Pepperoni

[deejaydebi]

I really like the citric acid taste in the sausages makes it zippier or something. What's the word? ..... more Tangy?

 

[smoked]

yea, I went ahead and added some encap citric acid to it....it does give that dry cure tang like it was fermented......the one tester we did last night was good....still not exactly like pepperoni but as you said let it sit in the fridge and age a bit.......

 

[deejaydebi]

There a missing something ... almost tangy something that makes your mouth water. Maybe it needs more citric acid?

 

[smoked]

well from the directions I had I figured out that it's about .48 tsp per pound for encapsulated citric acid.....so for the 5 lbs I did a "shy" 2 1/2 tsp dose and it seems right to me.......just hoping I get more "pepperoni" taste as it ages a bit....I'm thinking of modifying the recipe a tad and using more paprika then cayenne and maybe even throwing in some black pepper......

 

[deejaydebi]

Gotta find the ingrediant that causes that drooling sensation. Almost salt like but not salt.

 

[smoked]

okay debi, we have let this last batch sit and age in the fridge for a while....it smells damn good, but still.....the taste to us is not pepperoni, even with the citric acid for the tang....it's not hitting the mark for us....guess I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and buy a small fridge for doing dry curing (heck getting time to try some hard cheeses anyway).....I'm not sure if I thin slice this batch that it will be different, but right now.....I'm thinking I gotta get into dry curing.....afterall....we love salami and your gonna crack that recipe now then right????

 

[deejaydebi]

I gonna try but what ever it is - it's the missing link to the pepperoni too!
Sure which there was a way I could ask Mama what is missing. Maybe it's the cure? All I have listed is "cure."

 

[smoked]

well the amount of cure it would have to be praque.......oh well, guess the homemade pizza's will end up with store bought pepperoni........

 

[cajun_1]

1 1/2" casing...Just curious, but what size stuffing tube did you use?

 

[smoked]

cajun.... I used the 1" tube, yes it's a tad tricky but you get the hang of it......

 

[deejaydebi]

Smoked -

I think i figured it out ... salt!

There's not enough salt. I just ate one of the pepperonis I made Feb 18th and it needs salt.

The smell is right, the spice is right (could use more heat for my taste but ...) it really needed salt. So I went to the salt shaker and grabed a few grains and darned if that isn't the spice that makes your mouth water and enhance the flavor. DUH!

I'm going to make a small 5 lbs. batch this weekend and add half again as much salt and being this will be just for me I'll add more crushed red pepper.

 

[smoked]

cool....let me know the alterations....

 

[pigcicles]

Holy salt shakers Debi... I think you've got it! 58 million Italians can now sleep knowing you've cracked the secret... Hope you got it this time. I know it's the little things in life that chew on me.

Keep Smokin

 

[deejaydebi]

Piggy your a nut!

{{{{piggy}}}}

 

[deejaydebi]

Well I made the modified Pepperonis now we wait .... I also tried a recipe for Hard salami I found online but I think it failed miserably. I've made hamburgers that smelled spicer than that, but I wait and see.

I also made a smoked turkey roll. Wish I had a bigger sausage casing it was good! I bit loose but good.

 

[smoked]

debi, do you think the pepperoni has any effect depending on size of casing? I've been using about 2 1/4 inch casings for mine.......it looks like you are using much smaller.....

 

[deejaydebi]

Smoked -

I don't see the ingredients changing but the cooking time will definately change! Fatter sausages take longer to cook. I use 30mm cologen casings and poke tiny holes all over them. They get kind of gassy don't ya know! Gosh did you take their temperatures? They need to get up too about 150 degrees. If you use pork I'd kick it up to 160 to be safe.

I smelled that last batch today they smell much better with more salt. The skins are shriveling up nice too. Another week in the fridge and I'll eat one. Takes about two weeks to taste right. I also added lemon peels and tweeked the peppers to make it hotter.

That strange little beef salami thing is shriveling up to nothing. Bet I have about 1/2" of space in the casing now. Another week ad I'll be able to slide it right out of the casing.

 

[smoked]

well I keep a probe on one....let them go to 170 basically.....the last batch still is in the fridge, guess they will be the first to be on the new slicer!!!!!

 

[deejaydebi]

Still waiting to hear the report on that new slicer!

 

[deejaydebi]

Okay tried the latest batch of pepperoni today and it was very tasty although a bit to lean. I made this batch out of 97% hamburger (the only beef I had) and ground porkchops. You do need more fat to get the texture right. Except for that it was great! I added a few extra things just for grins.

Pepperoni II
6 lbs ground Pork
5 lbs ground Beef
5 tablespoons Salt
2 teaspoons Prague Powder #1
1 teaspoon Mustard powder
8 teaspoons Anise seeds
4 teaspoons Fennel seeds
1/2 cup Powdered Milk
3 teaspoons minced Garlic Powder
4 tablespoons Corn Sugar
8 teaspoons Ruby Red Paprika
8 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
3 teaspoon Citric Acid
1 teaspoon lemon rind
1 teaspoon Allspice
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper