Feeling like I must have really missed out on the important things in life I quickly googled it and this is what I found:
Scrapple, also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name pon haus, is traditionally a mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. The mush is formed into a semi-solid congealed loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then panfried before serving. Scraps of meat left over from butchering, not used or sold elsewhere, were made into scrapple to avoid waste. Scrapple is best known as a regional American food of the Mid-Atlantic States (Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland). Scrapple and pon haus are commonly considered an ethnic food of the Pennsylvania Dutch, including the Mennonites and Amish. Scrapple is found in supermarkets throughout the region in both fresh and frozen refrigerated cases. ~ Wikipedia
The same day we rendered lard, we also made pon haus.
The first thing we did was set the kettle of water over the open flame. When the water began to boil, we added scraps of meat. We used scraps of regular raw meat, organ meat, and even threw in some meat bones.
After the meat had cooked for several hours and was beginning to fall off the bone, we separated the meat and bones, discarding the bones and running the meat through a grinder.
The ground pork was then returned to the large kettle of broth over the open flame. We added salt and pepper to taste and let it all come back to a rolling boil.
Once the mixture came to a rapid boil, two people stirred while two people began adding cornmeal to the mixture. The cornmeal had to be added slowly and evenly so as not to clump. (We also added a little flour from time to time, but mostly it was cornmeal.)
The mixture became thicker and thicker and more difficult to stir. When the experienced folks said that we had enough cornmeal, we then stirred until the mixture boiled down and became extremely thick. (Stirring was not a job for the faint-hearted! If the pon haus stuck to the bottom of the kettle, it would be ruined and it was hard to stir!) When the pon haus was finally the right consistency, we removed the kettle from the fire and quickly scooped the mixture into small containers. These containers were left to set for about 24 hours, forming a small loaf in the pan.
When I asked my in-laws for a recipe for pon haus, they said they had never used a recipe. Other people use additional spices in their pon haus, but my husband's family enjoys it plain.
After the meat had cooked for several hours and was beginning to fall off the bone, we separated the meat and bones, discarding the bones and running the meat through a grinder.
The ground pork was then returned to the large kettle of broth over the open flame. We added salt and pepper to taste and let it all come back to a rolling boil.
When I asked my in-laws for a recipe for pon haus, they said they had never used a recipe. Other people use additional spices in their pon haus, but my husband's family enjoys it plain.
The photo below is of our finished product. In order to eat, simply slice and fry.
The following is a recipe for making a small batch of pon haus at home:
Pon Haus (Scrapple)
One 3-pound bone-in pork butt, trimmed of visible fat
4 quarts water
Salt and pepper to taste
1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1 teaspoon ground savory
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
3 cups corn meal
Place the pork and water in an 8-quart stock pot. Add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until pork is tender about 2 hours. Place the meat on a large plate; reserve the stock. When the meat is cool enough to handle, remove it from the bones and discard excess fat. Chop the meat very finely; set aside.
Place 2-1/2 quarts of the stock in a 5-quart pot. Add the thyme, sage, savory, allspice, nutmeg and cloves. Bring to a boil and gradually add the corn meal, stirring or whisking rapidly until it is all combined. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low and continue to cook, stirring often, until the mixture is very thick, so that a spoon almost stands up by its own, about 15 minutes. (If it gets too thick, just add a little more of the broth and stir well.) Add the meat and stir well to combine. Reduce the heat to low and cook for an additional 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. After a couple minutes, taste for seasoning and adjust as desired. Scrapple must be well-seasoned or it will taste very bland when fried.
Place a piece of waxed paper into the bottom of two 9x5 loaf pans so that the ends extend over the two long sides. That will make it easier to lift the refrigerated loaf out of the pan later. Pour half the mixture into each pan. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight or until chilled and solid.
To fry, remove the loaf from the pan and place on a cutting surface. Slice into about 1/4 to 1/2-inch slices. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add some butter and, as soon as it melts, add the scrapple slices. It is critical with scrapple to let each side brown thoroughly before attempting to turn it over or it will stick and fall apart, so be very patient.
Note: Originally in 2010 when I posted this recipe, I linked back to the original website. Upon reviewing this post and checking the link, I found it was a broken link and received an error message. (2022)