Cowabunga Dude! That's right, it's the one and only Michelangelo here and today I'm going to show you a simple yet tasty homemade pepperoni to put on your pizzas, dudes and dudettes! Yeah it's totally rad to eat plain as snack too so don't get your shells in a wad over putting it on some pies. The guys and I won't come up from our sewer lair and hunt you down if you want to change anything, but it's a pretty sweet recipe in its original form as is. Master Splinter says, " The enemy of my enemy is my bro!" so I guess any tasty pepperoni you want to make will be killer, and together we can eat some pies and turn that miserable Shredder into a meat grinder, eh? Anyway, all this winning is making me hungry so get over here, bro, and let's get cooking!
We will get started with the seasonings. Most recipes you can be a little lax and just add a bit of this and that, but when making dry cured sausages exact amounts really make the difference, especially since we are aiming for a bit of a tangy, spicy flavor that develops during the curing stage. We also want to make sure there is enough of the right kinds of salts and nitrates to prevent spoilage and any unwanted nasty bacteria, so do yourself a favor and follow the recipe card at the bottom of the page as precisely as possible. You definitely want to weigh out your seasonings and ingredients to prevent any issues down the line. Now that being said, this batch turned out a little more on the mild side so next time I may double the cayenne pepper just to kick it up a notch, but this is a perfect starting point for everyone's first batch!
Next, we want to grind our meat. I did a single grind of pork loin and beef chuck on a 6mm plate. Make sure your meat is near freezing temperature to prevent any fat smearing and an easier grinding process overall. This especially applies to the back fat, or you could substitute pork shoulder for the loin and back fat to further simplify things.
Pop your meat back into the freezer for a bit after grinding to ensure it stays down at the 32-34 degrees Fahrenheit range. Once it has cooled back down, toss it in a mixer and add your seasonings. Slowly combine the meat and seasonings, or jump in and mix it by hand. I decided I wanted to do some extra dishes this time so I went with the stand mixer myself. Don't forget to add your starter culture! We need some liquids to mix everything together.
Mix everything until it becomes tacky and starts sticking to your fingers or mixer paddles. You should be able to lift up your hand and have the meat mixture stick to the bottom defying gravity and everything we forgot about 6th grade science!
Fairly simple so far, eh? Take the mixture and tightly pack it into your casing stuffer. We don't want any air bubbles or pockets in our pepperoni tubes!
Load up your casings, which hopefully you prepared ahead of time because you read the recipe card like I suggested.
Slowly fill the casings leaving enough room at the end to tie off. I used artificial, non-edible casings so I didn't have to worry much about bursting them, but if you choose to use edible casings be sure to take it easy during this process.
Wrap the remaining little bit of meat from the stuffing process in some clear saran wrap. We will use this to test our pepperoni's pH level during the fermenting process. Place everything into an oven, turn on the oven light, and allow to ferment for 18-24 hours until the pH reads anywhere from 4.6-4.8, with lower readings equating to more tanginess flavor. Believe it or not, a closed oven with the light on makes an almost perfect fermenting chamber of 85 degrees Fahrenheit and 90% humidity!
Now comes the waiting part. Once your pepperoni reaches the proper pH level, it needs to be hung in a dry curing chamber (55 degrees Fahrenheit and 80% humidity) until 20% weight loss is reached. Sorry folks, making dry cured sausage takes time and extra equipment, but is well worth the effort and costs. I have found that I save nearly 50% off store bought products by making them myself at home so the equipment costs are quickly offset. Plus, who doesn't want a kick ass glass door modified wine refrigerator full of hanging meats in their house to show off? Anyway, this drying process will vary from one to four weeks depending on your chamber and conditions. Be sure to label starting weights of each stick and the target 20% loss so you can quickly weigh and check their progress every week or so.
Once the target weight loss is achieved, sous vide cook the pepperoni for 2.5 hours at 140 degrees. You can also use a smoker with a water tray and slowly raise the smoker temperature up to 155 degrees until the pepperoni's internal temperature measures 135 degrees Fahrenheit. It may take some time, but once you give that final product a proper taste test, you will never go back to store bought pepperoni again! Slice it thin for pizza or just enjoy it as a snack, as long as you are eating this homemade pepperoni Mikey and the rest of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be happy!
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