Making pepperoni sausage at home is extremely rewarding and is very similar to the making of Summer sausage. I made it once many years ago and it has become a staple at our home. This is not your typical store-bought pepperoni – this one has better texture, much better flavor, and it tastes like high quality sausage. This sausage is outstanding. You can even make sandwiches with it, its that good. Smoked pepperoni is to die for. Your pizzas will taste better than ever. Smoke greatly improves flavor and increases shelf life of sausage due to its antibacterial properties. In this article I will talk about how to make pepperoni sausage at home and share my experience.
Pepperoni is essentially an American version of salami, something close to what Italians might call salame piccante, a generic term that means “spicy salami.” It’s made from beef and cured pork mixed together and then seasoned with a blend that usually includes paprika, garlic, black pepper, crushed red pepper, cayenne …
Curing salt and cultures
As the typical pepperoni sausage is a fermented semi-dry sausage, a meat culture such as Bactoferm FL-C is used. Bactoferm F-LC meat culture with bioprotective properties is used for the production of fermented sausages with short or traditional production times. During fermentation pH of the meat drops to 5.3 which helps inhibit growth of pathogenic bacteria and gives the sausage its tangy taste. FL-C culture can be purchased from sausagemaker.com or butcher-packer.com.
In this recipe, pepperoni sausage is fermented and then smoked at temperatures that promote growth of unwanted bacteria. To prevent that, Cure #1 (also known as pink salt) is used. Pink salt also improves flavor, prevents food poisoning, tenderizes meat, and develops the pink color widely known and associated with smoked meats. You can purchase Cure #1 from the online stores mentioned above as well as on Amazon – DQ Curing Salt #1 / Pink Salt
Stuffing meat into casings
The most efficient and economical way to stuff the meat into casings is to use a vertical sausage stuffer, such as the LEM Products 5 Pound Sausage Stuffer
You may also use a sausage stuffer attachment for your meat grinder, but you may be disappointed with the results. Meat grinders are not designed for stuffing sausages and, frankly, do a very poor job at it.
A cheaper alternative to a vertical sausage stuffer that would yield better results than a meat grinder attachment would be a manual sausage stuffer like the LEM Manual Sausage Stuffer. These stuffers are great for occasional use. They are hard to use and require good physical strength to operate, but can produce good results after some practice.
Stuff the meat firmly, ensuring that no air pockets remain inside. Getting all the air out is practically impossible and you will see some tiny cavities after your sausage is done. This is not a problem for semi-dry sausages. Just do your best but dont worry if some tiny air pockets remain.
To smoke pepperoni sausage, you will need a smoker or a grill that is capable of maintaining low temperatures.
A dedicated electric sausage smoker would be ideal, like the very popular Masterbuilt 30-Inch Smoker. Many people consider this smoker to be the best value for home sausage making needs.
Should you need a looking window to enjoy your sausage while its being smoked, you can get an equally popular Masterbuilt 30-Inch Electric Smoker with Window and RF Controller
How to Make Homemade Pepperoni Sausage
FAQ
What is pepperoni seasoned with?
What are the ingredients in pepperoni?
What gives pepperoni its unique flavor?
What Flavours are pepperoni?
What spices are used in pepperoni?
Individual recipes for pepperoni may vary, but most include some form or combination of red pepper ( paprika, cayenne or crushed red pepper) and black pepper, as well as garlic. Other spices can be added depending on taste. Paprika, a powder ground from paprika peppers, can be smoked, sweet, semi-sweet or hot.
Is mixed spice the same as Allspice?
No, mixed spice and allspice are not the same thing. Mixed space often contains allspice, but in much smaller amounts, as many other spices are mixed together. With that said, both spices have different flavor profiles and cannot be substituted interchangeably.
Can I use my own pepperoni seasoning?
If, however, you’d like to use your own homemade seasoning blend, that’s easy to do. Pepperoni typically contains sweet paprika, black pepper, fennel or anise, mustard powder, allspice, cinnamon, and cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes. You can mix up your own blend of those spices, or use my pepperoni seasoning recipe from here.