I’ve been making my own Tasso for a couple of years for myself and a couple of friends who are from LA, mainly because it’s hard to source outside of LA and shipping costs are frequently excessive. I use the butts, cut in slices as described above, maximizing exposure of the meat to the spices, which is kind of the point of this meat. I usually cure the slices first, like I would for Canadian Bacon. Because of how thin the slices are, it takes very little time on the smoker. Once done, I cut them up into smaller pieces of 4-6 oz., then vacuum pack and freeze. As cfarmer mentioned above, it is used primarily as a seasoning meat, meaning, it is added to other foods to enhance the flavor, like adding bacon, or smoked ham hocks, except it’s spicy. It’s used commonly in gumbos, soups/stews, vegetable dishes like beans/peas/Hoppin’ John, atop grilled oysters, and in particular I enjoy it in Tasso Gravy served with Shrimp and Grits. I believe it is also served cold on buffets or on top of appetizers or hors d’eouvres. One butt made this way gives me enough for a year with enough to give some away. Like BBQ rubs, there are numerous variations on the recipes, according to your tastes. Since it is an added ingredient, I go lightly with the cayenne, because more can always be added, and if I make it too spicy, it might be too much heat for the particular recipe being made. It’s a useful smoked meat, adding quite a bit of flavor, and if packaged in the right amount, is very convenient to use. I hope this is helpful in addition to the comments provided above.
