SPAM, I Am... (Home-Made SPAM)

Submitted by rosie316

"Okay... So none of us want to admit that we truly like SPAM. And there may be some who will never even try it. Then again, some may have never heard of it. This is a recipe I found some time ago while searching the web (although I have "tweaked" it a bit).. I was planning to make "SPAM Cupcakes" and didn't have a can of SPAM in the house. (YES... I said "SPAM Cupcakes"... they are not as gross as you may think. Give them a try sometime). Anyway, this recipe actually does work for making SPAM. I believe it is actually cheaper than buying a couple of cans, but it takes some time. And the nice thing is, you know exactly what ingredients are in the SPAM loaf (no preservatives). I hope you give it a try. Thanks for your consideration of this recipe and please feel free to give your honest opinion... as I am still "tweaking" this recipe. I've made this a couple of times now... and actually we like this as much as the canned. *Note: Prep time includes the 'overnight' refrigeration time."

 

• Ready In: 27hrs
• Ingredients: 5
• Yields: 1 loaf

ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 lbs pork shoulder, cubed (Choose a piece that is pretty fatty)
• 3 ounces ham, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon morton's tender quick
• 1⁄2 teaspoon morton's tender quick

directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Grind the pork shoulder in a meat grinder (Either use a tabletop meat grinder or a KitchenAid mixer with the meat grinder attachment. Set aside.
3. Finely mince the ham with the garlic in a food processor.
4. Dump the ground pork shoulder, minced ham / garlic mixture and the Tender Quick into a large bowl and mix by hand until fully combined.
5. Pack the meat mixture into a bread pan and cover with foil. Place the bread pan into a large baking dish filled 3/4 full with water. (Basically, a 'hot water bath').
6. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for three hours (the internal temperature of the SPAM loaf should reach 155* F).
7. Remove from the oven and uncover the bread pan (there will be a lot of grease, but do not worry.). Pour off all of the fat into a jar or can to dispose of later. *Note: This is a very important step, so DO NOT skip it. If you do, your loaf will be covered in a thick coat of gelatine.
8. Cover the bread pan loosely with foil and place a heavy weight on top of the foil. (You can use cold bricks wrapped in foil and put them in another bread pan and put that bread pan on the SPAM loaf).
9. Place the weighed down SPAM loaf into the refrigerator and keep it there overnight. In the morning, your SPAM will be ready to use however you choose to use it.
10. *Note: This homemade SPAM is not canned and does not contain preservatives, so it will not last forever. Keep it as long as you would keep ham.

Reviews

[wzhartman ..]

If you want to maximize the storage life, don't pour off the fat at the end. The layer of gelatin-like fat helps protect the meat from microorganisms.. That is a part of the reason why canned SPAM has such a long shelf life.

 

[Betty I.]

I love Spam, I mean I'd eat it every single day if I could. I cannot because of the preservatives used in it. Specifically Sodium Nitrite. Your *NOTE says your recipe does not contain preservatives. Unfortunately for me, that is incorrect. The ingredients for Morton's Quick Salt per their own website are as follows: Morton Tender Quick mix contains salt, the main preserving agent; sugar, both sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, curing agents that also contribute to development of color and flavor; and propylene glycol to keep the mixture uniform. Morton Tender Quick is NOT a meat tenderizer.