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This homemade smoked pork tasso brings authentic Cajun flavor to your pellet grill or smoker with a simple curing process and low-and-slow smoking. This smoked tasso recipe is perfect for red beans and rice, greens, or any dish that needs a smoky, spicy kick!
What is Pork Tasso?
Tasso is a highly seasoned, cured, and smoked pork product that originated in Louisiana Cajun cuisine. Unlike traditional smoked pork that’s meant to be eaten on its own, tasso is typically used as a flavoring meat – think of it like a smoky, spicy seasoning that happens to be made from pork.
The meat is heavily seasoned with Cajun spices, cured with pink curing salt, and then smoked at low temperatures. The result is an intensely flavored, firm piece of pork that adds incredible depth to dishes like gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and collard greens.
Traditional tasso is made from pork shoulder (pork butt), which has enough fat to stay moist during the curing and smoking process. When you cook it to 150°F, tasso is not a pulled pork – even though you use the pork butt, it is a ham. The lower temperature and curing process gives it that distinctive texture and concentrated flavor.
Ingredients for Smoked Tasso
This homemade tasso recipe uses two different seasoning mixtures – one for the cure and one for the final seasoning before smoking. Here’s what you need:
For the Cure Mixture:
- Pork butt – About 3.5 -4 pounds, trimmed but with the fat cap left on.
- Black pepper
- Granulated garlic
- Ground clove
- Paprika
- Onion powder
- Cayenne pepper – This is a spicy one!
- Kosher salt
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Pink curing salt #1 – This is CRITICAL and must be measured precisely.
For the Final Seasoning:
- Cayenne pepper
- Black pepper
- Marjoram
- Granulated garlic
- Thyme
- Allspice
- Celery seed
- Paprika
*Chef’s Tip: Notice that one thing that’s not in the final seasoning is salt. After the curing process, this thing has got plenty of salt already.
How to Make Homemade Smoked Pork Tasso
Making homemade tasso is super easy – it’s just a little bit time consuming because you have to wait a while for the curing process. But trust me, it’s worth the wait! Follow these simple steps:
Step 1: Prep and Portion the Pork Butt
Start by cutting your pork butt into manageable pieces. You’re looking at 8 to 10 ounce pieces – about the size of a baseball.
One thing about my pork butt: it had been lightly trimmed already, but I did not take any excess fat off. I knew the fatty later was going to resist some of the seasonings, but I prefer the fat more than I do the lean meat. So I like the combination.
That fat cap is perfect for adding your smoked tasso to collard greens, red beans and rice, or jambalaya. It gives a lot of velvety fat and richness to dishes.
Step 2: Make the Cure Mixture
The next step is to make the seasoned curing mixture. And if you’ve never used pink curing salt before, this information is crucial:
CRITICAL PINK SALT INFORMATION:
You need pink curing salt, not to be confused with any other salt. When doing the math, you have to be VERY careful that you add the correct amount. For tasso, it’s typically 0.25% per pound of pork.
Here’s an example: My pork butt was 3.61 pounds, which converted to ounces is 3.61 x 16 = 57.76 ounces. Multiply the weight by .25% (or .0025), and you get 0.1444 ounces of pink curing salt #1. I took a teaspoon and measured it, and it was extremely close to 3/4 teaspoon of pink curing salt – if you don’t have a kitchen scale with a digital read out.
*You can use the meat curing salt calculator here.
In a medium bowl, combine all the cure ingredients. Just dump everything into the bowl, along with the appropriate amount of pink curing salt, and give it a good mix.
Step 3: Apply the Cure and Refrigerate
Next, season the chunks of pork butt liberally on all sides. I actually added the curing mixture to a shallow wide-mouthed bowl, and set the pork pieces directly in the bowl (like dredging a piece of meat in flour).
Place the seasoned pork pieces in an airtight container or gallon-sized Ziploc bag. If you have extra curing blend, you’ll need to sprinkle the remainder evenly over the pork so that your curing salt ratios are correct. Remove as much of the air as possible from the bag.
*VERY IMPORTANT: Cure the pork in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. I chose to cure my pork butt for 5 days. But each day, you want to mix it around. The pork will start sweating, and you’ll notice a bit of moisture in the bag. So be sure to move it around each day, flipping the bag back and forth, so the meat cures and seasons evenly.
Step 4: Rinse and Apply Final Seasoning
After 3 to 5 days, take the cured pork out and rinse it under cold water to get all that cure mixture off. Pat it dry with paper towels.
Now for the final seasoning mixture – a blend of spices including cayenne pepper, black pepper, marjoram, garlic, thyme, allspice, celery seed, and paprika.
Mix all the final seasonings together in a bowl. Remember, no salt in this mixture – the pork has plenty from the cure. Lightly season each piece of pork with this mixture. Place the seasoned pieces onto a cooling rack over a sheet tray.
Then refrigerate overnight uncovered on the wire rack to allow the meat to air dry.
Step 5: Smoke the Pork Tasso
Preheat your pellet grill or smoker to 200°F.
Place a probe thermometer into one of the pieces of pork. Then place all the tasso pieces on the smoker, fat side up. Smoke the tasso pork at 200°F until it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F.
Step 6: Rest and Store the Smoked Tasso
As each piece of tasso reads 150°F on an internal probe thermometer, pull it off the smoker and allow to rest. Then, you can cut it into thin slices against the grain or dice it up to serve immediately or add to your favorite Cajun dishes.
Storing Tasso for Future Recipes
Because this recipe makes a lot of pork tasso, much more than you would need for a single Cajun dish, I chose to freeze the bulk of my smoked tasso.
I vacuum sealed each individual portion whole (in the 8-10 ounce chunk). That way, as I need homemade pork tasso for different recipes, I can thaw out one portion, slice or dice it, and I’m good to go! Like having smoked tasso on demand in the freezer!
Smoked Pork Tasso
Ingredients
- 3½ – 3¾ lbs boneless pork butt
For the Curing Mixture:
- 2 tablespoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon pink curing salt #1, 0.25% of meat weight
- ½ teaspoon ground clove
For the Final Seasoning:
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon marjoram
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon celery seed
Instructions
Cure the Pork Butt:
- Cut the pork butt into 8-10 ounce pieces, roughly the size of a baseball. Leave the fat cap on.
- In a medium bowl, combine all cure mixture ingredients: black pepper, granulated garlic, ground clove, paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and pink curing salt #1. Mix well.
- Dunk each piece of pork into the cure mixture, ensuring complete coverage on all sides. Use any leftover cure mixture to dust the pork pieces for extra coverage.
- Place the seasoned pork into a gallon-size Ziploc bag or airtight container. Remove as much air as possible and seal.
- Refrigerate for 5 days, turning and redistributing the meat daily to ensure even curing.
Rinse and Season:
- Remove the cured pork from the refrigerator. Rinse each piece thoroughly under cold water to remove the cure mixture. Pat completely dry with paper towels.
- In a medium bowl, combine all final seasoning ingredients: cayenne pepper, black pepper, marjoram, granulated garlic, thyme, allspice, celery seed, and paprika. Mix well.
- Lightly season all sides of each pork piece with the final seasoning mixture.
- Place the seasoned pork pieces on a wire cooling rack set over a sheet tray. Refrigerate uncovered overnight to air dry.
Smoke the Pork Tasso:
- Preheat your pellet grill or smoker to 200°F with your choice of wood or pellets.
- Insert a probe thermometer into one of the pork pieces.
- Place the tasso pieces on the smoker grates, fat side up. Close the lid and smoke until the internal temperature reaches 150°F – about 2 hours, but times may vary.
- Remove from the smoker and let rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing or storing.
- To store, vacuum seal each individual portion whole and freeze for up to several months, or refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Video
Notes
- CRITICAL: Pink curing salt #1 must be measured precisely at 0.25% of the meat weight. For 3.6 pounds of pork, this equals approximately 3/4 teaspoon (0.1444 oz). Always weigh if possible, or use the teaspoon measurement as a close approximation.
- Using the Tasso: Tasso is meant to be used as a flavoring meat, not eaten on its own. Dice it up and add it to dishes like red beans and rice, gumbo, greens, or jambalaya.
- Storing in the Freezer: This recipe makes several portions that freeze beautifully. I prefer to vacuum seal the large chunks whole, and store in the freezer. Then, when I need pork tasso for different recipes, I can thaw one portion at time.
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