Need real PIZZERIA style PEPPERONI recipe, pls help

[rmo67]

Can anyone help me out:

I would like to know how to make normal Pizza Pepperoni. You know the type, just the plain brightly red pepperoni that is found on just about every type of pizza place around. The same type you can buy in the grocery stores (I think cut up in the refrigerated section) otherwise on the dry isles if not open yet. Normally bright red and a little tiny bite to it.

I do not and will not be able to get some of the cures where I am, I am currently over seas in Malaysia and the only pepperoni here is either all beef or all pork. They really do not know how to make it here. I know pepperoni is a mixture of beef and pork.
We cook our own Pizzas and are opening a pizzeria this year here in Malaysia and I need to be able to have pepperoni for the pizza place so I am thinking a �semi-dry� version is best.

What I can get are these:
Salt peter (brought in from the states I can get around 5-10 pounds of this)
Prague Powder (brought from the states I can get around 5-10 pounds of this)
Ascorbic Acid Powder (brought in from the states I can get around 5 � 10 pounds of this)
Would I need all or would just one or two of the above work.
The above are not easy to come by here in Malaysia, so I have to bring it back with me when I am in the states, therefore I need to �stock pile� on items that can last me for around 8-12 months of making pepperoni for a pizzeria, I cannot have the items shipped here either and I am restricted by weight as I am only allowed two suitcases of 50 pounds each. Also if there �really� is something else I am missing from curing above, please list it, you know something like nitrate, etc. Unless I can use the above without anything else.
I can make a smoker if need be, but keep in mind, I am looking for as authentic as I can get. I would have someone (a pork supplier and sausage maker) here make it for me, but so far I have not liked any of their stuff. So we will make it ourselves here. Once again, I am looking for authentic Bright red �moist� recipes of PIZZERIA STYLE Pepperoni. Please be as precise as possible, I have never really made sausage before, but I have made some light home versions of Italian sausages, just using pork and seasonings / fresh herbs. Lastly, as for Pork, can I use pork shoulder or butt, that is about all I can get here, but if something else needed let me know, there is a slaughter house not too far away I can sk them. Which reminds me; they usually slaughter a pig a night around 4:00AM but do not get the meat refrigerated until a few hours later. I need to know how long raw pork can sit out until refrigeration right after it has been slaughter (only real answers here) as I know in the states it is a bit of time also from slaughter to refrigeration. I only ask because my last batch of pork ribs had a very bad smell to them.
Thank you all in advance, sorry for being so long winded
[b][/b]

[wheels]

Hi rmo67. welcome to the forum.

I can't help with the pepperoni recipe as I'm guessing that you are referring to a US product (I'm UK based). Do you know whether it's a cooked pepperoni, or one that's air dried.

If we could identify exactly what you're wanting to make - and then work out/find a recipe - we would then know what ingredients you need.

As to the chemicals you list:

Saltpetre - 5 lbs will be sufficient for around 10,000 to 20,000 lbs of sausage but it is not used in most modern recipes.

Ascorbic Acid - You probably won't need this.

Prague powder - 5 lbs will be sufficient for around 2,000 lbs of sausage.

If you're making fresh cooked sausage you will be likely to need Prague Powder #1. For an air-dried sausage you should use Prague Powder #2.

Pork shoulder or Boston Butt are commonly used for this type of sausage.

Hopefully, someone will advise on the type of sausage used on 'standard' US pizzas, so that we can give clearer advice.

Phil

[rmo67]

I am not really sure if it is dried, semi dried or what, I am assuming it is simi-dried, usually it is quite oily inside so it does not burn when cooked at the high temp. heat in Pizza ovens, also usually is a very bright red or orange in color and not a dark red, also not pink or brown.

Hormal foods sells pepperoni precut for consumers that is a little like the one I am talking about, although does lack some taste. Usually I can find the sausage in places like a Supermarket or sometimes even in Wal0Mart.

Also if I use Prague powder would that be all that I would need? I would not need to add any other type of cure/preservatives?

The reasons I asked about Ascorbic Acid is becuase I found a recipe or two online that mention it along with SaltPeter

[wheels]

Here are some pepperoni recipes so that you can see the type of ingredients:

http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopi ... roni#41828

http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-re ... peroni.htm

http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopi ... =pepperoni

http://lpoli.50webs.com/index_files/Pep ... cooked.pdf

You will notice the use of 'culture' in the air dried ones - you'd probably need to get this in the US.

The air dried ones need specific conditions to make them - controlled temperature and humidity - so you may want to go for a cooked one (similar to the last one in the list). Certainly, I wouldn't want to be trying to produce air dried pepperoni in commercial quantities, without experience, and some very sophisticated air-drying equipment, in the temperature/humidity that I presume you have in Malaysia.

Phil

[rmo67]

Thank you for your reply, however do you know which recipe would be more like the normal ones used in most pizzerias? I have come across many recipes online but the problems is I do not know which one would mostly be more like the same type as I mentioned above in my posts, those that are found more or less coast to coast in pizzerias in the US?

[wheels]

Thank you for your reply, however do you know which recipe would be more like the normal ones used in most pizzerias? I have come across many recipes online but the problems is I do not know which one would mostly be more like the same type as I mentioned above in my posts, those that are found more or less coast to coast in pizzerias in the US?

Regrettably no, I have never been to the US.

[Nutczak]

The pepperoni commonly used for pizza is not a low-moisture dried sausage because it would curl up and burn in a hurry when baked. and many times it is a larger diamter for better coverage in the pizza.

Do you want an all beef, all pork, or pork and beef recipe?

I have done an all-beef pepperoni at home in a 3# batch that worked out very well on pizza because the moisture was kept higher. I used "Mortons Tender Quick" as my curing agent though. I mix & stuffed the casing, held them over night refrigerated, let them hang at room temperature for the casings to dry, and smoked to a temperature of 152F internal. I will hunt down my may basic seasoning recipe for a small batch and post it, but you will need to substitute cure #1 to work with, and consider doing all pork or a mix of meats.

Try this one;
Pepperoni
10 lbs. beef,pork, or any mixture
2 level teaspoons Prague Powder #1
6 tablespoons salt
1-2 tablespoon ground hot pepper (per taste)
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoon sweet paprika (Smoked paprika is also nice)
1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
5 teaspoons ground anise seed
1 pint water

Mix well, immediately stuff appropriate sized casings, Let the meat rest so the cure has enough time to do its thing, and smoke or cook to an internal temperature of 152F is reached. This can be eaten immediately after cooling, or sliced and used on pizza.

[rmo67]

Thank you very much for responding, yes if possible I would like to use a mixture of pork and beef.

[Chuckwagon]

Hi RMO

If you choose to make semi-dry cured pepperoni, it will be necessary to use a product called �fermento� to achieve a tangy flavor. In a fully dry-cured product, the tangy flavor comes from the addition of a bacteria (bactoferm) introduced to develop lactic acid. Before you make up fifty pounds, why not try two and a half pounds of sausage by dividing all the following ingredients by 10. Note that beet juice and turmeric are both very potent - mix just a little at a time until you get the color you are looking for. The trend in coloring is definately going organic to avoid unknown coloring chemicals.

Semi - Dry Cured Pepperoni: (50 lb. Formula)
(Cooked - Cured)

30 pounds pork (Boston Butt)
15 pounds beef chuck
5 pounds pork backfat (frozen)
14 oz. Fermento (14 oz. = 56 tblspns. or 3-1/2 cups
10 teaspns. Prague Powder #1
2 cups kosher salt
2 tblspns. freshly cracked black pepper
10 tblspns. powdered dextrose (70% sweet as sugar)
4 tblspns. hot red pepper (ground fine)
2 tblspns. paprika
5 tblspns. allspice (ground)
2 tblspns. fennel seed (whole)
6 tblspns. anise seed (ground)
5 cups soy protein concentrate
10 cups icewater @ 33�F.
1 cup corn syrup solids
turmeric and beet juice combination (for �organic� orange color)

Briefly saute� and toast the spices. Season and grind the meat. Add the Prague Powder stirred in a little beet juice or water for complete and even saturation. If beet juice is used for color, deduct an equal amount of water from the recipe. Mix the meat until the myosin develops into "furry" peaks.

There are all sorts of choices for casings. I like natural hog casing just over an inch in diameter. You may prefer collagen type for the ultimate in convenience in transporting and storing them. They are also super simple to stuff. I believe you can purchase them right here on this site.

Italian pepperoni, by tradition, is not smoked but a larger smoker is convenient for cooking pepperoni. Preheat your smoker to 130�F. with open dampers and slowly heat the pepperoni until it is dry to the touch. Adjust the dampers to half-open and increase the temperature slowly, only a few degrees every twenty or thirty minutes, until the internal meat temperature is 150�F. Do not allow the smoker temperature to rise above 165�F. during this process. Needless to say, the cooking time will involve several hours. Do not try to rush the process by adding more heat too quickly, or the collagen will break, fat will run out, and the texture of the meat will closely resemble sawdust! If you choose to use natural hog casings, it is possible to steam cook the pepperoni much more quickly in a steaming cabinet than in a dry heat smoker. In any case (no pun intended) at 150 degrees fahrenheit, remove the pepperoni from the smoker and shower them with cold water until the internal temperature is less than 100�F. Refrigerate the pepperoni overnight before using it. Semi-dry cured pepperoni will lose about 30% of its original moisture.

May I make a suggestion? If you are going to make pepperoni for public consumption, please protect yourself by learning all you can about making sausage simply for safety reasons - nitrates and nitrites are nothing to fool with- they are deadly poisons in greater amounts. You must know how to use them to avoid hurting someone. Worse, without them you wouldn't want to develop your own botulinae garden either. In America they'd just sue you. In Malaysia they just might hang you! Forget about saltpeter - it has been illegal in the United States since 1975. Saltpeter is potassium nitrate and is much, much, more expensive than sodium nitrate or sodium nitrite. If you'd like to make your own gunpowder, mix 8 parts saltpeter, 5 parts sulfur, and 5 parts charcoal together. Saltpeter (potassium nitrate) is also bitter. Stick with the Prague Powder #1 (sodium nitrite) for cured, smoked, cooked products, and Prague Powder #2 (sodium nitrate + sodium nitrite in precise amounts) for dry cured products. The best favor you could do for yourself would be to pick up one of the very fine books on the market and learn the finer points of the craft.
My best wishes, Chuckwagon

[spatzle]

If you're still looking for a pepperoni recipe, the one here is serviceable. While it's not my favourite recipe, it does make the NY style pizza pepperoni that you want & has the advantage of only needing the saltpeter that you have & ascorbic acid. You can crush vitamin C tablets to source the ascorbic acid. For the best results, substitute ice water in place of the red wine. And it doesn't need to cure for the recommended six weeks. Probably 3 - 4 wks would be sufficient, as pizza pepperoni should have a higher moisture content.

[wheels]

...and maybe reduce the saltpetre as the level seems to be rather high.

[captain wassname]

Hi Phil your more than right.I just weighrd a half tsp. of saltpetre at 2.9 gms which for 4.55 kilos of meat is enough(637 ppm)

Jim

[Chuckwagon]

You guys can't slip anything by Phil! Don't even try. I know he's the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree... but he drives on the wrong side of the road!
Best Wishes, Chuckwagon

[wheels]

Hey, we don't drive on one side of the road where I live - we drive on whichever side is shadiest!