Pennsylvania Dutch Scrapple

Makes 2 loaves, each serving 4 to 6.

2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, or 3 1/2 to 4 lbs. pork neck bones
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tsp. salt, or as needed
1 tsp. crumbled dried sage (or dried summer savory)
1/2 tsp crumbled dried thyme
1/4 tsp. crumbled dried marjoram (optional)
2 c yellow cornmeal, preferably coarse stone-ground meal
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
All-purpose flour for dredging
Unsalted butter, or bacon or sausage drippings for browning

Simmer the pork and the onion in water to cover, with 1 tsp salt, until very tender. Remove the meat. Skim off any excess fat and measure the broth; if necessary, add water or stock to make 4 cups.
Chop the meat fine, discarding any bones, and return it to the broth. Add the sage or savory, thyme, and the marjoram, if used. Heat to boiling.
Stir the cornmeal with enough cold water (about 1 cup) to dampen it well. Stir the wet meal gradually into the boiling broth and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mush is very thick and ploppy, about 20 minutes. Season with the pepper and taste critically; it may need more salt, more pepper, and more herb(s).
Spoon the scrapple into 2 medium-sized loaf pans rinsed out with cold water. Cool, cover with plastic or foil;, and refrigerate until firm. Remove the loaves from the pans and wrap them for storage. They will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge, for months in the freezer.
To serve: Slice the scrapple (thawed in its wrappings, if frozen) 1/2 inch thick with a serrated knife. Flour the slices and brown them on both sides in a skillet filmed with butter, bacon or sausage drippings, or other fat. Serve with pancake syrup.

Diane S. is a writer, beekeeper, collector of cookbooks and a student of food and its origins.

	Pinckney: My scrapple aficionado in NYC has declared this scrapple to be absolutely acceptable, pretty good actually. This is high praise. He would prefer a bit more fat and sage. He further states that philz's method of cooking must be learned at one's mother's knee in Philadelphia or from a native of that town. comment left Mar 22
	Bobbie: My father, who was a very good cook, used to make scrapple. When I mention it, most people don't a clue what it is. Dad made it with homemade sausage and farina, or what he called "mush". It is one of my favorite childhood memories. comment left Mar 09
	Pinckney: Philz suggested something about this scrapple that I thought had to be wrong - but it wasn't. He said there would be no reason to flour this scrapple like the recipe says and that he would cook 1/2" slices in a heavy pan on extremely low heat for about an hour. So - I tried it. IT'S VERY GOOD THIS WAY. So, flour it or don't. Cook it in a few minutes or let it run for awhile. It's going to be good either way. Typically, I four it and cook it up in about 15 to 20 minutes turning it as I remember. I use low heat, but not as low as the hour method. It browns in a few minutes with the flour and higher heat. comment left Mar 06
	Pinckney: Ding Ding Ding! You have a winner. This is a very good recipe. I modified it slightly because I didn't want to discard the fat and skin and included them in the final product. My nineteen year old son who last night at 6pm insisted that he didn't like scrapple, couldn't stand the stuff, even the idea, had by 9pm eaten it out of a desperate hunger and declared it 'okay - pretty good actually'. This morning he woke up and asked for a plate of it ... The lad is particular and he likes it. I hope to have some of it for you at the March 4th meat-up, but Will is going to have to be put off somehow. comment left Feb 27
	DianeandtheBees: Could you let me know how it turns out? I haven't tried it yet, but, as we all know, the Mayor is a big scrapple fan, so I thought he might enjoy this recipe. comment left Feb 21
	Pinckney: Now this is more like it. The mayor gave us a recipe for 200 pound lots of Scrapple. Okay. This, I can do. comment left Feb 21