14 Hacks That Will Change The Way You Cook With Spam

For those who are unfamiliar with Spam's versatility, they might assume there's not much you can do with it besides cut it into squares and fry it. While that is undoubtedly one route, there are many other clever ways to use it that will have you flabbergasted. The untold truth of Spam is that it's not the atrocity that many people make it out to be. Rather than judging a book by its cover, look at its ingredient list. You'll see it is much shorter than expected. In fact, it contains only pork with ham, salt, water, potato starch, sugar, and a single preservative.

Besides its straightforward makeup, the meat is pre-cooked, so it is much easier to work with than raw meat. Worrying about bringing it to a specific temperature is not required. And lucky for you, this is a one-stop source for the most inventive methods to prepare, cook, and serve the pork product. You'll have a new-found appreciation for Spam and never see it as a last-resort food again. So, fear not; give the infamous canned meat a shot with one of these brilliant hacks.

One sure way to upgrade the canned meat is to make a glaze for it. The Pineapple and Spam Skewers with spicy glaze recipe is the optimal example; the glaze consists of pineapple preserves, white wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes. But, of course, many other flavor combinations work with Spam too. If you've never made a glaze, it is achievable for people of all cooking skill levels. Once you know how to turn a sauce into a glaze, you'll be unstoppable.

All you need is a liquid or sauce with which you want to pair the Spam. Reduce the liquid in a saucepan, and add seasonings and sweeteners as needed. If you take time with it, the fluid transforms into a thick glaze to coat the meat. However, if you are short on time, add a thickening ingredient like cornstarch to speed up the process. Glaze the meat before, during, and even after you cook it, depending on how prominent you want the flavor to be. One bonus if you glaze it beforehand is that the glaze bakes onto the meat and becomes pleasantly toasty.

This hack might blow your mind if you like to be resourceful and creative. On a Reddit thread where people discussed old family recipes, one user shared how someone in their life used pan drippings from Spam to whip up a flawless gravy. According to the user, all you need to do is fry the meat in fat (butter, preferably) then add a splash of oil before you remove the browned meat. The excess drippings are highly flavorful, and you only need milk to complete the gravy, which adds a sense of creaminess. They suggest canned milk, but it is more than possible to use fresh milk if that's all you have.

This hack is nothing short of genius since Spam contains salt, which transfers to the gravy. Not to mention, using drippings from any meat is one of the secrets to making a perfect gravy. So, if other meat remnants work as a phenomenal base for a sauce, why not do the same with Spam?

Have you ever thought to mix Spam with other kinds of meat? If you don't prefer stand-alone Spam or want to change things up, create a patty with a blend of ground beef and the canned meat. Chef Peter Ochoa, formerly of Taste on Ellis in San Francisco, served this masterpiece to his customers, and it was one of the absolute best Spam breakfast dishes. The Hawaiian loco moco was the dish that Ochoa drew inspiration from. He used four times the amount of ground beef as Spam in the burgers. However, the ratio is adjustable to your taste preferences, and you don't need to serve the burger Hawaiian style, either.

Spamburgers are a thing, and they taste phenomenal with all sorts of toppings. Stereotypical burger toppings like lettuce, tomato, and onion are scrumptious, or you can branch out and make the sandwich barbecue-style. The choice is up to you, although we can admit that the loco moco version with the grilled patty, rice, fried eggs, and gravy is just as delicious. The fritters are so flavorful, it is hard to choose only one way to enjoy them.

One of the best ways to use leftover Spam is to slice it into strips resembling beef. Then, use the strips to make the ultimate Spam tacos or fajitas. Season the meat to your liking and pair it with fajita vegetables like sautéed peppers and onions. Alternatively, make tacos with classic toppings such as lettuce, diced tomato, and shredded cheese. Spam posted a short video on Instagram that shows how to cook the meat for tacos on a flat-top grill.

Partially cook the meat chunks, and then cut them into strips halfway through the cooking process. Grill the Spam until the strip edges are a gorgeous golden-brown color. Use tortillas to make soft tacos; finish the tacos off with a zesty sauce and fresh lettuce. Of course, hard taco shells taste just as delicious and offer texture variation. Try this clever trick to make your next taco Tuesday one to remember.

There is no denying that breaded foods fall in the category of comfort food. For those who grew up on Spam, it is already nostalgic enough, so if you add breading, there is a whole new layer of serenity. Spam posted on Instagram a perfect example of how to use the breading technique to make your food top tier; the recipe uses cereal as the outer coating on the meat. Other options provide an equally wonderful texture, so look through your pantry to see what you've got. Traditional breadcrumbs work flawlessly (or grind up some croutons if you don't have pre-made crumbs).

On the other hand, there is a breadcrumb swap you need to make for maximum crunch: Panko. This ingredient is superb because no matter how you cook the food, it gives your dish that well-done flakiness similar to deep-fried foods. In addition, Panko consists of larger and drier crumbs than regular breadcrumbs you buy at the store. Lastly, if you want the breading to stick, consider dredging the Spam. This simple process aids the breadcrumb in adhering to the food. Before you begin to cook it, simply dip the Spam in flour, an egg-wash mixture, then the breadcrumbs, which is what dredging means in a recipe.

Spam's texture makes it easy to chop, of course, but another incredible way to be innovative is to shred it with a cheese grater. This hack is ideal when you need the meat sliced into tiny pieces, which saves you from having to chop it manually. For example, Spam suggests you use a grater to create thin pieces of meat for meatloaf cupcakes. But it doesn't stop there; feel free to innovate and use the Spam shreds in other baked foods like biscuits or savory puff pastries.

Since the company cooks the meat after canning it, you don't need to heat it before you incorporate it into dishes. However, one Reddit user explains how the grated Spam pieces become impressively crunchy when you fry them, and since the shreds are so thin, they turn out comparable to bacon bits. So, it all depends on personal preference and how you want the meat to complement the food.

If you enjoy Spam the most when it is crispy, you should try cooking Spam in this genius way. Not everybody thinks to break out the waffle iron when they cook meat, but sometimes unconventional cooking methods produce the best results. Next time you prepare a dish with Spam, plug in the waffle iron and let it heat up while you slice the meat. First, cut the meat as thick or thin as you'd like; the thinner it is, the quicker it will cook. Then, sandwich the slices between the hot waffle iron and close it as usual. Since the iron presses the meat and surrounds it, the appliance gives the meat's exterior a pleasant crunch.

Make sure to clean the kitchen gadget after you use it; otherwise, the subsequent waffles you make might end up tasting like Spam. And while Spam, waffles, and eggs are solid breakfast choices when properly planned, you won't want to taste week-old residual Spam that you forgot to clean off the machine the next time you make waffles.