Tasso substitute?

[msacuisine]

I am thinking about making Crawfish in cream sauce--see other post--and this dish traditionally calls for Tasso. I don't have any, but I do have some cubed ham that I would like to make do with. I am thinking about thoroughly coating them with a rub of salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, cayenne, etc. Anyone have any advice on how to best make this work?

[Dave the Cook]

I wouldn't bother with a coating. Just use a good smoked ham (Prudhomme recommends Cure 81, fwiw) and adjust your overall seasoning. Or use andouille or a smoked sausage like kielbasa.

[msacuisine]

I wouldn't bother with a coating. Just use a good smoked ham (Prudhomme recommends Cure 81, fwiw) and adjust your overall seasoning. Or use andouille or a smoked sausage like kielbasa.

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Thanks for the suggestions!

[Doodad]

If you had time, you could certainly coat a good ham with a cajun rub to create a mock tasso. I covet tasso when I can find it and store it in the freezer as long as I can.

[HungryC]

Don't bother coating the ham, just adjust the seasonings in your recipe accordingly. Most tasso is heavily spiced with white pepper, black pepper, cayenne, thyme, and salt, so you could compensate for your more lightly flavored smoked ham by adding a little more of those seasonings into the cream sauce.

Or bite the bullet and mail order a bunch of tasso from http://www.thebeststopsupermarket.com/

The Best Stop supermarket in Scott, LA....IMHO, the best tasso around. Both the pork and turkey versions are first-rate. I buy a few pounds at a time, slice it into chunks, and freeze. It is an essential seasoning ingredient in my kitchen: beans, peas, gumbo, jambalaya, slow-cooked veggies, just to name a few.

[Dana]

Best Stop makes their own seasoning blend that's just great. We drive 2 hrs each way to stock up.

[Tri2Cook]

You could also just make your own.