Homemade Scrapple
Homemade Scrapple, made from pork, is golden and crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. You might say it’s a cousin to Goetta. The difference is that Goetta is made with pinhead oatmeal and Scrapple is made with cornmeal. It’s super delicious!
I’m going back to my roots today. Yep!! I’m talking about a food I grew up on, Scrapple. What’s scrapple? Okay, I won’t pick on you too much if you don’t know what scrapple is. If you don’t know what scrapple is, you probably do know what goetta is. Allow me to clear up the difference between the two before I go on talking about scrapple. There’s one main difference between goetta and scrapple. Goetta is made with pinhead oatmeal and scrapple is made with cornmeal. They are both made from pork.
Now back to Scrapple…okay I might gross you out a little here, but please stay with me…
I grew up on a large farm and my dad slaughtered hogs in the winter. We didn’t waste much of the hog. We had pickled pigs feet and cracklins (and no…I couldn’t eat pigs feet today), but I loved them as a kid.
We also had scrapple. Years ago, scrapple was made from all the leftover pork scraps, such as the head, liver, heart and even snouts. I know…gross! The scraps were boiled, then cornmeal and seasonings were added to bind everything together.
My mother made scrapple from the meat from the hogs head. That’s right. I didn’t even think to question it when I was a little girl. All I knew was that my mom was a great cook and when she placed a plate in front of me with scrapple, eggs, and homemade biscuits, I was in heaven.
What type of meat to use – PORK!
Moving forward…today I actually use a pork shoulder to make scrapple and it tastes just as delicious as I remember it tasting as a kid. So you can breathe easy now. If you want to make some homemade Scrapple, just run to the grocery store.Please…don’t substitute anything else for the pork in scrapple. If you want true scrapple, use all pork.
Cornmeal
I added yellow cornmeal to my scrapple. I was lucky enough to have homemade cornmeal from my husband’s uncle. It gets thick rather quickly, so you have to be ready to mix pretty vigorously as you are adding the cornmeal.
Ingredient Amounts -Preciseness
You might think this is the most in-concise recipe I’ve ever posted. Why? Because the amount of cornmeal added is determined by the size of the pork shoulder you use. Purchasing a pork shoulder that weighs an exact amount of pounds is like shopping for the turkey that weighs exactly 20 pounds. So it’s a little give and take when it comes to adding the cornmeal. Bottom line…you just keep adding cornmeal until the mixture becomes very thick.
Scrapple gets fried until the outside is golden brown and crispy and the inside is soft. It’s delicious!!
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Homemade Scrapple
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: Varies
- Category: breakfast
- Method: cook
- Cuisine: German
Ingredients
- 1 pork shoulder, cut into 3 to 4 large pieces for cooking.
- 1 large bag cornmeal, yellow or white, (you’ll use 3 to 4 cups, depending on the size of meat)
- Lots of salt & pepper
- Sage, optional (I don’t use, but many cooks do)
Instructions
Cooking
- Place the pork in a large pot. Cover with plenty of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover with a lid, and allow to simmer until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours, adding water as needed.
- Once meat is fork tender, remove from pot and transfer to a large plate. Using two forks, shred the pork into small pieces.
- Bring the broth back to a boil, adding more water if needed. Add the shredded pork back to the broth. Reduce heat to medium and using a wooden spoon, stir vigorously while adding cornmeal. Keep stirring and pouring cornmeal until the mixture starts to become very thick, sort of like wall paper paste. It’s easier to have a second person in this step. One person stirring while the other adds the cornmeal. Immediately remove from heat. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper and mix throughly. Taste the mixture and add more salt and pepper as needed to taste. Don’t be shocked by how much salt and pepper is needed in this recipe.
- Transfer the scrapple to greased loaf pans Allow mixture to set for about one hour, giving it time to set up. Once the mixture sets up, invert it onto a plate, cover and refrigerate.
Frying
- Slice the scrapple into 1/4 inch slices. Add a small amount of oil to a pan over medium heat. After oil has become hot, add slices of scrapple, making sure pieces are not touching, or they will stick together while cooking. Brown on each side until the edges are crispy and the top is golden brown. Do not flip the pieces over until one side is completely browned and flip only once or the scrapple will fall apart. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve hot with eggs and biscuits or your favorite breakfast sides.
Notes
I used a pork shoulder, weighing 6.8 pounds for this recipe. It really doesn’t matter what size you use, the bigger the piece of pork, the more cornmeal you’ll add.
Scrapple is great for freezing. I wrap it in plastic wrap, then a freezer bag. When made in loaves, one loaf will fit nicely in a gallon freezer bag.
Hay, this sounds a whole lot like what my mother use to make. Ofcourse the hog head was clean as best as possible inside and out. People want to think that’s gross. They should read the ingredient list on some of the hot dogs and lunch meat they are buying. Thank you for this recipe. R. L. G.
My grandmother made Scrapple just like yours with the shredded pork shoulder. I’m anxious to make it. Could you please tell meWhat ratio of cornmeal to broth do I use for the scrapple to reach the right thickness to set. Thankyou
Hi Judi, Unfortunately, this is one recipe that I can’t give you an exact ratio. It’s a give and take thing. The mixture should be very thick. I’m sorry I can be more precise.
Same here, my families from Eastern North Carolina and my grandfather raised hogs and we ate it all! There was nothing that went to waste on my grandparents farm. Now that I’m (much) older, and my parents and grandparents are no longer w/us, recipes like this make me happy. I’ll definitely give this a try on a much smaller scale (I can easily buy what ever quantity (lbs) of pork shoulder or butt I need round these parts! (lol! pig o’plenty!)) Thanks so much for sharing this.
Hi Angie, You are very welcome! 🙂
We have made it since I was little and my grandparents butchered their own hogs. No waste, but it is easier to use pork roast instead of head meat (which my husband had to get to make it authentic). They were German from Iowa and the recipe is over 100 years old.. The instructions that I have say cover pork with water, add salt and simmer until done. Remove meat and grind. Put back in broth, bring to a high simmer and stir in white cornmeal until the spoon stands straight up and mixture is thick. Form in loaf pans lined with waxed paper or parchment. Freezes well. Slice thin, fry in butter until crispy. Serve with white Karo syrup, sorghum or molasses. It’s the best!!
My Grandmother used the turkey carcass from Thanksgiving instead of pork. I now use turkey drumsticks or breakfast sausage. I love it , been eating it for breakfast for 60 plus years.
Can meat that’s already cooked be used i.e.smoked pork butt, spare ribs, pot roast, etc ?!
Hi John, I know you can use pork butt or spare rib meat. I’m assuming pork roast. If it’s smoked, the scapple will have the smoked flavor.
So happy to find this recipe and know for sure that my memory isn’t wrong. Only thing my grandma did that is different was to add a smidgin of sage. YUM! It was a wonderful breakfast and a great start for the hike to school on a cold winter morning.. A friend in California moaned that he missed it so much. When we flew out for a visit, I took the makings with me and taught his wife and him how to make it. Last I heard they had quite a crew of converts.
Hi Carol, Wonderful story. Yes, I love converting people from Goetta to Scrapple.
I am 66 and my mother made this about the same way but we used a lot of garlic. I just made some with my granddaughter yesterday and I put in a 6 lb shoulder of pork, and about 1-1/2 bulbs (not cloves) of fresh Coarsely minced garlic. My mother got this recipe from her grandmother, who was straight from germany. And my mother was born in 1922 and the 2nd generation American from that side of the tree.
I grew up near the poconos and the farmers around here used regular flour and lots of buckwheat flour. This made a very thick and sturdy scrapple that never fell apart when you fried it like cornmeal does. Try it and you will love it.
Hi Lorne, Thanks so much for that helpful feedback. I’ll have to try it that way.