Gunslingers Scrapple Recipes

Steps:

• Bring ham broth, 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in the top of a double boiler over direct heat. Once boiling, sprinkle cornmeal into liquid, stirring constantly till mixture is smooth and starts to boil. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in the bottom of the double boiler. Place the pot with hot cornmeal on top of the bottom of the double boiler, cover and cook for 45 minutes.
• While the cornmeal mixture cooks, heat large nonstick skillet. Brown ground pork until cooked thoroughly. Remove from heat and let cool. Do not drain. Once the pork has reached room temperature, grind meat to a paste in a food processor.
• Place puréed meat in a bowl and add grated onion, 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper and the sage, and mix well. Add hot cornmeal mixture and combine thoroughly so no lumps remain.
• Rinse 9-by-5-inch loaf pan in cold water and grease with bacon fat. Pack meat mixture in loaf pan and cover skin of meat with plastic wrap, pressing it against the surface. Meat mixture will be warm to touch. Let meat loaf come to room temperature, and then place in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
• Remove plastic wrap and unmold scrapple onto a cutting board. Cut into 1/2-inch slices. Dust lightly with cornmeal and fry on both sides in a small amount of bacon fat.

Steps:

• Trim the fat from around the top of the heart and remove the sinews. Cut the heart into 4 pieces and put it in a heavy stewing kettle with the meaty bones and liver. Add 3 quarts of water, cover and simmer gently for 3 hours until the meat falls from the bones.
• Strain the broth into a clean pot. Discard the bones and put the meat through a coarse grinder. Grind the heart and liver as fine as possible and combine the 2 meat mixtures.
• Bring the broth to a simmer. Combine the cornmeal and the seasonings and gradually add to the boiling broth, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and add the meat mixture. Stir until everything is well mixed. Cook slowly for 30 minutes, stirring almost constantly so it does not stick to the bottom, as it will be quite thick.
• After 30 minutes it is ready to pour. Rinse 9 small breadpans with cold water or grease them and pour the scrapple to the top of the pans. Set the pans to cool and when cool refrigerate until the next day.
• When ready to eat, unmold the scrapple onto a cutting board and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. Melt fat in a skillet and fry the slices until brown and crusty on both sides. Serve immediately with or without maple syrup.
• The loaves can be unmolded and frozen but will keep refrigerated for about 1 week.