Tasso (often called tasso ham) is a Cajun specialty of lean pork shoulder rubbed hard with a peppery spice crust, briefly cured and then heavily smoked. Highly seasoned, deeply smoky and intensely savoury, it is not a ham eaten in slices but a seasoning meat — diced or julienned into gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, étouffée and cream sauces to lend a smoky, spicy backbone.