Tasso Cure Kit — Traditional Louisiana Tasso at Home

The Cure That Built the Cajun Pantry

Tasso is not ham. It is not bacon. It is not any other cured pork product you have tasted before. Tasso is a Louisiana original — a heavily seasoned, smoke-cured shoulder cut that Cajun cooks have used for generations as a flavor bomb in gumbos, red beans, grits, and étouffées. A little goes a long way. A lot goes even further.

The Tasso Cure Kit gives you everything you need to cure a pork shoulder from scratch using the traditional Cajun dry-cure method — the same method practiced at every boucherie from Opelousas to Mamou before refrigeration changed the South.

What's in the Kit

• Cajun tasso cure blend — salt, cayenne, garlic, black pepper, and traditional spices in the correct proportions
• Step-by-step curing and smoking instructions written for the home cook
• Curing timeline guide: day-by-day from raw shoulder to finished tasso
• Flavor pairing guide: how to use tasso in gumbo, red beans, grits, and pasta

Frequently Asked Questions

What cut of pork do I use?

This kit is sized for a 4–5 lb pork shoulder (also called Boston butt). The cure blend is pre-measured for that weight range.

Do I need a smoker?

Yes — tasso is a smoked product. The kit includes guidance for both offset smokers and electric smokers. Pecan or hickory wood is traditional in Louisiana.

How long does the cure take?

The full process takes 5–7 days: 3–4 days of dry curing in the refrigerator, followed by a low-and-slow smoke session of 4–6 hours.

How is tasso different from other cured meats?

Tasso is a seasoning meat, not a charcuterie board meat. It is intensely spiced and smoked to be used in small amounts as a flavor base — not eaten on its own like prosciutto or salami.

How long does finished tasso keep?

Properly smoked tasso keeps refrigerated for 2–3 weeks or frozen for up to 6 months.

The Boucherie Tradition

In the Cajun boucherie, nothing was wasted and nothing was rushed. The shoulder was rubbed, the cure was packed in tight, and the meat was left to do its work in the cool of the smokehouse. What came out the other side was tasso — dense, deeply flavored, and built to last. This kit brings that tradition into your kitchen, one cure at a time.

Pairs With

Use your finished tasso in: gumbo z'herbes, red beans and rice, shrimp and grits, pasta jambalaya, corn maque choux, and étouffée base.

From the La Conservation Curriculum

This kit is the foundation of Lesson 1: The Boucherie & Its Meaning in the La Conservation Cadiénne curriculum — the Cajun preservation course built around the CajunInABox collection. Cure your first shoulder. Learn what the old folks knew.

Préparé avec intention en Louisiane — Big Mamou Enterprises / CajunInABox.