Simple pepperoni

This makes a very nice pepperoni for cooking or cracker plates. Very lean when finished.

Ingredients:

2 pounds lean ground beef (85% lean or leaner)
2 teaspoons liquid smoke flavoring (omit if smoking)
2 teaspoons ground black pepper (or whole crushed lightly)
2 teaspoons mustard seed (crushed slightly, sorry Ricand!)
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 heaping teaspoons kosher salt

The above seasonings can be varied in many ways. Chipolte powder is a great addition. Smoked paprika can also be used. Excellent in the oven or smoked.


Instructions:

1. Combine seasonings and meat and mix thoroughly, using hands. Form meat into two or more logs or rolls. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24-72 hours.

2. 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. Or smoke for some or all of this time. Often I cook in convection ovens at 250 degrees for 5 hours.

3. 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. I found one frozen for 9 months. Thawed and ate.

Adapted from this recipe over time.

THANK YOU!!!!!!

Pics plz!~

From OP's link:

I always get to "nitrates" and I decide not to make pepperoni after all. Thanks!

I have no pictures available because whenever I serve these, they disapear too fast!

They look really similar to the pics above. The outside is often dark to black in color.

This is a super cheap and easy recipe that blows people away.

cheezydemon3 said:

I always get to "nitrates" and I decide not to make pepperoni after all. Thanks!

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This is not a slow dry cured sausage, so you'll notice he does not add any sodium nitrate (AKA Prague Powder #2).

ChefMike, I'm surprised though that you don't use Sodium Nitrite (Prague Powder #1). I realize that it isn't necessary since you're cooking above 170*, but you lose the distinct characteristics it provides. The original recipe also called for Morton's Tender Quick. Just curious about why you changed to just kosher salt...

BTW, thanks for the recipe, can't wait to try this!

I did not have any on hand and I like to keep my stock multiple use. I tested the recipe with salt and it worked great for what I use it for. And there is alot of public angst over nitrates.

Might be fantastic with it. I would be willing to try if I run across any.

but I always have ground beef and seasonings on hand.

I don't know anything bad about nitrates (except that it causes migraines in someone I know), I would just rather not have to buy tham and use them.

1700's italians probably didn't have them, right?

You wouldn't have a recipe for a SPANISH, not Mexican Chorizo would you?

Revvy said:

You wouldn't have a recipe for a SPANISH, not Mexican Chorizo would you?

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picante or dulce (spicy or sweet)?
Smoked? Cured?

Regarding spanish vs. mexican, chopped pork vs. usually ground pork.

The Spanish unique identifier is the smoked paprika.

therealrsr said:

picante or dulce (spicy or sweet)?
Smoked? Cured?

Regarding spanish vs. mexican, chopped pork vs. usually ground pork.

The Spanish unique identifier is the smoked paprika.

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Hmmm the stuff my family used to get made in Carbonadale Illinois that we used to have to go to only certain mexican groceries in Detroit that carried Spanish. I'm pretty sure it was dulce, chopped (the pieces in the cases looked like cubes plus nice chunks of fat.) I think it might have been cured, I don't remember much smoke in them. I wish I could remember the manufacturer. I don't think they are in business anymore.

The stuff had an awesome balance of garlic and paprika.

Carbondale? Surprised I never heard of it.

8# Pork shoulder with high fat (20%) content rough chop or cubed, or add some pork belly if lean
A good smoked paprika 2-4 tbs to taste (this is the critical item for authentic color and flavor)
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysspanishpaprika.html
Garlic 6-8 cloves
Brown Sugar 1/4-1/2 cup to taste
Kosher or curing salt to taste
Pepper to taste (black, cayenne, red flake, whatever as not dominant in yours but a little is needed, more important in a picante)
Rough chop and refer marinate in the rub for a day.

Pack in casing and slow cook or dry cure (more salt needed, ~5 tbs), for a crumble grind or fine chop and you can just cook and refer for several days (called salchicha and excellent with scrambled eggs).
Been a long time for me. I see some chorizo in my near future, thanks for the inspiration and good luck.

Thanks for the recipe. Yeah I'm pretty sure it was Carbondale. It used to be a big deal in my family to get it for Christmas.

I'm going to make this out of venison. I like a way to make sausage without nitrates and/or curing, so this will work great for us!

With over 80 lbs of ground elk in my freezer I'm super excited for this recipe. I never even thought about making something like this...it must be a sign as I know I'm getting a smoker for x-mas...

I got costco's chorizo last week.

Delicious, but MAN!! Is it FUNKY!!!

is that typical of chorizo?

I know mortadello or some italian sausages are supposed to be funky, but MAN. Almost too much funk.

Thanks for posting this, Chef. Making it tonight for a party this weekend.

This looks great! I'm going to mix this up right now. Will using Kosher salt keep it from turning brown, or do you really need the curing salt?

I'm making this as a 2nd item next time I light up the smoker

Do you crush the mustard seed, or just add it whole? Seems it might be a bit chewy or not as flavorful whole.

cheezydemon3 said:

I don't know anything bad about nitrates (except that it causes migraines in someone I know), I would just rather not have to buy tham and use them.

1700's italians probably didn't have them, right?

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Wrong. Saltpeter has been used in preserving meat for centuries.

therealrsr said:

The Spanish unique identifier is the smoked paprika.

Click to expand...

Mexican is also a fresh sausage where spanish is cured and dried.

cheezydemon3 said:

I got costco's chorizo last week.

Delicious, but MAN!! Is it FUNKY!!!

is that typical of chorizo?

I know mortadello or some italian sausages are supposed to be funky, but MAN. Almost too much funk.

Click to expand...

What kind of chorizo? Mexican or Spanish?

Ricand said:

Do you crush the mustard seed, or just add it whole? Seems it might be a bit chewy or not as flavorful whole.

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I often use ground mustard at work, as I always stock it.

Home I use whole, just cracked lightly (few spins in the grinder with the peppercorns).

Adds texture, visual appeal and flavor.

Try it swapping the spices for jerk style spices as well (allspice, thyme, maybe ginger) Then it is almost a jerky jerk.

Thanks Mike, it's weird to be back in the newb seat again. I have all these beginner questions running around my brain. I've got to find a site that I can search for answers, is there a BBQTalk? I've already got it (sadly with whole mustard seeds) chillin in the fridge. The 'refrigeration rest' is from 1 to 3 days. Does it do anything but firm up the meat for cooking?

There are a ton of great forums for bbq and they might have a small section or a little discussion about sausage but it is pretty limited. I have yet to find a good sausage forum. Wait, that didn't sound right.

humann_brewing said:

I'm making this as a 2nd item next time I light up the smoker

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ditto. I think once the foodsaver comes I'll hit up double pack of shoulders again and do 1 plus these.

flowerysong said:

Wrong. Saltpeter has been used in preserving meat for centuries.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info!

Hadn't heard of that one, google here I come.

Ricand said:

I've already got it (sadly with whole mustard seeds) chillin in the fridge. The 'refrigeration rest' is from 1 to 3 days. Does it do anything but firm up the meat for cooking?

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The flavor permeates through the meat. I have never gone over 24 hours, so I am not sure. I would go 48 with whole mustard to let them soften

Ricand said:

is there a BBQTalk?

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I agree with the above. There are many. I am occasionally on smokingmeatforums, but I am not very active. I do so much cooking, that my interests have not found a forum to match. There are few forums like HBT in terms of sheer volume of discussion and community, IMO. I guess I can only look at so many "q-views"!

Oh, there is a bbqtalk.com, but it gets very limited traffic.

Thanks to chefmike for the recipe. Here's a picture of some pepperoni on a few pies I made for the family tonight.


front is pepperoni/chicken/bacon with some buffalo sauce in the pizza sauce, back left is chicken/bacon, again, with buffalo sauce in the pizza sauce, and back right is pepperoni and bacon, straight up.

I would have shared pictures of the other two pepperoni sticks sliced and served with crackers and cheeses for Christmas parties, but they were gone before I could retrieve my camera.

This pepperoni recipe is going to be a staple in the Jass household.

My pepperoni came out delicious. It's nice to know with 95% lean meat and what fat rendered out during the cooking, it's a low fat treat. Thanks for the recipe. My only complaint would be the color. It definitely came out too brown. I bought this INSTACURE #1. Will using it make the pepperoni color more like store bought?

Ricand, where are you photos?

-=jason=-

Grabbed my deli slicer and here's the pic. I'm making a nice sandwich for lunch. Notice the newbie mistake of not compacting the meat enough, leaving a small hole in the middle. Using whole mustard seed didn't seem to hurt the flavor or texture. The only negative comments from anyone have been on the color. Everyone loves the taste.

Ricand said:

My pepperoni came out delicious. It's nice to know with 95% lean meat and what fat rendered out during the cooking, it's a low fat treat. Thanks for the recipe. My only complaint would be the color. It definitely came out too brown. I bought this INSTACURE #1. Will using it make the pepperoni color more like store bought?

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Yes. The curing salt will give it the appropriate color, change the texture slightly, and change flavor slightly. Be sure to use the correct amount of cure for the recipe, and reduce the other salt accordingly.

Moose

MenkeMoose said:

Yes. The curing salt will give it the appropriate color, change the texture slightly, and change flavor slightly. Be sure to use the correct amount of cure for the recipe, and reduce the other salt accordingly.

Moose

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Thanks Moose, I need to make it again and was hoping it was the right stuff. I did a brunoise of this pepperoni and added it to soft scrambled eggs for breakfast. It was absolutely wonderful. I stepped heavy on the red pepper, so it had a great complimentary bite.

I have a batch of this in the oven right now. It's smells so good the cat is freaking out and wants to be fed.

I'll definitely have to try making this! And I don't mind if the pepperoni isn't an unnatural shade of red.

Unrelated, this is a pretty interesting read on the use of nitrates in charcuterie.

http://mattikaarts.com/blog/charcuterie/nitrates-and-nitrites/

My grandmother makes something almost exactly like this! More of a smoked sausage and less of a pepperoni. I LOVE the stuff. She used to hand it out as xmas gifts and it was something I looked forward to every year. Been a couple years since she's been able to make it though. I might have to start doing it myself.

cooking some of this up while I have some pork shoulder on this weekend. I'll be starting the smoker before bedtime Saturday night.

Is the rotate not necessary if you are using indirect heat on a smoker? Just don't want to have to get up every few hours.

Just mixed up two pounds of this and threw it in the fridge. Two substitutions were:

Venison instead of beef
1t ground cayenne for the red pepper. Woulda done more but gotta sell the family on it first.

Will report back on Sat. or Sun.

As an aside, I'd promised SWMBO I'd chill on the brewing so the meat forum has been a nice diversion. Brought back the ECB that I talked my Dad out of last night. Should be easy to talk her into a grinder and stuffer since I'm not brewing:rockin:. Only thing left to decide is if I'd rather build a cure room in our detached garage or a grow room for the MMMP:cross:. I dont' use but damn it's like Amway all over again up here.

Made this last week for a completely homemade pizza (dough, sauce, pepperoni, and cheese). Came out great.

Thanks for the recipe Mike!