A heavily spiced and smoked cured ham, tasso is a Creole and Cajun specialty that can be difficult to find outside of Louisiana. Made primarily from the pork shoulder, tasso is first cured with a salt brine, then rubbed with a pungent mix of spices and cold-smoked until it becomes quite dry. The resulting ham is often chopped and added for flavor to gumbo, jambalaya, étouffée or other Louisiana dishes.
