Breakfast meats like sausage, bacon, or whole ham certainly make for a delightful plate, but they can also cost your wallet a pretty penny. If you want to swerve the costs while still having a delicious, salty bit of protein in with your eggs and carbs, then reach for a can of maple-flavored Spam the next time you hit the grocery store. Spam has an interesting history tied intricately with World War II, especially in terms of how it’s used in East Asian cultures like Korea and Japan. People have used it as a prized ingredient in ramen, rice, and more for decades, and you can hop in there and join the Spam trend easily. Just take a can of your choice, cut the Spam into slices at your desired thickness, and cook it up in a frying pan until both sides are crispy.
Some people find Spam questionable because it’s a “mystery meat”; i.e., processed meat as opposed to whole meat like chicken breasts and drumsticks. In reality, tons of meat fall into that category these days, like beloved hot dogs. Don’t let preconceived notions stop you; grab some maple Spam and see for yourself just how closely it resembles maple-flavored bacon or sausages. Best still, you can crisp it up to your desired doneness just like bacon, and cut off as much Spam from the canned block as you want to use in one go.
How to take your Spam from drab to fab
If you’ve just had Spam straight from the can without heating it up, you’re missing out big time. The sugars in Spam give it a delicious, caramelized sort of crust when cooked on a skillet or in a frying pan thanks to the Maillard reaction, where reduced sugars lead to browning and more complex flavors. The salty meat itself makes for a perfect bacon or sausage substitute. Not only does it go perfectly on a traditional breakfast plate, but you can sub it into breakfast sandwiches easily because it’s the perfect size for a patty. Here are 12 other ways to take Spam to the next level, too, like making sliders, adding it to fried rice, or enjoying it in Korean army base stew.
The other great part about Spam is that it comes in tons of different flavors. You can try all 15 flavors of Spam at the brand’s museum or acquire them on your own and rotate them in and out of your breakfast circuit so you never get tired. We suggest maple because it’s a solid, breakfast-y flavor in general (maple sausages, anyone?), but everything from the original Spam to the teriyaki flavor and more could certainly earn a place on your shelf. You can even flavor your own Spam, grilling it in various sauces like soy sauce, barbecue sauce, and more. It’s an inexpensive and delicious way to get a little more protein into your breakfast and create a more balanced flavor profile, so don’t be afraid to grab a can and give it a whirl.
