Louisiana Tasso

Tasso is heavily seasoned pork shoulder used for flavouring gumbos, sauces, stews and vegetables. In Canada it is almost impossible to find tasso so I decided to make own. This recipe uses Chef Paul Prudhomme's tasso seasoning mix recipe and is smoked for 12 hours.  The resulting taste is incredible. This recipe scales well. I adjusted the amount of ingredients and smoke 25 pounds of pork.

Ingredients for 5 pounds of tasso:
5 pounds of pork shoulder
Apple juice brine
Chef Paul Prudhomme's Tasso Seasoning recipe

Apple Juice Brine
8 cups of apple juice
4 cups of water
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup pickling slat
1/2 cup brown sugar

Tasso Seasoning
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup black pepper
2 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons plus 1 1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoon plus 1 3/4 teaspoons of cumin
2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon plus 2 1/4 teaspoons gumbo file powder

1. Cut the pork shoulder into strips about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches thick.

2. In a large bowl, combine all of the brine ingredients and stir until the salt and sugar crystals have completely dissolved.

3. Pour brine over the pork in a food-safe bucket or storage container being sure that the pork is fully immersed in the brine.

4. Brine the pork for 3 days. Remove the pork from the brine and rinse well.

5. In a large bowl combine the salt, sugar, black, white and cayenne peppers, garlic and onion powders, cumin, paprika and gumbo file.

6. Roll the strips of pork in the seasoning mix, coating the meat completely and patting it in well.

7. Place the seasoned meat in large freezer bags and lay them flat in the refrigerator for 7 days to allow the spices to penetrate into the meat. Flip the meat daily for the 7 days.

8. If using a Traeger grill, start the grill on Smoke with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes).

9. Place the pork on the grill and smoke for 12 hours using the wood pellets of your choice. I used hickory pellets for this tasso.

10. If not using a Traeger grill, start the smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions and smoke until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 165F.

11. Pack the tasso in plastic bags and store in the freezer indefinitely.