Homemade Lamb Scrapple
Scrapple is a classic American recipe from the Mid-Atlantic states. A hold-over from leaner times when whole animals were raised and every part was used, traditional scrapple recipes were a way to use, and stretch mixed parts of pork offal by cooking them with cornmeal, buckwheat flour, and spices, cooked into a thick porridge that sets when chilled, after which it’s sliced into thick pieces and griddled until crisp. Our lamb scrapple recipe is essentially the same, just without pork.
For those wary of eating organ meats because of a stronger flavor, scrapple might just be the answer. Cooking the meats with cornmeal smooths out and mellows the flavor, and mixing the cornmeal and buckwheat gives it a smooth, even texture that fries up beautifully in a pan. Odd as it may sound to some, the traditional way to eat scrapple is often for breakfast, garnished with maple syrup or fruit preserves. We think it’s delicious.
Chef Bergo’s is special in that instead of pork, it features lamb or goat offal, or a mixture of both. The proportions listed could be easily changed to what’s on hand too. Only have liver? Just use that, or maybe experiment with a combination of liver, heart, and kidneys in whatever amount is available to you.
Think of the recipe as a formula that you could make your own. One thing Chef definitely recommends though is to cook the flours in the cooking liquid from a lamb shank, or other stock made rich with collagen through slow cooking with a bone. The collagen helps ensure a solid, firm set when the scrapple is chilled, and adds a great, complimentary flavor to the finished product. The recipe in this post is modified from Chef’s more Traditional Pennsylvania Dutch Scrapple Recipe.
This recipe is by James Beard Award-winning Chef Alan Bergo. He’s a chef from Minnesota and author of The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora. Learn more about Chef Alan at foragerchef.com. 
Looking to buy lamb or goat online? Shepherd Song Farm: Grass to table. We raise lambs & goats traditionally, humanely and sustainably. 100% Grass Fed, Pasture Raised, Never Confined, no Hormones, Grains or Animal Byproducts. Born, raised and processed in the U.S.A. Good for you and good for the environment.
How to Make Scrapple Step by Step
The recipe takes some time, but it will taste much better than scrapple from a store. The images below describe the process.
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Homemade Lamb Scrapple
Equipment
- 1 Loaf pan
- 1 Dutch oven
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Cling film
Ingredients
- 6 oz lamb heart 1 heart
- 8 oz lamb liver cut into medium-sized chunks
- 1 whole lamb fore shank with bone (10oz)
- 2 cups fine cornmeal
- ¼ cup buckwheat flour
- ½ cup yellow onion chopped
- 18 grams 1 level tablespoon kosher salt
- 6 cups water
- 2 tablespoons lard or cooking oil
- Maple syrup for serving (optional)
Spice Mix
- ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground allspice
Instructions
- Cover shank, onion and heart with the water, cover with a lid, then simmer or bake at 300 for 2 hours or until very tender. Chill the shank and spleen until cool enough to handle. Reserve the cooking liquid, there should be exactly 4 cups, if there isn’t, add enough water or stock to make up the difference.
- Remove the meat from the shank bone, trim the heart with a sharp paring knife, then put the heart, liver, onion and shank in a meat grinder, or puree in a food processor until fine. Sweat the meat mixture to evaporate the water in a saute pan for 2-3 minutes, then reserve, and allow to cool, covered.
- Meanwhile, Whisk the cornmeal and buckwheat flour with the salt and spices, and combine with the 4 cups of cooking liquid in a sauce-pot big enough to hold it. Heat the mixture, whisking constantly until it thickens, then turn the heat down to low and cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the cooked meat to the cornmeal mixture, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking on the bottom for another 30 minutes. You can also bake the mixture at 300 for 30 minutes, or until very thick, as long as it’s covered.
- When the mixture is very solid and the cornmeal is well cooked, pour the mixture into a greased loaf pan, there may be a small amount of excess. Chill the scrapple, uncovered on a counter until room temperature, then refrigerate until completely set before slicing.
- To serve the scrapple, cut ½ inch slices and fry until crisp on both sides, and serve for breakfast or lunch, with maple syrup on the side, if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
