This homemade Spam recipe is something I’ve been tweaking for months. I wanted to recreate that savory, satisfying flavor at home. Honestly, I think I may have made it even better than store-bought, though my kids insist, “It tastes just like Spam”.
The process is actually very simple. We emulsify a mix of pork belly, ham steak, and ground pork in the food processor, pack it into mini loaf pans, and gently cook it in a water bath. After baking, the loaves are lightly pressed with something like a cutting board to create that smooth, dense texture, then chilled overnight. That’s it.
The result is delicious homemade Spam made with ingredients you can feel good about. I turned it into musubi and froze them for my kids’ pre-game snacks.
Homemade Spam
A simple, homemade spam-style pork loaves that are savory, sliceable, and perfect for musubi, breakfast, or freezer meals.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork chilled
- 8 oz uncured smoked ham steak
- 10 oz pork belly chilled
- 1/3 cup ice-cold water
- 4 tbsp potato starch
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp shiitake mushroom powder optional
- 1.5 tsp pitaya powder optional, for color
Instructions
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Chop pork belly and ham steak into small chunks.
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In a food processor, pulse the ham steak and pork belly until finely minced. Add ground pork and pulse again to combine to a smooth, sticky mixture.
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In a cup, mix ice-cold water with cornstarch, sugar, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, mushroom powder and pitaya powder (if using).
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Add the slurry to the meat mixture in the food processor and pulse until fully incorporated and emulsified.
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Divide the mixture evenly into 4 small loaf pans, pressing it down firmly to remove air pockets. Cover tightly with foil.
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Place pans in a large roasting dish. Pour boiling water around them to come halfway up the sides. Bake at 300°F for 2 hours, or until the internal temp reaches at least 160°F.
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Let the spam cool. Optionally, place a light weight (like a cutting board) on top of the foil to compress for a denser, uniform texture.
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After it cools to room temp. wrap tightly refrigerate at least 8 hours, ideally overnight.
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Freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before pan frying.
