German recipes: pon haus and scrapple are considered the same thing by many. After doing a quick pon haus and scrapple recipe search on Google, I disagree. In fact, my pon haus recipe isn’t much like the recipes I found online either. My method of making pon haus is pretty simple compared to some.
Scrapple and pon haus do have one thing in common. They use broth from bones and other parts of a pig, that would otherwise be considered unusable. Some of the things people add to the broth making process make me shudder, each to their own I suppose.
Pon haus and scrapple are often made after butchering a hog. Into a pan goes things like the bones, pork skin, pork heart, pork liver, pork tongue—even pork brains. Gross right? Everything is cooked and then the broth is strained out and used.
While I can see the nutritious benefits to adding all of that into your pot, let me be clear and say I do not!
Making Pon Haus ~ My Way
I take all the bones that we cut the meat from and cut off the joints. I toss the joints and add the bones to my pan. I cover them with water and add 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, then simmer for several hours.
The vinegar draws the nutrients from the bones and the result is a highly nutritious bone broth.
Because I use just bones and not all the other stuff, I choose to separate the meat from the fat, bone and gristle. After picking out the meat, I strain the broth and remove the grease. The oxo fat separator you see in the photo below is amazing! (affiliate link)
I cut the longer pieces of meat into small pieces and set it aside for later.
One recipe makes a loaf pan of prepared pon haus and each recipe calls for 5 cups of broth. Now I have 9 cups of broth so I just add another cup of water and make two recipes.
Here is where my pon haus recipe is different from most. I use corn meal (fine ground is best, trust me on this lol), broth, meat, and salt. Very simple and easy to make.
At this point pon haus may be eaten like corn grits, but I prefer it fried. I pour my prepared pon haus into a loaf pan for chilling.
I place the pans into the fridge for at 3-5 hours. When I’m ready to fry it, I dump the pon haus from my pans and slice 1/4″ thick.
I fry my pon haus with a mix of coconut oil and butter until a crunchy golden brown. My bit of research shows that traditionally this is served with maple syrup. While I’m sure that would be good, I grew up dipping fried pon haus into egg yolks.
- 5 cups broth from pork bones ( add water if needed)
- 2 teas. salt
- 1 cup finely cut and shredded pork meat if desired
- 2½ fine ground corn meal
- butter and/or coconut oil
- Bring broth (and water) to a boil
- Add salt and meat
- Whisking briskly, slowly add in your cornmeal
- Remove pan from heat and pour into a regular sized loaf pan
- Chill for 3-5 hours
- Turn pon haus out of pan and slice into ¼ thick slices
- Fry in butter and/or coconut oil until golden brown and crispy
Pon haus is an incredibly good-for-you meal. The bone broth and then egg yolks make it high in iron as well. Best of all? My only cost is the corn meal since the bones would’ve been tossed otherwise.
My advise would be to give it a try sometime. See if a local butcher shop would give you pork bones and then make your own pon haus. 🙂 Or if you buy your meat from farmers the way we do and butcher your own, DON’T toss those bones!
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I grew up with scrapple, and have made it several times, but it uses whole wheat flour as well as cornmeal. Since trying to cut out gluten I’ve experimented some with other flours but none have worked very well. I’ve never heard of using only cornmeal but I’m eager to try this now! I also use beef for the broth. Thank you for sharing this!
I’ve never heard of using beef for the broth. 🙂 And just make sure to use fine ground cornmeal or a mix of fine and medium. I’ve always used fine in the past, but since I didn’t have any last time I made it, I used medium. It just wasn’t the same!
How many pounds of pork bones per each pot of broth, please? My family has been looking for this recipe for years. Our dad passed in 1990, and we never wrote it down. Just assumed he’d always be there I guess. He came from Mcgees Mills, Pennsylvania. Thanks so much!
I don’t have an answer I’m afraid. I always just filled the pan with bones and covered with water. Not a definite science there.
You ought to try millet flour sometime! Make sure you use some butter to fry it in!
Talking to my relatives who made ponhaus/scrapple when I was a kid say they used buckwheat, which is gluten free, in the recipe. That must be why it was gray in color. I have tried to make scrapple with only sausage, then deglaze the pan with water to make the pork broth.
I take the easy way out. Fry up a couple pounds of your favorite sausage. In a large pan put in a box of cream of wheat. Heat enough water to add to the cream of wheat until it sticks together. Kind of like left over mashed potatoes.Add the cooked sausage with the rendered fat and mix real good. Break up the sausage in little pieces as you fry it. Then put it in loaf pans that have been sprayed with Pam and store in the frig. Now the best part. If chilled overnight you can flip it out of the pan and slice it any thickness ou want. Then I layer it in another container that I seperate with wax paper. When frozen I take about six pieces and put them in my seal-a-meal. When somebody wants scrapple I just take some out and fry it. Sorry I am so long winded. We always put ketchup on ours.
It sounds good for sure.
We prefer the other due to how healthy the broth is and the fact that the boys cannot have wheat.
Can anyone tell me why would scrapple not get thick when put in loaf pan and chilled. Even 2 days later inside soupy like. Friends made it. Someone said undercooked another said overcooked. Any fix for this
Sorry for the late response. Likely there wasn’t even corn meal added as the corn meal is what makes it set up. At the point you mentioned above, I’m not sure if there’s a fix though. I’m sorry.
I use equal amounts of original oatmeal and cornmeal. Makes it set up better.
OMG. TIme to make another batch
Hey Roger
Do you make the oatmeal fine?
I am 92, so I go back to the days of butchering several hogs each winter. We made sausage that was cooked in a large Zink kettle. It was that broth that we stirred in white cornmeal. Now I just buy Jimmy Dean sausage, either mild or hot, depending which son come for breakfast and bring to boil 8 cups of water. Break up the sausage and boil . Simmer to reduce 5/6 cups of sausage broth,and then slowly stir in the cornmeal and stir vigorously to prevent clumping. until it pulls away from the pan, like a thick mush. Then place in pam sprayed loaf pan and chill.
You will most likely have to add some salt My secret ingredient is a scant teaspoon of allspice. I have a large electric griddle that I oil and heat to 350′. slice the pannas 1/4 inch and brown nicely. Serve with a side of fried eggs.
sounds a lot like the fried mush ( cold porridge) that I used to eat growing up. I have no clue how my mom made it, but we would have mush for supper one night and she would put the leftovers in a bread pan and chill. the next evening she would slice it and fry it.
We made fried mush as well, but that was just water and cornmeal. The bone broth and meat just made it so much better!
You mention egg yolks, but it’s not in the recipe, do you sometimes add it?
We dip the pon haus into soft cooked eggs.
This sounds just like the one my mom talked about grandma making when she was growing up. My grandpa (same side) made one later on that used pork sausage and All-bran. I’ve only made it a few times and tend to stick to fried corn meal mush but I love how this has protein already in it. 🙂
It’s pretty good, you should try it sometime.
Can you use pork neck bones
I don’t know why not 🙂
We use Pork Neck Bones and pork liver(just enough to taste the liver when fried.
“… cover with water and 1/4 of apple cider vinegar” How much water and 1/4 what of vinegar? Cup?
Yes 1/4 cup of vinegar. Ponhaus isn’t a fine science by any means, so when I say I cover the bones with water, that’s exactly what I do. I pack them in the pan and add just enough water to cover them all. The water will slowly boil down, but that’s fine.
Growing up in mid Penna, I remember putting buckwheat flour in ponhaus. Love apple butter on fried mush and ponhaus.
Also had liver pudding on buckwheat pancakes, covered with flour gravy, onions and stewed tomatoes-yum! yum! how I miss that. Does anyone have recipe for sous that my mother also made ?
I cannot help you there, but perhaps someone else can 🙂
My parents and grandparents both made this dish as long ago as my parents could remember and it was very close to your recipe. They were all raised on farms in Ohio. When I was a child, we lived in Colorado and not on a farm. Dad went deer hunting every year and mom would make ponhaus with the scrap venison meat (no organs, just meat). She used beef broth for the liquid and only corn meal. We add a few spices also. It is delicious. I have made it for many of my friends and served it with syrup. After the first bite without syrup, the syrup goes untouched!
Could you make this with a ham bone?
My grandpa made us ponhaus a lot growing up, but unfortunately, I never got to watch him make it. We loved it fried with maple syrup. This recipe seems exactly like his. I know he would buy inexpensive cuts of pork meat with bones and cook it down. I believe he always used white corn meal, as his ponhaus was very light in color. So yummy…this is definitely a memory food, and I am going to try it:)
I’m not so sure about a ham bone. If it’s a cured ham, probably not as it would have an interesting taste.
How long do you coo the pork and cornmeal?
Not very long. Just until it boils and then you will need to pull it off the heat pretty quickly as it will thicken and start popping and splattering hot mush everywhere.
I’m in my mid-seventies. I grew up on a dairy/hog farm in Ohio. Both sides of the family were Swiss/German farmers. The whole family gathered and we butchered butchered 7 or 8 hogs at a time. After that my great-granddad made lots of pon haus. We loved it fried and we always had a choice of maple syrup or apple butter to spread on it. I’m so glad to find this recipe for I have not had pon haus for at least 50 years. I left home for college in the West and never thought to ask for the recipe. Thanks so much.
You are very welcome!
Like I mentioned in my post, we always dipped it in egg yolk, but the last time I made it, we tried syrup and OH MY GOODNESS! It was fantastic with syrup!
Can’t wait to try your recipe. My husband grew up using syrup but I grew up using gravy. So good.
Awesome story! Thank you
Sounds like a recipe my grandmother used to make. Like you, I dipped mine into eggs. I also remember that my grandma would add sage to the recipe, and she would drench the slices in flour before she fried them.
Thanks!
Bonni
I’m from North Carolina and grew up on livermush. Very similar with the exception of the meat choices because my grandmother used mostly pork liver with pieces of pork meats that were usually pretty fatty.
My grandma used to make ponhaus from leftover Sunday dinner meat like pork roast, beef roast, and my favote turkey..us kids ran the hand crank grinder and she made me stir the mush in big pot because I was tall. We ate it fried in butter with dippy eggs or with syrup..gram was french and pops was German so I don’t know where the recipe came from but we are from mid north western pa..I haven’t had it for years but am considering making it with leftover turkey this thanksgiving
Late response but I’m curious how it worked?
Yum! My family was from Gettysburg, and we always made it with leftover Thanksgiving turkey.
I grew up with Pon Haus also and we added spices. Allspice and a dash of ground cloves.
Interesting recipes- being born in West Virginia I have never seen these recipes for “puddin” or ponhaus. When we butchered we did strip only meats and fats from bones, very little gristle or sinew, this was cooked in a big iron cauldron o “render” the fat which was scooped into containers and kept in the smoke house. The remaining meats left over were scooped into small pans and the fat congealed, and was also put into smokehouse. Then water was put into the cauldron and brought to a boil, cornmeal was added to soak up the grease and cook the cornmeal and spices til it bubbled the put into tins and yes into the smokehouse. lasted all winter. Fried scrapple with eggs, pancakes or just by it self. Fried egg and scrappkenon toast is scrumptious. Now that I have made myself yearn for either does anyone know where in Mississippi or Louisiana I can find it?
Thank You Kendra!
This is the first recipe that is almost identical to my late mother’s. We also did not make “scrapple”! Scrapple is not nearly as flavorful and the nutrients would not seem to be as high as well. Your recipe is the way it is made in many parts of Missouri and is absolutely delicious, especially with eggs and served with fresh cracked pepper. We use pork only, and have a preference for neck bones with their “built-in” gelatinous qualities that help set the batch. Otherwise we use the same procedures.
Nice job with this!
That’s awesome! We love pon haus and just made it again this week!
We recently raised and processed a pig for the first time. I’ve been looking for all sorts of recipes for the head, liver, and bones. Can’t wait to try this with the back bones! Thanks for sharing.
Oh how fun! We have land now and have considered raising a pig ourselves. Not sure if we really want large animals or not right now. Enjoy your Pon Haus!
Sounds really good and I have tried making before but not exactly like yours. Was just thinking I wonder if you could use this and make some type of casserole dish. Its just an idea of mine. Have you ever come up with and made something similar.
No… cannot say that I have. Some people just eat the pon haus like grits though, warm and unfried.
I looked up this recipe as a result of purchasing at a thrift store a recipe book. It is the 1976 Bicentennial Cookbook by Home Economics Teachers. I had never heard of panhaus./scrapple. I am definitely going to try this. Have you ever tried roasting the bones first?
I cannot say that I have tried it. Heard of it though.
My mother would make pon haus when my siblings and I were kids (over 50 years ago) and I’m certain that her recipe was close to the ones here, but did use sage as well as a small amount of pork liver. We would slice it and fry it and eat it with soft fried eggs.
I’m 76 and Mom always made pon haus I haven,t made it for years, your receipe is like mine, we had baby back ribs which I boil first befor putting on grill, I use that broth for my pon haus. Nothing goes to waste in my family.
someone asked my question about roasting the bones first, because in the photo it looks like they were, but you’ve said no.
my other question: why toss out the joints? I don’t understand that part. I’ll have to go to a butcher for the bones and won’t have a saw for cutting them, so I want to make sure I can get the right ones. just any fresh meat bones? (I’ve always make ham stock with smoked hocks or a smoked ham bone.)
I think it’s because of the synovial fluid in joints. I’ve always heard my grandparents and mom say it makes the broth bitter or something. I use the joint ends sometimes but I cut them open and rinse if that makes sense.
No clue if it effects the taste or not, but not really interested in finding out either lol
I am 85 rears old and my father made pon haus up until he passed. He always used neck bones to make the broth and then pulled the meat off the bones. I remember he used Sage and other spices, (any help on this part would be greatly appreciated). My daughters loved it with syrup. I have tried to make it but without a recipe it just isn’t the same. Still looking for his recipe.
I am 85 years old and my father made pon haus up until he passed. He used pork neck bones to make the broth and then pulled the meat off the bones to use in the pon haus. He also used some spices that I do not remember what they were or the amounts, I do remember he used sage. Any help on the spices would be greatly appreciated. I have tried to make it but without the recipe, it just is not the same. My daughters loved it with syrup. He would make a special batch just for them when he knew we were coming for a visit. I want to try to make it again.
Try coriander and once placed in loaf pans, my father would pat in coriander seeds – yum !
My family lived in Utah. My mom’s family for generations made Paun Haus( my grandmother’s spelling of it. Hand written for my mom, so she would have it written and not just the verbal version of it). My grandmother gave the amounts of the meat for my mom in the amount of money they each cost. I remember figuring the amount with my mom for that current time. It figured out to be about two to three pounds of meat. She had two pounds of pork loin or shoulder. Two pounds of a good beef roast. You could use another cut if beef , but not hamburger. Water to cover the meats in a large kettle. We used this huge kettle that we used for canning and for sterilizing jars. Then we brought the water to a boil. Lower heat to simmer. Cook until the meat falls apart, and off bones if there are any bones. At this time you take out the meat and bones. Take out the bones and hard griddles or gooey fats. Take the meat a put through the grinder once. If you don’t have a grinder, just use a couple of forks and shred well.put the mestback into the water which is now broth. Stir it well. And some salt to taste. Bring back to boil. Add corneal and two bottles of ground corriander. Add corneal til it’s a bit softer than how you want it to be in the end. As it firms up as it cools in the pans. Pour and scoop the mixture into greased loaf pans and other baking pans. We used the 13×9 , and loaf pans. You also need to taste the mixture whilt still in the big kettle to make sure you have the salt how you like it and to make sure you have enough corriander . We were able to fill one 13×9 pan andtwo or three loaf pans. Then cover the pans with foil and refrigerate. When the pain Haus is firm, you slice it. We usually fried the slices until they had this crisp surface. But not Hard. We ate it with eggs for breakfast. We ate it with salads and hot vegetable for dinner. We would eat coolskices as a snack. We would make sandwiches with it too. One thing for certain. If you (us I mean) didn’t have at least two bottles of ground corriander in the cupboard, you don’t even think of making Paun Haus until you have the corriander. Paun Haus is actually one of my very favorite foods that my mother ever cooked for us..
The gelatin broth from cooking the pork bones is what makes it all congeal together. Going to make sausage now using venison and pork Boston butts (bones from the butts) and will be making pon haus/pannas tomorrow. Will use this recipe as it looks very good. Can’t rate recipe until afterward.
We make pan haus in the PA/WV style. My old neighbors back in WV butcher every year- and I get a hog butchered every year (now in Montana). I have the processor save the head, heart, liver and kidneys plus any pork bones. I halve the head, scrape the brains and remove the eyes, remove the tongue (it will be used). We boil the heart and tongue, then skin them- set aside. Filet the kidneys and clean them out. Put all the meaty bones, skinned tongue and heart (cut in 4ths) and as much liver as you can stand in your very large stock pot or kettle, cover with water- throw in a few whole onions and boil until the meat falls off the bones. Remove everything (with sieve or colander) and put it all on a clean work surface. Pick it all and remove cartilage and other inedibles. Run it all through a course grinder and then add back to broth- bring it to a boil. We add 1/2 cornmeal and buckwheat flour, salt and pepper to taste. Stir like mad until the porridge pulls from the side of the pot and ‘stays’. Pour in loaf pans, cap with lard and let cool.
That’s pan haus/scrapple.
My Dad grew up in Maryland and we always had Paunhaus and pudding when we visited. When he moved to Maine he started making paunhaus with chicken broth – probably because it was cheaper to make. I have continued that tradition. He usual put some scraps in it, but I prefer it with just broth, cornmeal and a couple of spices. We always had it with just butter on top, though my family does add maple syrup.
The only area in which I would (very respectfully and appreciatively!) differ with you in that I would not throw out the joints! The connective tissue (gristle) around them is a marvelous source of collagen, which is not only very healthy for you, but makes the broth set up better (natural gelatin) – and likely the pon haus as well! 🙂
Otherwise, this was great… and it also confirms something that was my initial impression, years ago – that pon haus is heavier on the cornmeal, and scrapple heavier on the meat – before people in more recent years tried to convince me that they were two terms for the same thing. Thank you for confirming that initial sense for me!
In any case, your recipe sounds great. I’ll have to try it sometime! I’ve pinned it, for that purpose. (Just made my first batch of homemade scrapple today, looking forward to trying it for breakfast tomorrow!) All best wishes!
My grandmother and her family are pure blooded Germans and she was raised on the farm. We had pon haus at least three times a year. Was looking for her recipe but the family recipe died with all family members. Finding this recipe is a God sent. Thank you for sharing.
Ahhh! Our favorite tradition for Christmas morning breakfast.
We boil a pork shoulder roast, remove and shred then add it to broth with liverwurst, chopped onions, salt, pepper, sage, garlic and chicken bouillon to taste and thicken with cornmeal.
Delicious served with waffles, fried eggs and sliced oranges and of course, leftover cranberry relish! YUM!