Scrapple:
Gather the ingredients.
Cook the pork:
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, add the pork, onion, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt. Cover with enough water to submerge the meat. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the meat is fork-tender, about 3 hours.
Shred the pork:
- With a slotted spoon, remove the pork pieces to a large bowl and set aside.
- Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl; discard the solids.
- When the pork is cool enough to handle, shred it, discarding any bones. (At this point, you can refrigerate the meat and broth in separate bowls and finish later or the next day.)
Prepare the broth:
- Add 4 cups of the pork broth to a large saucepan. Add the sage, thyme, and oregano. (If you have leftover broth, refrigerate or freeze it for other recipes.) Bring the broth to a boil; reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- With a slotted spoon, remove the sage leaves and thyme to a cutting board. Chop the sage and remove the thyme leaves from the stems; set the herbs aside.
Cook the cornmeal:
- Gradually whisk the cornmeal into the simmering broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently until thickened, 12 to 15 minutes.
Combine the pork and cornmeal:
- Meanwhile, put the shredded pork in a food processor, in batches if necessary, and pulse until finely chopped. Alternatively, use a meat grinder fitted with a coarse disc or chop the pork by hand as finely as possible.
- Combine the ground pork, cornmeal mixture, reserved herbs, and pepper in a large bowl. Adjust the seasonings to taste with salt and more pepper, if desired.
Form the loaf:
- Line a 9 x 5-inch or 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal later. Spoon the scrapple mixture into the pan, spreading and flattening it to form a loaf. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate until firm, 3 hours or more.
Fry the Scrapple:
Gather the scrapple and other ingredients.
Heat the oil:
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy-duty skillet.
Slice and fry the scrapple:
- Remove the scrapple from the loaf pan by the parchment handles. Discard the parchment. Cut the scrapple into 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick crosswise slices. Dredge the slices in flour, if desired.
- Fry the scrapple, in batches if necessary, until crisp and golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate, and serve.
How to Store
- Refrigerate: Store the scrapple loaf in a covered container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Wrap the loaf (or individual slices) in plastic wrap and foil, then put it in a resealable freezer bag labeled with the name and date. Freeze scrapple for up to 12 months. To reheat, defrost the scrapple enough to slice and fry as directed, until hot and golden brown.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
- Calories: 646
- Fat: 47g
- Carbs: 10g
- Protein: 43g
Enjoy your scrapple with eggs, hash browns, pancakes, baked beans, ketchup, applesauce, or maple syrup!
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