Pork can be smoked, marinated, seasoned and cured.
Louisiana is known for combining French, African American, German, Cajun and Native American cultures together into one big, delicious culinary melting pot. If you want to make authentic Louisiana dishes at home, finding the right ingredients, such as Tasso ham, can be tricky. Tasso ham may not be available in your part of the country, or you may have never even heard of it.
What is tasso Ham?
Gumbo is a quintessential Louisiana dish.
Tasso ham is found in southern cuisine, but is considered a Cajun meat, so it's mostly found in Louisiana and Cajun recipes. Tasso is pork that has been marinated, seasoned with black pepper, garlic and cayenne pepper and then smoked, which gives it a spicy, smokey flavor. This ham can be added to shrimp and grits, pastas and gumbos, and stuffed into shrimp and fish. Tasso may not be available in your local grocery store, but you may be able to order it from an Internet supplier or use a substitute.
Andouille Sausage
Andouille is available in most grocery stores.
Andouille sausage is a spicy smoked Cajun sausage that is commonly found in jambalaya and gumbo. Comprised of pork, pepper, onions, wine and seasonings, Andouille's origins may be French or German, but in the United States, it's known as a Cajun sausage. The French and German varieties of Andouille are much less spicy than the Cajun style, but they all contain similar ingredients. To bump up the spicy flavor, try adding a pinch of cayenne pepper to the dish, or a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce.
Smoked Ham
Smoked ham is available anywhere that deli meat is sold, and if the store has a slicer, they can slice it in whatever thickness works for your recipe. Black Forest Ham is a German ham that has been smoked over pine and fir, and has a slightly sweet but smokey flavor. It's not spicy like Tasso ham, but will do in a pinch.
Canadian Bacon
Canadian bacon is a popular brunch item.
Canadian bacon is much leaner than American bacon, and tastes more like ham. It is made from pork loin that has been cured and smoked, and is seen most often in recipes for eggs Benedict. Canadian bacon can be found by the prepackaged deli meats in the grocery store; it is usually pre-sliced into small rounds. Since Canadian bacon offers the smokey component that mimics Tasso ham, but is not spicy, try sauteing strips of the ham in a skillet with cracked pepper and fresh garlic before adding to your recipe.
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