Another batch of pepperoni

I was aiming at 20 pounds but only managed 17 plus the grinder and stuffer plugs for the fry pan. I had over 20 pounds pre-chopping but lost some weight when I trimmed the fat cap off the pork butts. I got 8 1/2 – 1 7/8″ X24″ sticks from the batch. I added about 3 1/2 pounds of very lean beef roast to the pork and double ground it using a fairly large plate. The texture turned out very nice to work with while stuffing. I added the cure and seasonings to the cubed meats and mixed them up well before grinding, then re-mixed before the second grind was done.

I switch to a Waltons Pepperoni seasoning from the Sausagemakers” seasoning I used last fall just to see if I could improve it and man this was a great move. The picture shows it hanging in the garage to dry for a couple/three weeks and when Ma and I came back from some errands she said “wow, the whole garage smells like an Italian meat market. I fried the stuffer plug last night as I was tending to the sticks in the oven and it tasted “very” Pepperoni-ish. It’ll only get better as it dries and the flavors intensify. The sticks were slowly oven heated to 155 degrees, then taken out to cool slowly.

The daily temps should be good for the next week as far as drying goes and if we should get real warm suddenly I can finish the drying in the fridge. This batch turned out super good and I’d recommend the Waltons seasoning to anyone wanting to stuff up a batch. One of my next batches I’d like to try a shot at the seasonings which Riverruns uses in his pepperoni but I think I’ll have to have him get the package when he picks his stuff up….I can’t seem to pin down an ordering address.

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Looks and sounds awesome! It would go great on my life changing pizza.

Do you ship???

HA! Right. it never lasts that long bud! I’m betting though that this stuff will make amazing snack fodder sliced up. I can see a slice this on a good cracker with a smear of blue cheese spread X about fifty crackers. Maybe a Shiner Boch to wash it down.

There’s a packet of seasoning here anytime you decide to drive over and pick it up.

The samples are here as well. Wife was in Rochester for the granddaughters VB tournament today. Dang.

Shawn

Shawn we have got to get together if for no other reason that to swap some sausage samples. Lets get Easter out of the way and then start looking serious at some Saturday for a while.

All wrapped and sealed.

This turned out exceptional. So much so I dug the ends out and put the crumbles in a zip lock for snacking. The drying added a slight tang to the meat. This is a super good batch and will add a ton to pizza.

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Looks good Tom! Was this from the March 25th batch. You let it hang until now? Thanks Shawn

Yep. And yes its hung since then. The garage hasn’t hit more than 38 degrees since it went out. Perfect for hanging. Last fall’s batch hung longer and slightly warmer. The pepperoni this time is firmer and way redder than the other batch….more paprika in it. Very good flavor too. The snack bag is getting smaller.

Both batches of pepperoni developed a flush of mold on the casings about ten days into the drying. I mix up potassium sorbate in a 16 ounce bottle of so-called spring water and wash the sticks down using the solution. This kills any and all molds that develop on the sausage surface. If one goes to a larger grocery store and looks in the deli area at “traditional sausages” and sees the whitish film on the casing, that’s the mold that develops. The potassium sorbate won’t harm the casings or the contents, just gets rid if the mold. Summer sausage that’s hung for very long will get this mold but the sausage itself is still fine. One does have to be aware of how wet the sausage is when its hung and the humidity levels in the hanging area need to be low too. My garage is dry and I have a fan running on low all the while the sausage hangs to promoted air movement. I keep my sausage’s moisture content as low as possible, adding only enough water to help facilitate stuffing.

Dry curing and un-smoked, un-cooked in any way, sausages require a different cure and a specific yeast culture and calls for a temperature controlled climate….much warmer and humidity has to be maintain at a certain level. I’ve studied up on the process but will pass on it. Everything has to be just so or the whole shebang gets trashed.

Tom, I agree with all of the above regarding the pepperoni. You do good work!!

Tom Sawvell wrote:

Yep. And yes its hung since then. The garage hasn’t hit more than 38 degrees since it went out. Perfect for hanging. Last fall’s batch hung longer and slightly warmer. The pepperoni this time is firmer and way redder than the other batch….more paprika in it. Very good flavor too. The snack bag is getting smaller.
Both batches of pepperoni developed a flush of mold on the casings about ten days into the drying. I mix up potassium sorbate in a 16 ounce bottle of so-called spring water and wash the sticks down using the solution. This kills any and all molds that develop on the sausage surface. If one goes to a larger grocery store and looks in the deli area at “traditional sausages” and sees the whitish film on the casing, that’s the mold that develops. The potassium sorbate won’t harm the casings or the contents, just gets rid if the mold. Summer sausage that’s hung for very long will get this mold but the sausage itself is still fine. One does have to be aware of how wet the sausage is when its hung and the humidity levels in the hanging area need to be low too. My garage is dry and I have a fan running on low all the while the sausage hangs to promoted air movement. I keep my sausage’s moisture content as low as possible, adding only enough water to help facilitate stuffing.

Those that I gifted out a stick of this have been pretty happy with it. I finished up my little bag of trim and crumbles. Pretty hard not to like pepperoni. lol