Johns Cajun Tasso Recipes

PAUL PRUDHOMME'S CHICKEN AND TASSO JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add tasso and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add chicken and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often. Add seasoning mix and half the onion, celery, and green pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
• Add garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, remaining onion, celery, and green pepper.
• Add chicken stock and rice and stir to mix. Transfer mixture to 9-inch baking dish. Bake uncovered for 60 minutes. Stir well and remove bay leaves.

TASSO CAJUN STYLE

Steps:

• Trim the pork of all excess fat and cut it into strips about 1 inch thick and at least 4 inches long.
• Mix together the seasonings and place in a shallow pan. Roll each strip of pork in the seasoning mixture and place on a tray.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (preferable a couple of days).
• Prepare a smoker. Place the pork strips on the grill or rod (whichever your smoker uses) and smoke until done, 5 to 7 hours. Don't let the smoker get too hot.
• Remove the meat and let it cool completely, then wrap well in plastic and foil.
• The tasso will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 10 days, and it also freezes very well.

JOHN'S CAJUN TASSO

Steps:

• First, make "1st dry rub" mix by combining all the dry ingredients together in a bowl making sure to break up brown sugar lumps (9TB tender quick, 1/2c brown sugar, 1/4c cayenne, 1/3c black pepper, 1/4c white pepper, 1/4c paprika, 3TB onion pwdr, 1/4c granulated garlic, 2TB celery seed, 2TB mustard powder, 2TB cinnamon). Once that's done, make "wet cure mix" by combining 3 or 4 tbsp of dry rub mix with 1 cup cold water in separate small container with a lid. Cover and shake well to dissolve all dry rub mix in the water. This liquid will be the wet cure that is injected. Set wet cure and remaining dry rub mix aside for now.
• Cut up the meat into roughly 1 pound chunks. This will make it easier to inject the wet cure. After that, slice the meat into roughly 1 or 2 inch wide slices. Inject each piece with the wet-cure (as much as it can hold -- about a syringe-full each). After injection, slice up the chunks and set them into pans.
• Now liberally rub all sides of meat with remaining dry rub, make sure they are coated well. Then place meat in two, one-gallon Ziploc bags along with the left over dry rub mix. Put both bags into a 9x13 roasting pan and into the fridge.
• Now wait for the butt to cure into Tasso. During the next 5 days massage and turn them over every 12 hours. Then we will rinse and smoke our Tasso.
• O.K, it's day 5 and we are ready to smoke. But first we have a couple of steps. We need to make a new, final dry rub (1/4c celery seed, 1/4c sylvias secret seasoning, 1/2c black pepper, 1/4c white pepper, 1/2c brown sugar, 3TB cayenne, 3TB granulated garlic, 1/4c coarse kosher salt). If you are unable to find Sylvia's Secret Seasoning, here is the recipe: 1 Tablespoon of dried basil, 1 Teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 Teaspoon of dried thyme, 1/4 Teaspoon dried rosemary crumbled. Combine as needed to obtain 1/4 cup. Combine all above ingredients and mix well. Store in airtight container until ready to use.
• Pull the curing meat out of the refrigerator and open the bag. First up is to rinse the cure-rub off the meat. Once all meat is rinsed off, plug the sink and soak them in cold water for 1 hour. During the soaking, change the water 3 times.
• Now it's time for the final rub. Dry each piece on a few layers of paper towels, then rub, and then stack onto a single pan. Start the charcoal for the smoker. Stabilize smoker temp at 225°F The plan is to keep it between 200 degrees and 225 Fahrenheit during the smoke. We want to cook it of course, but also want the drying out effect of the lower temp's.
• After just a bit over 5 hours, the meat should be ready. pull temp's on the pieces, especially the thick ones and call it done once they reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit minimum.
• Transfer meat into three pans to cool down to room temperature maybe 30 minutes or so, then vacuum-sealer went to work. Got 5 bags of 5 pieces each, so I figure there was about a pound, maybe a few ounces less, per bag. This is plenty for a single recipe dish of whatever it is you want to make.