Everything But The Squeal!
I am sure you have heard this old saying in reference to a hog and the parts that are edible.
Some may say…everything but the oink! or everything but the snout!…or other parts of the pig not used for processing pork into the good parts we love…like the ham, chops, bacon or sausage, etc.
Well, the Captain happens to love Scrapple!
And Scrapple has as a main ingredient…hog’s head.
Now before you get as turned off as I did about using the bits and pieces of “head meat” to make up a breakfast meat…let me give you a little bit of background.
Scrapple supposedly originated in the Mid-Atlantic states….Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware and Virginia, by the Pennsylvania Dutch, Mennonites and Amish.
Nothing went to waste and so scraps of meat that were left over from butchering pigs or hogs…. was made into a “Spam” like loaf called Scrapple, or Pon Haus.
Even though this breakfast dish was made from meat boiled from a hog’s head….I have found that I can substitute ANY chopped pork and I find that a bit more palatable.
When combined with cornmeal, chicken broth and spices, it can actually be quite good.
But I must tell you that the original recipe calls for a boiled hog’s head, that has been picked of the bits and pieces… and the broth saved for the Scrapple.
I adapted this recipe from one of my old Amish cookbooks and even though the Captain prefers the original recipe….this one works for me! 😉
You could use a pork butt that has been boiled on the stove…then chopped into pieces. (Save the pork broth)
Either way, you are using one or the other end of the pig…unless you use pork chops!
Forgive my weird humor! 🙂
You can find Scrapple in most supermarkets in the Mid-Atlantic Regions which will be made the original way…AND the Captain and I have found a couple restaurants down here in Florida that have Scrapple on their breakfast menu.
So tell me dear readers….have you eaten or made Scrapple the original way?
If so, did you like it?
Me
Oh, you might have guessed that the Captain grew up in the state of Pennsylvania!
Yep! That explains it doesn’t it? 🙂


- 3 quarts of chicken broth
- 2 cups cornmeal
- 2 cups of chopped pork ( a pork butt or chops or even sausage will work)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried sage
- 1 teaspoon marjoram
- In a large kettle, bring the broth to a boiling point and pour in enough of the cornmeal to make a thick mush.
- Stirring constantly, add in the chopped pork and the spices
- Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes
- Pour the pork mixture into loaf pans or a rectangular shaped pan to about 3/4 full
- Let it cool to room temperature and then place into the fridge overnight
- Slice and fry in non-stick pan (or use a cast iron skillet to which a bit of oil has been added...that is the way I make it)
- Serve with syrup like you would a pancake, and eggs and toast.
- Be careful not to burn your mush, but the mush should be pretty thick so that the Scrapple will solidify when placed in the fridge. Add more broth or water if it gets too thick.
This is my 2nd time making homemade scrapple. I lost the recipe i used last time but i seem to have the same problem as b4. Liqid ratio. I recall from last time having to add more liqid…much more. And ur recipe seems to be too much liquid. Luckily i started with on 2 ro 2.5 quarts of broth. Even adding some flour to the mixture leaves me wondering if its thick enough to congeal Thanks for the basics though. Its a work in progress worth the effort. Love me some scrapple.
We grew up on Spam, but my hubby won’t eat it for love or money, so I’m sure he wouldn’t eat Scrapple. lol
ohhhh Sandy….I had to modify it because I didn’t think I could eat it either….;)
thanks for stopping by
Me