Sandwich Size Pepperoni Ideas?

[tallbm]

Well I have a bunch of ground venison and some ground wild pork to use up and I kind of want to make sandwich size pepperoni out of it. I would like it to actually tasted like pepperoni though. Why? Because I want to have less mess, things be easy, and to use a big bulk of meat all in one shot, like 20 pounds at least.

Now I have never made pepperoni period, much less 5.7inch diameter pepperoni so I'm reaching out to our amazing community to see if it's a real option without doing a cure#2 product hahahaha.

This would NOT be dry cured, it would be mixed and stuffed into giant 5.7 inch diameter fibrous casings that hold about 10-12 pounds per casing.
I would put smoke on it for a little while (if that even makes sense to do) and then really finish/cook them in an SV bath since the logs are so thick

I've loved the posts from chopsaw and BGKYSmoker doing pepperoni but I'm not sure if I can apply those recipes or techniques to make a great sandwich bread sized pepperoni.
Any info anyone can provide that they know would work well is greatly appreciated. Even if it's info like "sorry you won't get pepperoni flavor so move to another idea".

 

[chopsaw]

not sure if I can apply those recipes or techniques to make a great sandwich bread sized pepperoni.

Follow some of what I did in my thread on the Marianski and Ricks formulas , as far as upping the paprika . We eat with are eyes first , so get the color right . I would not go that large for diameter .
Sandwich pepperoni is about 3 " . I think going in a large casing is not going to give you the same results .
Also , doesn't have to be cure 2 . Use my method of pink paper post smoke / cook and dry in the fridge . Works great and intensifies the flavor with moisture loss .
Out of the smoker , cooled , next day .

Post smoke , wrapped in pink paper and further dried in a 36 degree fridge . About 2 weeks .
Taste like pepperoni . I added some heat to it also . Same chub .

 

[gmc2003]

If anyone does a sandwich size chub of Kielbasa let me know. I'd love to make a super-sized pork shot.

Chris

 

[Hijack73]

Bear had a pretty simple beef pep that I want to try before too many more moons pass. That might work if you want to avoid a ferment/dry cure

 

[cptnding]

If anyone does a sandwich size chub of Kielbasa let me know. I'd love to make a super-sized pork shot.

Chris

Now I'd like to see that!

Good luck tallbm I'll be interested to see what you come up with. Cool idea!

 

[Dave in AZ]

I agree with 3" for sandwich size. Maybe 4".
I would do a ferment using LHP or FLC, at 100f, for 24 hrs. I'd ensure I had at least 0.7% dextrose in recipe, I think pepperoni should be 4.6pH or so and tangy to get correct flavor. I would use cure1. I've tried a lot of pepperoni recipes... Marianski's is decent, but I almost double all his spices, and I use anise and fennel both. I agree on a good amount of paprika for color, commercial guys use oleoresin of paprika for more orange color.

Most pepperoni is not smoked.

 

[tallbm]

Follow some of what I did in my thread on the Marianski and Ricks formulas , as far as upping the paprika . We eat with are eyes first , so get the color right . I would not go that large for diameter .
Sandwich pepperoni is about 3 " . I think going in a large casing is not going to give you the same results .
Also , doesn't have to be cure 2 . Use my method of pink paper post smoke / cook and dry in the fridge . Works great and intensifies the flavor with moisture loss .
Out of the smoker , cooled , next day .
View attachment 701935
Post smoke , wrapped in pink paper and further dried in a 36 degree fridge . About 2 weeks .
Taste like pepperoni . I added some heat to it also . Same chub .
View attachment 701936

Thanks for the info!
Yeah I think at the size I'm wanting to do, it won't really come out like pepperoni. I may have to switch to some other sandwich meat idea but i wanted to check here first just to confirm and get the real good insights :D

I agree with 3" for sandwich size. Maybe 4".
I would do a ferment using LHP or FLC, at 100f, for 24 hrs. I'd ensure I had at least 0.7% dextrose in recipe, I think pepperoni should be 4.6pH or so and tangy to get correct flavor. I would use cure1. I've tried a lot of pepperoni recipes... Marianski's is decent, but I almost double all his spices, and I use anise and fennel both. I agree on a good amount of paprika for color, commercial guys use oleoresin of paprika for more orange color.

Most pepperoni is not smoked.

Thanks!
Yeah I didn't think pepperoni was smoked much or if some had a light bit to it.
I have yet to ferment and do all that with a sausage and my goal with this is kind of lazy/efficiency but I don't think it is going to happen with the size of the casing I want to use. I like that giant casing because it's soooo much less work, clean up, and faster to work with.
Right now I have a bunch German Bologna and Pastrami made, sliced, and vac sealed in my freezer. The next easiest solution is to just do fresh venison brats using beef fat. No smoke and I just mix, stuff, link/cut, and vac seal.

We'll see what I land on but I think this giant pepperoni idea is going to fall through lol.

 

[chopsaw]

We'll see what I land on but I think this giant pepperoni idea is going to fall through lol.

Don't give up on the idea .
What about Cotto Salami ? That ground venison would be good for that , and the size casing would work for that . Mix , stuff and either poach or bake in the oven .

I know you like the loaf stuff . Use a pan for the pepperoni , and you can make the slice narrow , or a larger square .
Not sure if you saw this or not , but this was Kielbasa .

Wit or Witoutski Kielbasa cheese steak .

I saw this on an episode of Triple D and knew I had to try it . Place was in Philly . Called Gaul & Company Malt house . Kielbasa loaf that gets sliced and cooked on a flattop like a cheese steak . Just happened to be a sausage making day , and I was talking with Jeff about the Dutch loaf he...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Get some sallow pans and do some ground formed bacon .

 

[zwiller]

I am slowly chasing after a deli pepperoni. We buy it all the time. Ferment a must not hard to do at all. Great project to learn fermenting. Since you have SV, I suggest a ferment AND cook in SV for that large of diameter. I have not done it myself yet but have confirmed with mfr it can be done. Culture and dextrose needed is all. IMO totally worth it. Fermento and all the other hacks do not compare.

I have now made around 5-6 different italian things and pretty disappointed with my results. Spice mix far too mild for me. That said, most recent coppa is promising. No measurements made as was a rub but my thoughts with that run is use way WAY more spices than you expect and use 2x more coriander than anise/fennel. I think I am onto something big with the coriander at least for the flavor profile I want. My fridge smelled insanely good like an italian market while curing.

 

[tallbm]

Don't give up on the idea .
What about Cotto Salami ? That ground venison would be good for that , and the size casing would work for that . Mix , stuff and either poach or bake in the oven .

I know you like the loaf stuff . Use a pan for the pepperoni , and you can make the slice narrow , or a larger square .
Not sure if you saw this or not , but this was Kielbasa .

Wit or Witoutski Kielbasa cheese steak .

I saw this on an episode of Triple D and knew I had to try it . Place was in Philly . Called Gaul & Company Malt house . Kielbasa loaf that gets sliced and cooked on a flattop like a cheese steak . Just happened to be a sausage making day , and I was talking with Jeff about the Dutch loaf he...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Get some sallow pans and do some ground formed bacon .
View attachment 701955
View attachment 701956
View attachment 701957

I was thinking on a salami as well, that might be more feasible for everything I want to do AND still hitting the expected flavor.
The pepperoni loaf seems like it might be feasible as well.

I'm also leaning to just doing a bunch of fresh venison brats as it MIGHT be about the same level of work due to not having to smoke and clean up after lol.
Mainly I'm trying to do the most efficient and hassle free product as a 1 man shop using at least 20 pounds or so lol.

I am slowly chasing after a deli pepperoni. We buy it all the time. Ferment a must not hard to do at all. Great project to learn fermenting. Since you have SV, I suggest a ferment AND cook in SV for that large of diameter. I have not done it myself yet but have confirmed with mfr it can be done. Culture and dextrose needed is all. IMO totally worth it. Fermento and all the other hacks do not compare.

I have now made around 5-6 different italian things and pretty disappointed with my results. Spice mix far too mild for me. That said, most recent coppa is promising. No measurements made as was a rub but my thoughts with that run is use way WAY more spices than you expect and use 2x more coriander than anise/fennel. I think I am onto something big with the coriander at least for the flavor profile I want. My fridge smelled insanely good like an italian market while curing.

View attachment 701964

Wow that looks awesome!
I'm glad to hear you are dialing in. That seems to be half the battle for getting things right.

I may do a fermented sausage at some point. Right now its 102F degrees every day and I'd have to find a spot I could effectively keep the temp range steady with the A/C going and hang the sausage to ferment. Spring or Fall might be the time for me to get into doing fermented sausage. I do have the umai bags for doing a cure#2 sausages and I would really love to do pepperoni that way as my 1st attempt.

 

[geostriata]

I have yet to ferment and do all that with a sausage and my goal with this is kind of lazy/efficiency but I don't think it is going to happen with the size of the casing I want to use.

For what it's worth, I think you can achieve something delicious and very pepperoni-like without fermentation. That's primarily what I do with my snack sticks. So I wouldn't let fermentation dissuade you from this awesome idea!

Definitely agree with sous vide at that diameter. I'd probably start with Mariansky's semi-dry recipe. I'd skipping fermentation steps, omit dextrose, take IT to 145F instead of 140F, and use sous vide as zwiller mentioned. Maybe add whole anise seed (I love the whole anise / ground fennel combo) as D Dave in AZ mentioned. I would also add MSG because I love msg in my pepperoni :)

Whatever you do, let us know! I'm really excited to see this one!

 

[geostriata]

commercial guys use oleoresin of paprika for more orange color.

Good tip! I think I'll try this. Do you have any recommendations? I think I'll try this one: Amoretti

 

[Dave in AZ]

Good tip! I think I'll try this. Do you have any recommendations? I think I'll try this one: Amoretti

No idea if that is what oleoresin is... not sure it is just oil extract?

 

[geostriata]

No idea if that is what oleoresin is... not sure it is just oil extract?

Yeah, good catch! I'll go with this one. Thanks!

 

[zwiller]

I may do a fermented sausage at some point. Right now its 102F degrees every day and I'd have to find a spot I could effectively keep the temp range steady with the A/C going and hang the sausage to ferment. Spring or Fall might be the time for me to get into doing fermented sausage. I do have the umai bags for doing a cure#2 sausages and I would really love to do pepperoni that way as my 1st attempt.

Man I would just figure a way to stuff and hang early AM and ferment at 100F in the garage or other warm space you have. Does not need to be controlled really. One long hot day would be prefect IMO. UMAI is a good way to go.

Fermenting is one of those levels where you talk yourself out of it a long time but when you finally do it, you wonder why you put it off like you did.

If you might want to shift gears, I would suggest a good bologna for that application. I would probably use my mesquite smoke powder and SV.
https://conyeagerspice.com/bologna-pa-deer/

 

[tallbm]

For what it's worth, I think you can achieve something delicious and very pepperoni-like without fermentation. That's primarily what I do with my snack sticks. So I wouldn't let fermentation dissuade you from this awesome idea!

Definitely agree with sous vide at that diameter. I'd probably start with Mariansky's semi-dry recipe. I'd skipping fermentation steps, omit dextrose, take IT to 145F instead of 140F, and use sous vide as zwiller mentioned. Maybe add whole anise seed (I love the whole anise / ground fennel combo) as D Dave in AZ mentioned. I would also add MSG because I love msg in my pepperoni :)

Whatever you do, let us know! I'm really excited to see this one!

Yeah I would SV with those giant casings. It's what I've done in the past with them and had good success!
I'll reply back with what I land on, provided I do something besides just eat it up. I have a 5-6pound pack of 100% venison that is going to get turned into taco meat for the week. I do that a couple more weeks and this is all a moot point with the venison gone hahaha :D

Man I would just figure a way to stuff and hang early AM and ferment at 100F in the garage or other warm space you have. Does not need to be controlled really. One long hot day would be prefect IMO. UMAI is a good way to go.

Fermenting is one of those levels where you talk yourself out of it a long time but when you finally do it, you wonder why you put it off like you did.

If you might want to shift gears, I would suggest a good bologna for that application. I would probably use my mesquite smoke powder and SV.
https://conyeagerspice.com/bologna-pa-deer/

Yeah I'll have to dig in to the fermentation a bit more. When you put it like that I bet you are right. I can see myself being like "what a dumbass, why did I wait so long!" hahhahaa.
I just got back on my workout kick so am trying to not throw something too new and involved into the mix so might take a stab at fermentation after this next hunting season when I have restocked my freezer :D

 

[chopsaw]

Yeah I'll have to dig in to the fermentation a bit more.

If you look back at my pepperoni thread , one is fermented overnight with Tsp-x . Works with 60 to 70 degrees , an I have that in my basement .

Skip Marianski and use Rick's formula . It's the only one I've done that tasted like pepperoni .
Down size the casing . Go with a loaf pan or smaller diameter casing . When you're cooking this stuff , it's about concentrating the mass for that " fermented taste " . If I would have used the starter on Rick's formula it would have been over the top . It was great after the upping of ingredients and the further drying in pink paper .
You wouldn't know that it wasn't dry cured . That's how close it was .

 

[geostriata]

Is this the recipe and process? If so, I do have a conversion in my notes if that's helpful:

• Per 1000g of meat (Half Beef Chuck, Half Pork Sirloin)
• 2.5g cure #1
• 15g salt
• 1g pepper
• 1g white pepper
• 2.5g mustard seed whole
• 0.5g fennel seed
• 2g red pepper flakes
• 1g garlic powder
• 1g sugar
• 3g paprika
• 1g anise
• 1.5g cayenne
• 25g water

All this talk of pepperoni has me itching to make it again. :)

 

[Dave in AZ]

If you look back at my pepperoni thread , one is fermented overnight with Tsp-x . Works with 60 to 70 degrees , an I have that in my basement .

Skip Marianski and use Rick's formula . It's the only one I've done that tasted like pepperoni .
Down size the casing . Go with a loaf pan or smaller diameter casing . When you're cooking this stuff , it's about concentrating the mass for that " fermented taste " . If I would have used the starter on Rick's formula it would have been over the top . It was great after the upping of ingredients and the further drying in pink paper .
You wouldn't know that it wasn't dry cured . That's how close it was .

Sounds promising but... who is Rick, and what is his formula? Is it the one G geostriata posted above me? I'd like to try Rick's, pepperoni is my #1 fav sausage product! Thx!

 

[chopsaw]

Here's the link from the thread I did . Rick's formula is linked in the thread .

Pepperoni . BGKYSmoker and Marianski .

I've made pepperoni in the past a couple times . Once using a Kutis formula , and other times using a pre mix from TSM . Wasn't wowed by either one . Saw the recipe posted by @BGKYSmoker the other day , and I knew I was going to try it . Here's that thread with the recipe ...

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