But have you ever tried, or even heard of, scrapple?Īlso nicknamed “poor man’s bacon,” scrapple is a breakfast and brunch favorite in Lancaster County. When it comes to breakfast meats, you’re probably used to the classics: sausage and bacon. Combine that with a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee, and your morning is off to a great start. Unused portions can be frozen, thawed and fried as needed.There’s nothing like the sizzling sounds and mouthwatering smell of breakfast meat frying up in a pan. Layer scrapple slices in the skillet, salt and pepper to taste, and fry on both sides 5 to 6 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown.ħ) Serve portions with a fried egg on top or with maple syrup. Once chilled, turn the cooled porridge onto a board and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices.Ħ) Put 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or bacon grease into a nonstick skillet and bring it to medium-high heat. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Spoon mixture into 2 nonstick loaf pans lined with plastic wrap. Add 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then add the Cream of Wheat to the broth in a slow stream, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.ĥ) When the porridge has thickened, 6 to 10 minutes, remove from heat and stir in the shredded meat and optional green chile. (If there isn’t enough broth, add water.) Bring broth just to a boil and lower the heat to simmer. Discard the bones or save them for another use.Ĥ) Put 8 cups of the broth into a 6-quart saucepan. Shred the meat with your fingers and set aside.
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Set aside.ģ) Carefully separate the meat from the bones. Transfer the meat and bones to another dish until they are cool. (This can also be done in a slow cooker but will take 6 to 8 hours.)Ģ) Remove from heat. Bring contents to a boil, then lower to medium heat and simmer, uncovered, for 4 to 5 hours, or until the meat comes easily off the bones. For anyone who’d like to try it, here’s the recipe.ġ) Put the neck bones, water and salt into an 8- to 10-quart pot. Adding chopped green chile makes it a toothsome entrée, especially served with a pile of frijoles and a salad. This scrapple resembles polenta with hearty pork flavor. I savored the crispy, fried slices and the taste of bacon fat-the way the sunny-side egg yolks flowed like gravy and how good it all tasted with lots of black pepper. She couldn’t imagine why I wanted to revive this dish, but we pieced it out and I made a batch the next day. Several years ago, I called Mom and asked for her scrapple recipe. The very lean years had passed and scrapple was replaced with Frosted Flakes and piles of cinnamon toast. There were three kids by then and a lot of food in the fridge.
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Mom stopped making it when I was about 6 or 7 years old. It was cheap food, born of a tight economy and the need to stretch ingredients. Scrapple for breakfast was a treat-sliced and fried, it was sometimes served with an egg on top or drenched in a pool of maple syrup.
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I can still whip these up on a moment’s notice, except for the scrapple-a dish that takes time and a lot of patience. From this hodgepodge I found my comfort foods-sausage gravy on white bread, fried rice with scrambled eggs and bacon, raw egg and soy sauce mixed into a bowl of steaming-hot rice, and mom’s own version of scrapple. Later, as a young mother feeding her family in postwar Detroit, she served an amalgam of Japanese home cooking and truck stop fare.