Does anyone have a recipe for making pepperoni at home?

Question

Want to produce a quality product, as the stuff we buy here is very low quality. A friend and I both had Italian friends back in Australia who knew how, but we've lost touch

Answer 1

Tammy's Spicy Pepperoni



Description:

A spicy dense cured pepperoni recipe. This recipe is very easy to make and has that authentic pepperoni taste.



Yield:

2 pounds of pepperoni

Ingredients:

2 pounds lean ground beef (85% lean or leaner)

2 teaspoons liquid smoke flavoring

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons mustard seed

1 1/2 or 2 teaspoons crushed fennel seed*

1 or 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper**

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 heaping teaspoons Morton's Tender Quick curing salt



Instructions:

1. Combine seasonings and meat and mix thoroughly, using hands. Cover and refrigerate for 48-72 hours.



2. Form meat into two long logs or rolls. Place a rack (or pan/sheet with drainage) on a cookie sheet and put the logs onto rack. Bake at 200 degrees for 8 hours, rotating logs every 2 hours.



3. Logs will be a bright pink when they are finished, and should be fairly dry and firm. Wipe off excess grease and allow meat to cool. Chill and then slice thinly. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for longer storage.



Additional Notes: from tammy

*I crushed mine with a rolling pin; it wasn't extremely crushed, but that's okay: it doesn't need to be very fine.



**Use more if you like hotter pepperoni; use less if you want a milder flavor



Preparation Time:

10 minutes + 10 minutes, plus slicing

Cooking Time:

8 hours



Tammy's Review:



This is a delicious flavorful pepperoni recipe! We think it tastes very very similar to the Hormel (brand) turkey pepperoni we used to purchase.



The texture is also like the Hormel turkey pepperoni: lean and dense. Thinly sliced, this pepperoni will add lots of flavor to your pizza or sub without adding grease.



Before I created this recipe, we made the Homemade Beef Pepperoni recipe which was submitted to this website by one of our guest chefs. While we really enjoyed the results, we both felt that the distinctive "pepperoni flavor" was missing.



Therefore we altered the seasonings and slightly adjusted the baking time. We couldn't possibly be more pleased with the end result! I thinly sliced the pepperoni and froze it to use for pizza. We are definitely not going to spend $3 on a little bag of Hormel turkey pepperoni when we can make this recipe instead!!



http://www.tammysrecipes.com/tammys_spicy_pepperoni

(*-*)

Answer 2

Pepperoni sausage is sometimes referred to as a "stick" of pepperoni because that's just about what it resembles. Most of the red color in commercial pepperoni is from paprika. Indeed, if it were from cayenne pepper you would need a fire extinguisher nearby when eating it. There are many different varieties of pepperoni, some decidedly hotter than others, but most if not all rely on a beef and pork combination. All are quite pungent. Pepperoni come in different sizes, the most common being about an inch in diameter. Some commercial packers put up what they call "pizza pepperoni" which is about twice the diameter of regular pepperoni and is not as dry. This type is better able to withstand the high temperature of a baking pizza without becoming a crispy critter. If you intend to use your pepperoni primarily as a topping for pizza you might want to experiment with the drying time for best results.



Makes: 10 pounds



* 7 pounds pre-frozen or certified pork butt, cubed, fat included*

* 3 pounds lean beef chuck, round or shank, cubed

* 5 tablespoons salt

* 1 tablespoon sugar

* 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper

* 3 tablespoons sweet paprika

* 1 tablespoons crushed anise seed

* 1 teaspoon garlic, very finely minced

* 1 cup dry red wine

* 1/2 teaspoon ascorbic acid

* 1 teaspoon saltpeter

* 6 feet small (1/2-inch diameter) hog casings



1. Grind the pork and beef through the coarse disk separately.

2. Mix the meats together with the remaining ingredients.

3. Spread the mixture out in a large pan, cover loosely with waxed paper, and cure in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours.

4. Prepare the casings (see instructions below).

5. Stuff the sausage into the casings and twist off into then-inch links.

6. Using cotton twine, tie two separate knots between every other link, and one knot at the beginning and another at the end of the stuffed casing.

7. Cut between the double knots. This results in pairs of ten-inch links. The pepperoni are hung by a string tied to the center of each pair.

8. Hang the pepperoni to dry for six to eight weeks. Once dried, the pepperoni will keep, wrapped, in the refrigerator for several months.



Preparing the Casing



Snip off about four feet of casing. (Better too much than too little because any extra can be repacked in salt and used later.) Rinse the casing under cool running water to remove any salt clinging to it. Place it in a bowl of cool water and let it soak for about half an hour. While you're waiting for the casing to soak, you can begin preparing the meat as detailed below. After soaking, rinse the casing under cool running water. Slip one end of the casing over the faucet nozzle. Hold the casing firmly on the nozzle, and then turn on the cold water, gently at first, and then more forcefully. This procedure will flush out any salt in the casing and pinpoint any breaks. Should you find a break, simply snip out a small section of the casing. Place the casing in a bowl of water and add a splash of white vinegar. A tablespoon of vinegar per cup of water is sufficient. The vinegar softens the casing a bit more and makes it more transparent, which in turn makes your sausage more pleasing to the eye. Leave the casing in the water/vinegar solution until you are ready to use it. Rinse it well and drain before stuffing.

Answer 3

Pizza Crust (base) Veg HT CBF Italian 20mins plus rising Serves 4 Hot Vegetarian Savoury Breads Baked Fayre Dairy Free Eggless Italy Europe Ingredients: 2 teasp Dry Yeast 360ml/12fl.oz. Warm Water 500g/18oz Plain Flour 2 teasp Salt 1 teasp Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese 120ml/4fl.oz. Olive Oil A little extra Olive Oil Instructions 1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Set aside for 5 minutes. 2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, salt and Parmesan. Stir in the olive oil and yeast mixture and mix to form a dough. 3. Turn onto a well floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth. Place in a bowl, cover with a towel and leave for 1 hour, until doubled. 4. Preheat the oven to 220C, 425F, Gas mark 7. 5. Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a well floured surface and punch down. 6. Lightly oil 2 x 25cm/10 inch pizza pans and line with the dough. Top with desired pizza sauce and toppings and bake according to the recipe (usually 15-20 minutes).