SPAM in Biscuit Blankets with Creamy Honey Mustard Dip
Crispy, savory SPAM slices are wrapped in flaky biscuit dough and served with a sweet-hot honey mustard sauce.
Makes10
Prep45 minutes to 50 minutes
Cook20 minutes
When I was growing up in upstate New York, there were a lot of appetizer staples that were at everyone’s parties. Sometimes there would be a slight variation depending on the family, but there was a common through line: something in a blanket. Some used Pillsbury Crescent rolls, some used frozen puff pastry. All were from the Betty Crocker cookbook universe. People started getting fancier as I grew up, branching out beyond the typical Lil’ Smokies, but the sausages were never anything totally different. (My favorite way was always with Nathan’s hot dogs.)
Fast forward to early 2022: We opened our restaurant Yangban Society in Downtown Los Angeles around Super Bowl weekend and wanted to do something different and fun. We ended up with a mash-up of pigs in a blanket: SPAM musubi and biscuits.
We ate a lot of biscuits growing up — Bisquick was the most popular for everything from drop biscuits to chicken and dumplings — so the “blanket” is actually a biscuit. It’s a laminated biscuit, which is the same process as making croissants, but a beginner’s version. The streamlined technique is less fussy and is a nifty, easy trick to pull out for parties and impress people with your flaky, tender, so-many-layers biscuits.
You can just fold the dough in thirds and roll it out once or twice instead of freezing, folding, and rolling multiple times. Your biscuits just won’t rise as high, but they’ll still be delicious. Whatever you do, don’t skip the chilling steps for the cooked SPAM or the biscuit blankets, otherwise everything can all melt together!
Swaddled in the biscuit blankets are thick-cut pieces of caramelized SPAM. SPAM is intensely, satisfyingly savory and has a more tender texture than a snappy hot dog. To build the apps, you roll out strips of biscuit dough; top with roasted nori; layer on the salty, savory SPAM; and roll everything up.
These pigs are topped with a sprinkling of furikake, but at Yangban we make our own Korean rice seasoning. If you want to try making your own, combine a mix of toasted sesame seeds, toasted perilla seeds, nori/toasted seaweed, fried garlic, fried shallot, salt, and sugar to taste. We also add nutritional yeast. Blend it all up in a spice grinder or food processor to your desired coarseness. It’s a great finishing touch for these apps, but also keep it handy for sprinkling on your morning eggs, rice bowls, SPAM musubi, or vegetables.
And pigs in a blanket wouldn’t be complete without a dipping sauce. Here, it’s a creamy honey mustard, made from a mix of Korean hot mustard and Kewpie mayonnaise.
CREDITS
Guest Editor and Producer: Alyse Whitney
Creative Consulting: StudioHaliBey
Co-Producer: Jessica Kane
Photographer: Andrew Bui
Food Stylist: Tyna Hoang
Prop Stylist: Casha Doemland
Illustrator: Nancy Pappas
Videographer: Joel Russo
Photo Assistant: Yasara Gunawardena
Location: Dazey Bungalow
Chef Katianna Hong's SPAM in Biscuit Blankets with Creamy Honey Mustard Dip Recipe
Crispy, savory SPAM slices are wrapped in flaky biscuit dough and served with a sweet-hot honey mustard sauce.
Prep time 45 minutes to 50 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes
Makes 10
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the dip:
- 1/2 cup
Kewpie mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons
Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon
plus 1 1/2 teaspoons Korean hot mustard paste
- 2 1/4 teaspoons
honey
For assembly:
- 1 (12-ounce) can
SPAM luncheon meat
- 1 tablespoon
neutral oil, such as canola, vegetable, or grapeseed
- 1
roasted nori sheet
- 2 1/2 teaspoons
furikake
Cooking spray
For the biscuit blankets:
- 1 1/2 cups
all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 1/2 teaspoons
granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 teaspoons
baking soda
- 1 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon
baking powder
- 9 tablespoons
cold unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup
cold buttermilk
Instructions
Make the dip:
Place 1/2 cup Kewpie mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons Korean hot mustard paste, and 2 1/4 teaspoons honey in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Prepare the SPAM:
Remove the SPAM block from the can and lay it on its bigger flat side. Cut lengthwise into 5 (about 1/2-inch-thick) slices. Stack the slices and cut in half lengthwise to yield 10 bars total.
Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat until shimmering. Add the SPAM in a single layer and fry until lightly browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
Make the biscuit blankets:
Place 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar, 1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse a few times to combine.
Cut 9 tablespoons cold unsalted butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Scatter about half over the flour mixture and pulse until it looks sandy, about 15 (1-second) pulses. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Scatter the remaining butter cubes on the mixture and mix with a pastry cutter or two small knives until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Drizzle with 2/3 cup cold buttermilk and mix until just combined — do not over-mix or the dough will be tough. (Alternatively, you can do this by hand: Whisk the dry ingredients together, then add the butter in two stages with your hands or a pastry cutter, then the buttermilk.)
Dust a work surface with all-purpose flour. Place the dough on the work surface and roll out into a rough 5 1/2 x 7 1/2-inch rectangle that’s about 1-inch thick. Fold into thirds like a letter. Flip seam-side down, rotate 90 degrees, and roll out again. Repeat this process (fold, flip, roll) three more times.
Place on a plate and freeze for 15 minutes. Repeat the folding and rolling process one time. Freeze for 15 minutes. Repeat the folding and rolling process one last time. (This helps make the dough flaky, buttery, and tender — like a cross between a croissant and a biscuit.)
Freeze for 15 minutes more. Meanwhile, arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 425°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray. Cut 1 roasted nori sheet into 10 (1x3-inch) rectangles.
Divide the dough into 10 portions (40 to 50 grams each). Roll each out into a rough 2-inch wide, 4 to 4 1/2-inch long rectangle that’s about 1/8-inch thick. These will be your blankets!
Assemble the SPAMs in a blanket one at a time: Position a dough blanket with a shorter side closer to you. Place a nori rectangle vertically down the center of the blanket. Place a piece of SPAM horizontally across the center of the blanket over the nori (it will extend over the sides of the dough). Wrap the top of the dough over the SPAM, and repeat with the bottom of the dough. Pinch the seam to seal, or use a little water to seal.
Place 5 assembled blankets seam-side down on each baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with 2 1/2 teaspoons furikake and press in gently to adhere.
Bake for 6 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets between racks and from front to back. Bake until the dough is golden brown, about 6 minutes more. Serve with the dip on the side.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The dough can be made up to 1 day in advance, wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated. Portion and roll out the blankets when ready to bake.
You can also fully assemble the SPAM in a Blankets, freeze flat on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and transfer to a resealable plastic container for a party later. Defrost fully in the refrigerator uncovered before baking.
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a low oven until warmed through.