Scrapple
intro
Crispy, savory Pennsylvania Dutch scrapple is a hearty spiced pork and cornmeal loaf, pan-fried to golden perfection for cozy, satisfying breakfasts.
Ingredients
Steps
Simmer the pork
Place 900g bone-in pork shoulder, 100g diced small yellow onion, 1 whole bay leaf, and 1.9L (8 cups) water in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 90 minutes until pork pulls easily from the bone. Skim any gray foam from the water surface every 20 minutes during cooking.
Strain and shred pork
Use tongs to remove cooked pork from the pot and set on a cutting board to cool for 10 minutes. Strain remaining cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl, discarding the cooked onion and bay leaf. Pour 1.4L (6 cups) of the strained golden broth back into the clean stockpot, and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Once pork is cool to the touch, pull all meat from the bone, discarding bone, tough gristle, and excess hard fat, then finely chop the meat into 5mm (1/4-inch) pieces.
Cook cornmeal mush
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 240g (2 cups) fine yellow cornmeal, 80g (2/3 cup) buckwheat flour, 1 tablespoon dried sage, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1.5 teaspoons ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Slowly whisk the dry spice and grain mixture into the simmering broth to prevent lumps, then reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring constantly with a stiff wooden spoon, for 15 minutes until the mixture is very thick and pulls cleanly away from the pot sides.
Set scrapple loaf
Stir the finely chopped pork into the thick cornmeal mush until evenly distributed, then cook for 2 more minutes over low heat. Lightly grease a 23x13cm (9x5 inch) metal loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, then pour the hot scrapple mixture into the pan, smoothing the top flat with a silicone spatula. Let cool to room temperature for 30 minutes, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (or overnight) until the loaf is fully firm and set.
Slice set scrapple
Once the scrapple loaf is fully chilled and firm, run a thin paring knife around the inner edge of the loaf pan to loosen, then invert the pan onto a clean cutting board to release the loaf. Cut the loaf into uniform 1.25cm (1/2-inch) thick slices, then pat each slice lightly on both sides with a paper towel to remove excess surface moisture.
Pan-fry until crispy
Heat 2 tablespoons neutral canola oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan (which causes steaming instead of crisping), add scrapple slices and cook for 4-5 minutes per side until deep golden brown and crispy on the outside, fully heated through the center. Transfer cooked slices to a paper-towel lined plate to drain excess oil for 1 minute before serving.
Tips
2.For the most authentic, rich flavor, use bone-in pork shoulder instead of lean pork cuts; the small amount of marbled fat keeps the scrapple moist and adds deep, savory depth.
3.Serve fried scrapple with traditional accompaniments like pure maple syrup, spiced apple butter, or runny sunny-side-up eggs for a classic Pennsylvania Dutch breakfast.
OMG I grew up eating scrapple every Sunday breakfast at my grandma’s house outside Lancaster and have been chasing that flavor for 10 years since I moved to the West Coast! This recipe is dead on—perfectly herby, crispy on the edges when you fry it up, no weird gritty texture like the store-bought garbage they try to pass off as scrapple out here. Made a double batch for my roommates who had never tried it and they were begging for seconds. Game changer!
Meal prep win! I made this on Sunday, sliced the whole loaf, and froze individual portions so I can grab a couple slices to fry up for quick weekday breakfasts. It pairs so good with fried eggs and a little drizzle of maple syrup, even my picky 7 year old asks for it now. Will absolutely be adding this to my regular rotation!
Tasted great but I messed up the simmer time on the pork shoulder and it took me a little longer than the recipe said to get it tender enough to shred. Ended up adding a little extra sage and black pepper because I like my scrapple super savory, and it turned out awesome. Brought half the loaf to my neighborhood potluck and people were going back for thirds.
Full transparency: I swore I hated scrapple my whole life because the only version I’d ever had was the rubbery grocery store slab my dad would microwave when I was a kid. My partner begged me to try making this from scratch and wow, I get the hype now! The texture is so smooth, the cornmeal doesn’t taste gritty, and the mix of spices is chef’s kiss. 10/10, even I’m shocked how much I loved it.
Made this over a camp stove on our annual fall cabin trip and it was the perfect hearty breakfast before hiking all day. We cooked the pork the night before over the fire, let it chill in the cooler overnight, then sliced and fried it up in the morning with hash browns. No leftovers at all, every single person in our group asked for the recipe.
Taste was solid but I thought 2 hours of cook time was a little brutal for a weekend breakfast, honestly. I ended up cutting the chill time short by a couple hours because I was impatient, so my slices didn’t hold their shape super well when I fried them. Flavor was there though, just plan ahead way more than I did!
Great base recipe! I followed it mostly to the letter but added a pinch of red pepper flakes and a teaspoon of smoked paprika to give it a little kick, and it was chef’s kiss. Only knock is that my first few slices stuck to the pan even though I used oil—make sure your skillet is nice and hot before you lay the slices down, y’all!
Served this for our big family Sunday breakfast last weekend alongside apple butter, scrambled eggs, and buttermilk biscuits, and my dad (who’s a total scrapple snob born and raised in central PA) said it was better than the diner version he’s been getting for 40 years. High praise, let me tell you!
Obsessed with how budget-friendly this is! I used a cheap pork shoulder that was on sale at the grocery store, plus pantry staples I already had (cornmeal, sage, pepper, salt) and it made enough scrapple for 8 servings for under 8 bucks total. Way cheaper than buying breakfast meat every week, and so much tastier.
First time ever making scrapple, first time even eating scrapple honestly? I was intimidated by the medium difficulty rating but it was way more straightforward than I thought! The only part that tripped me up was stirring the cornmeal in slowly so it didn’t clump up, but once I got the hang of it it was smooth sailing. Tastes way better than I expected!
I’ve been collecting old community cookbook recipes for years and this is the most authentic PA Dutch scrapple recipe I’ve found online. It tastes exactly like the recipe from the 1960s Lancaster county church cookbook I picked up at a flea market a few years back, minus the weird lard measurement that was super vague. So well written, easy to follow!
SO good! I’d always had scrapple with ketchup before but I tried it with a side of apple butter like my neighbor suggested and it was the best sweet-savory combo I’ve had in months. My whole family devoured the whole loaf in two days, I’m already planning to make another batch this weekend.