How to cook Scrapple?

[gvstn]

I was at my local farmer's market and a guy pulled up selling scrapple which I hadn't had in a few years. So I bought some. Now, I am not sure of the best way to cook it. I usually eat deep-fried scrapple from one of those stands at the warehouse type farmer's markets.

I just want to pan fry it in butter (don't keep much oil around) but want a crispy outside and tender inside. Anyone cook this on a regular basis and can give me any tips would be appreciated. (I know I can go to the cooking sites for recipes but just looking for first hand experience).

Thanks!

[mackerel]

1. don't you just fry it? I don't think you need much butter or oil on account of

all the fat in scrapple.

[gvstn]

3. I'm really not sure.

The place I have eaten it in the recent years deep fried it like McDonalds does fries. I'm just looking for crisp crust on the outside. Wondering about whether I should use low or high heat on an electric stove. I want to cook it "through" but still want a crispy crust.

[Marie Marie]

2. Here's the way I do it...

Carefully unwrap, then re-wrap and throw directly into the garbage. Sorry, don't mean to be a smart ass - I just really hate Scrapple. My mother used to pan fry it (probably in lard - bless her soul) and then serve it with Apple Butter. But you are right to buy it at a Farmer's Market. Since it is scraps of meat, that is the only place to hopefully get the "good" scraps - not the waste.

Hope yours gets the way you want it.

[gvstn]

4. It really is mostly cornmeal or some such starch.

All the scraps are just for flavor!

[Marie Marie]

5. Really? Then they did change the recipe.

I always pictured Scrapple as one of those Depression Era foods where you did not waste anything. My Mother grew up on a working farm and they used to make their own Scrapple from the meat scraps that were left after butchering whatever animal. Guess like everything else today, it is watered down with as much "filler" as possible.

[Kali]

6. that might have been head cheese?

but it is usually served cold so not sure.

[gvstn]

11. I looked up on Wiki and others.

I think that I was kidding myself saying it was mostly cornmeal. It really is mostly pig parts that would normally be discarded. Sorry for saying otherwise. I really had believed that it was mostly meal and a little pork/pig.

I guess I was going with defending against the hot dog haters and such, Hebrew National knockwurst is my favorite "hot dog", and I believe they are decent foodstuff despite the bad press.

[Chan790]

15. It always was that.

It's not watered-down now with as much filler as possible...it always was because meal corn was cheap and soaks up the liquid and thus the flavor from the meat. Increase the volume without diluting the flavor and you suddenly have 1/3 more food to go around. This is basic Depression-era cooking theory in practice.

It's the same principle as tuna salad at the kosher deli...you know that great tuna you get at the kosher deli that you cannot seem to recreate at home? The secret is breadcrumbs. Undrained canned tuna, breadcrumbs and extra-heavy mayo...the breadcrumbs soak up the "broth" from the canned tuna, tastes like tuna and the volume of tuna salad is increased. Some places add pickles, some add onions...but the trinity of mayo, breadcrumb and canned tuna is a standard recipe. That's also Depression-era innovation.

[gvstn]

18. Interesting post. Thanks for the info.

This is the actual scrapple that I bought.

My family had a meat packing company and one of the things they made was scrapple. There were never any strange cut of meat in it. Pork shoulder, fatback, liver and cornmeal. It was put in huge iron pots of hottub size and cooked over night with seasoning and ground the next day and chilled in blocks and wrapped that afternoon and sold the next day. We fried it I like it not crispy. Most people like it crispy. I put it on toast with mayo and sliced tomato. Now my family business is no more but the recipe is in Delaware at Haas butcher Shop. No lumps of chewy strange things in it.

[KamaAina]

22. Mayo?!

Mayo?!

[gvstn]

26. +1000

But there is no accounting for taste.

I had a great-aunt who would try to force me to put some kind of spread on my ham and cheese sandwich. I would say I just want a roll and ham and cheese. She would say that is too dry. You have to put a little mayo or butter on it. I would say NO and she would go through the list of condiments like mustard, ketchup etc. Drove me crazy. What did she care how I ate my sandwich? I like to taste exactly what I am eating.

[KamaAina]

21. Apple butter? That I never heard of!

Scrapple threads in Teh Longue invariably end up as cornflake chicken-style flamewars between us Marylanders who correctly serve it with ketchup, and the heathen Pennsylvanians who use maple syrup!!

[gvstn]

27. Sorry, neither.

Just scrapple. Do you cover your bacon with apple butter or maple syrup or ketchup?

Do it the right way and just eat the scrapple and enjoy the unique flavor. You can only get it in a few states.

[KamaAina]

28. No, but bacon is often served with both

syrup if pancakes or waffles are involved, ketchup if there are eggs.

Believe it or not, California is one of those states! Bette's Oceanview Diner in Berkeley makes its own (Bette is a Philly transplant), and in another scrapple thread, I heard a tale of it being sold at the marketplace in Old Oakland. Meanwhile, Ohio has a similar foodstuff called goetta.

[gvstn]

31. Very interesting.

I really thought that the Tri-State area was the only place you could get scrapple. California, who knew? Well, you did!

Goetta is a new term to me. I will try to look for it on a menu when traveling.

Thanks!

[woodsprite]

7. I pan fry it. If you use a seasoned, cast iron pan or griddle,

You shouldn't have to oil or butter the pan. If you bought turkey scrapple, use the butter or oil. That stuff is healthier, but is pretty darned dry. I like mine sliced about 1/4" thick and fried until crispy. My husband got me into eating it with a dab of grape jelly on it. Sounds odd, but tastes pretty good. If I'm feeling nostalgic, I like to serve it at dinner with Mashed potatoes and stewed tomatoes.

My MIL always dredged her slices in flour before frying them up. She said it made them more crisp, but I didn't really care for the taste that way. Maybe I didn't fry it enough or used too much flour.

Another favorite way my family eats scrapple is wrapped up with scrambled eggs and cheese in a flour tortilla.

[gvstn]

10. Thanks.

I'm going to just use a regular non-stick pan but the consensus says that I don't need butter.
It is not a big deal, I only paid about $5 for the scrapple but just don't want to eat soggy scrapple if I can figure a way to do it right without a deep fryer.

Stewed tomatoes are something I was forced to eat and don't like but they taste pretty good with Mac&Cheese, I will admit.

[gvstn]

30. I saw the flour thing on a couple of sites while I was trying to find the brand of scrapple I bought

Not sure about that. I've never seen it done that way when I order it in a restaurant. It's only a pound or so of scrapple so I can experiment. I just want to make sure it is cooked through before I eat it.

Grape jelly--NO! Not doing that. Mashed potatoes and stewed tomatoes--Absolutely!

[AwakeAtLast]

8. My husband is PA Dutch

He fries a slice as it is, no oil or butter. He let's it sear for a minute or two, flips it once. Eats it with maple syrup on top.

[gvstn]

9. Really only a minute or two?

I was just looking at the RAPA scrapple site (not the best brand as DelawareMade/Maid used to be my favorite brand) and they said 8 minutes per side. So 16 minutes all together. I really don't know because I usually just buy it at a restaurant. I just thought I would give it a try at home since the guy might be selling something better than the brand names.

[AwakeAtLast]

12. If it is true scrapple

It is already cooked. If you cook it on a high enough heat to get a slight sear on it, it should NOT take that long. It takes him no more than 4-5 minutes total.

[KamaAina]

23. Never heard of the Delaware brand

in Maryland, it's Parks all the way. (or was; it apparently got sold around the turn of the century ) "More Parks sausages, Mom!" At one time Parks was among the largest black-owned businesses in the land.

[gvstn]

24. They had a great slogan.

No one from this area could forget that one. But there was a "Please!" in there somewhere.

Delaware Maid was a quality scrapple. I think they had a contamination issue, closed and reopened but never recovered.

I never saw Park's scrapple. Rapa and Habersett were the staples with a few stores carrying the more local Delaware Maid. Delaware Maid just seemed to be less fatty and better quality meats from what I remember. I'm not a big scrapple buyer, I just eat it out when it is on the menu. From what I read yesterday the reason it is often deep fried is that it takes too long to pan fry for a restaurant and they deep fry to keep up with demand in a reasonable time frame.

[KamaAina]

29. You got it!

The "Please!" was right after "Mom!", with a pregnant pause.

[handmade34]

13. just pan fry

if it is good scrapple… it will be yummy (no need for deep fry.. yuck)



**of course- this from a vegetarian who years ago used to raise pigs and make her own scrapple… yum!

[justamama83]

14. The way my mom used to cook it

was to put a bit of crisco in the fry pan- I'd probably use cooking spray instead. She would cut it really thin and fry it to crispy for my brother and me- we'd smother it in ketchup lol. She liked thicker slices for my dad and her- she would fry it up til dark brown on both sides but it was still mushy on the inside. I've not had scrapple in years. I remember that if there wasn't some sort of coating on the pan it tended to stick and became messy.

[RebelOne]

16. That is the way my mother would cook it

when I was a child in Philadelphia many, many years ago.

[justamama83]

19. Yes!

Philly burbs born and raised- the land of scrapple and whoopie pies

[gvstn]

17. Hadn't thought about trying a few thin slices.

I might do that first to see how it cooks up before trying a thicker slice. Thanks for the idea.

[Avalux]

20. Fry it in some bacon grease (just a little) in a hot cast iron skillet.

It will get really crispy and browned on the outside. Eat it with maple syrup.

[gvstn]

25. God, I miss bacon grease!

My mom always had some on the counter next to the stove. No such thing as hash browns or fried potatoes without bacon grease.
Alas, I don't cook much bacon (it really is a pain in the neck despite how good it tastes). That is something I only get at a Sunday brunch or a rare club sandwich.