Preparation:
Cut pork butt into 1/2-inch thick strips. Place on a baking pan and season with Worcestershire and Louisiana Gold sauces. Once liquids are well blended into meat, add all remaining ingredients. Mix well into meat to ensure that each piece is well coated with the seasoning mixture. Cover with clear wrap and refrigerate overnight. Using a home style smoker, and using briquettes flavored with pecan wood and sugar cane strips if possible, smoke tasso at 175-200F for 2-1/2 hours. Once cooked, tasso may be frozen or used to season gumbos, vegetables, or a great pot of white or red beans.
COMMENT FROM JOHN FOLSE: Tasso is yet another example of the Cajun and Creole desire for unique flavor in a recipe. Tasso is a dried smoked product that is seasoned with cayenne pepper, garlic and salt and heavily smoked. The word tasso is believed to have come from the Spanish word "tasajo" which is dried, cured beef. Although this delicacy is often thinly sliced and eaten alone, it is primarily used as a pungent seasoning for vegetables, gumbos and soups. Today in South Louisiana, tasso is becoming a popular seasoning for new and creative dishes. It has also gained wide acclaim as an hors d'oeuvre served with dipping sauces or fruit glazes. At Lafitte's Landing Restaurant, we have incorporated tasso into our cream sauces and compound butters to create a new taste unheard of in classical cooking. [Is great in pasta dishes, IMHO.] Recipe from "The Evolution of Cajun and Creole Cuisine" by Chef John Fols |
