scrapple ingredients | What is scrapple? Underappreciated breakfast meat? Gross pig offal? On this scrapple blog we will answer these questions and more!

When you describe scrapple to a vegetarian they almost always cringe. Not only is scrapple made of meat, but it contains hearts and livers and, well, pretty much a little bit of every part of the pig. 

OK, you're probably never going to get a vegetarian to try even a tiny bit of scrapple (unless it's vegan scrapple...). But you might be able to get them to appreciate it. 

Let's talk for a second on the basics of how scrapple is made:

You've cut up your pig. You've sliced up your ham and bacon and tenderloin and whatever other pieces of hog you want to enjoy. That's when the scrapple making begins! Take your pork "scraps" -- yeah, the liver and fat, but maybe even some hearts and snouts -- and boil them. When it's nice and tender, you take out the pork and chop it up. Meanwhile, you've got this pork stock left behind; add something like flour or cornmeal to thicken it up. Stir the meat back in, cool and shape it in a loaf pan and BAM that's how scrapple is made!

Scrapple is delicious, and gosh darn it, it's practical! We'll never stop making scrapple the way we all know and love. Still, it never hurts to have some fun with a classic dish, which is exactly what Chef John Mitzewich has done with his "Modern Scrapple" recipe.

"Wait, modern scrapple? What the heck are you trying to pull here?"

I know, I know. But listen: it's a fun change, and it doesn't hurt that Chef John's final creation sure does look delicious.

The three biggest differences between classic scrapple and Chef John's modern scrapple:

You love scrapple. If you could, you would eat it every day (maybe you do). But part of your job as a scrapple eater is to spread the love.

So what's the best technique for introducing scrapple newbies to this delicious, but often misunderstood meat? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Play It Cool
Don't make a big deal about how awesome scrapple is. It will only lead to questions, and in this case, questions are our enemy. The less newbies know before eating scrapple, the better.

Just offer to make breakfast. Nothing special, no big deal.

Geo grew up on the Maryland Eastern Shore. Scrapple has a home there. It's easy to find in the grocery store, for sure, but it's also not too hard to find folks that make it themselves.

To little-Geo's horror, his family did just that. And when he saw what went into it, well, I'll let him tell the story:

Why isn't scrapple naturally gluten-free? Let's look at the typical scrapple ingredients:

• Pork
• Pork Skins
• Pork Livers
• Pork Fat
• Pork Hearts

Mmm, sounds delicious, and completely gluten free! Come one, come all, my celiac friends, and dig in to some scrapple!

Wait, not so fast! That's not everything! 

Oh right. Scrapple isn't just pork scraps.

Let's have a quick rundown on the basics of how scrapple is made:

Sunday morning, David sent me this photo of some delicious scrapple making going on.

"Jalapenos, tomatoes from the garden and SCRAPPLE!." RAPA scrapple to be specific, and it looks delicious.

But is he always frying up his scrapple with some fresh veggies?

"It can be as simple as a couple of pieces with eggs (gotta have eggs) or something more elaborate with jalapenos, onions, tomatoes, etc," said David.