A very easy pepperoni recipe, lightly Smoked instead of aged

[Nutczak]

I have set this recipe up to be multiplied easily and so people can also make very small batches too. I list "Mortons Tender-Quick" as my curing agent as it is easy to measure by volume and difficult to add too much cure that way. If you do not have access to T-Q, please use the volumetric equivalent of salt listed in the recipe, and add the appropriate weight of your prefer ed #1 cure mixed with the salt

This Pepperoni recipe can be made from beef or pork or a combination of any meat such as venison, Bear, Elk, Moose or other sources. You'll want about a 15%-20% total fat content
Per each 1 pound of ground meat add; (coarse grind , or fine grind according to your preferences. keep your meat as cold as possible to avoid smearing the fat. White specks of fat are preferable in the finished product.

per each pound of ground meat, add;
1 level Tablespoon Mortons Tender Quick
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground or whole mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, slightly crushed or ground
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (double amount for spicier product)
1/4 teaspoon crushed or ground anise seed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
1 TBS Smoked paprika for color, or a mild Hungarian would also work but avoid the dark bitter Spanish paprika
You may also add encapsulated citric acid for tanginess

Mix well, let cure overnight after stuffing casing then smoke to an internal of 150-155.

stuff into hog casing, and link into equal length pairs for hanging in the smoker. I have also made snack sticks using edible collagen snack-stick casings with great success.

place in smoker, for 2 hours at 120F vents open 100%, with no smoke
Then increase the temperature to 140F, set vents at 75% open with smoke for another 2 hours. finally close vents to 25% with smoker temperature at 180F with smoke until internal temperature of 150-155F is reached. You can spray with cold water for a more plump appearance, or let them cool naturally for a denser texture with wrinkled casings.

[the chorizo kid]

recipe looks good. 1 tablespoon of TQ per pound of meat seems like a lot. i usually use 1 tsp with a decent flavor. does it taste real salty??

[Nutczak]

recipe looks good. 1 tablespoon of TQ per pound of meat seems like a lot. i usually use 1 tsp with a decent flavor. does it taste real salty??

Not salty at all, I have given friends this pepperoni and they are all begging for more. I always use 1 TBS/pound of meat of tender-Quick when curing ground or whole muscle meat.