What is tasso made from and how is it made?

Question

What is tasso made from and how is it made?

Answer 1

_{Having myself originally written most of the Wikipedia article on Tasso (which isn't really that extensive anyways), I feel justified paraphrasing it here:}

Tasso ham is a specialty of Cajun cuisine. It is not a true ham, since it is made from the front shoulder, rather than the rear leg, of a pig. The front shoulder is a fatty and well-exercised (thus very flavorful but also somewhat tough) cut of meat. To prepare Tasso, the shoulder is boned out and sliced across the grain into fairly thick (1-3"/2.5-7.5cm) sections. The pieces are dredged in a salt, sugar, and nitrite mixture, then left to cure for a very short time (as little as a few hours). A spice mixture containing Cayenne pepper, garlic, and perhaps other spices or herbs is applied, and the meat is hot-smoked until cooked through.

Answer 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasso_ham