Breakfast

Serving

Philadelphia Scrapple

Name: Philadelphia Scrapple
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Breakfast
Ingredients: 2 lbs pork shoulder; 2 tsp salt; 1 1/2 tsp ground sage; 1/8 tsp dried marjoram; 1/8 tsp black pepper; 1 1/2 cups cornmeal; 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

A traditional Pennsylvania Dutch breakfast loaf of seasoned pork and cornmeal, sliced and fried until crisp.

90 minutes

Serves 8

Breakfast

31 min prep

50 min cook

Contains common allergens

Wheat

In the app, Listahan checks these against your household automatically.

Good to know

Crispy

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: crispy recipes

Instructions

6 steps

1
Place the pork in a large saucepan with 4 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the pork is tender, about 1 hour. Drain, reserving 3 quarts of the cooking liquid.
2
Grind or finely chop the cooked meat. Bring the reserved cooking liquid back to a boil and stir in the salt, sage, marjoram, and black pepper.
3
Gradually whisk the cornmeal, then the whole wheat flour, into the boiling broth, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
4
Stir the ground meat back into the mixture, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until very thick.
5
Pour the mixture into 2 loaf pans and chill until firm, several hours or overnight.
6
To serve, slice the chilled scrapple about 1/2 inch thick and fry in a hot skillet until browned and crisp on both sides.

Philadelphia Scrapple — plated and served — Serving moment. How Philadelphia Scrapple looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

71/100

Good fit for most families

Allergen-friendly 90

Kid-friendly 55

Weeknight-easy 54

Budget-friendly 86

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 53

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

390

Calories

33 g

Protein

24 g

Carbs

17 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Scrapple is a Pennsylvania Dutch thrift dish, born from German immigrants who simmered pork scraps with cornmeal and buckwheat so nothing went to waste. The seasoned mush is set into a loaf, chilled firm, then sliced and fried until the outside shatters and the inside stays soft. It remains a deeply regional breakfast across the Philadelphia and Delaware Valley area, eaten with syrup, ketchup, or apple butter depending on the household.

Listahan note

This version uses an accessible pork shoulder rather than offal so it is approachable for cooks new to scrapple while keeping the cornmeal-buckwheat base authentic. It leans on a firm overnight chill so the slices fry up crisp instead of crumbling.

Technique cues

Simmer the pork low and long, then save and reuse that cooking broth as the liquid for the mush so every bit of flavor stays in the loaf.
Whisk the cornmeal into the broth slowly off a rolling boil to keep it from clumping into lumps.
Chill the loaf fully overnight and slice it cold so the pieces hold together when they hit the hot pan.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: While the pork simmers, line your loaf pan and measure the cornmeal and buckwheat so the mush comes together fast once the broth is ready.
Make-ahead: Scrapple is designed to be made ahead; the loaf must chill overnight to firm up before slicing and frying.
Leftover move: Sliced leftovers crisp quickly in a hot skillet and turn a fried egg and a slice into a five-minute breakfast sandwich.
Cleanup rhythm: Soak the mush pot right away before the cornmeal cements, and wipe the frying pan while warm to lift the rendered fat.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

pork shoulder

flavor and protein base

Purpose: Slow-cooked pork shoulder gives the rich, savory body that defines scrapple without needing organ meats.

Handling: Simmer until fork-tender, then shred or finely chop and reserve the broth.

Adaptation: Ground pork shortens the cook time and still carries plenty of flavor.

yellow cornmeal

binding starch

Purpose: Cornmeal sets the loaf and creates the crisp, craggy crust when fried.

Handling: Stream slowly into simmering broth while whisking constantly.

Adaptation: Polenta works in a pinch but use the medium grind for the right texture.

buckwheat flour

traditional grain note

Purpose: Buckwheat is the distinctive Pennsylvania Dutch grain that adds earthy depth and helps the loaf hold.

Handling: Whisk in with the cornmeal so it hydrates evenly.

Adaptation: Extra cornmeal or whole wheat flour substitutes if buckwheat is hard to find.

sage

defining seasoning

Purpose: Sage is the signature herb that makes scrapple taste like breakfast sausage in loaf form.

Handling: Add dried sage to the simmering mush and adjust to taste.

Adaptation: Poultry seasoning covers similar ground if you are out of sage.

black pepper and salt

core seasoning

Purpose: Generous seasoning is essential because the bland cornmeal will otherwise mute the pork.

Handling: Season the mush assertively and taste before setting, since chilling dulls salt perception.

Adaptation: A pinch of white pepper adds heat without specks if you prefer.

Technique notes

Fry slices in a thin film of the rendered pork fat or a neutral oil and resist flipping until a deep crust forms, or they will stick and tear.
Cut slices about half an inch thick; thinner ones dry out and thicker ones stay gummy in the center.
Let the fried slices rest a minute on a rack rather than a paper towel so the crust stays shattering-crisp.

Ingredient swaps

Lighter direction: Use ground turkey thigh in place of pork shoulder for a leaner loaf, adding a little extra fat or oil for the fry.
Gluten-free direction: Buckwheat is naturally gluten-free, so confirm your cornmeal is certified and the whole loaf works for gluten-free eaters.
Weeknight shortcut: Start with ground pork instead of a whole shoulder to cut the simmer time roughly in half.

Serve alongside

Fried eggs over easy
Buttered rye toast
Stewed apples
Home fried potatoes
Strong black coffee
Apple cider
Orange juice

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Keep the uncut loaf wrapped in the fridge up to 5 days and slice as needed. Fried slices reheat best in a dry skillet to restore the crust. The loaf also freezes well sliced and layered with parchment for up to 2 months; thaw overnight before frying.

Equipment

Heavy pot or Dutch oven for simmering
Standard loaf pan for setting the mush
Whisk for clump-free cornmeal
Cast iron or heavy skillet for frying

Make this household-aware

Listahan Pro checks this recipe against your household's allergens, finds pantry-aware swaps, builds the shopping list, and helps you plan the week around it.

Get the app