pepperoni making

[fishy]

Would like to know if anybody has info on where to buy small casing and a good recipe with out using the cure salt. We do are own breakfast sausage and we are thinking of doing are own pepperoni. So we would need to buy a smoker . If anybody can help us out we would really appreciate it. We buy are spices from stuffers now but want to try the pepperoni in a more natural spices. THANK YOU

[TyTy]

What size casings are you planning to use? The smallest ones I could find at stuffers, were the 19mm cologen casings.

[fishy]

yes something small about 5/8" or 3/4"

[Daybreak]

To the best of my knowledge the curing salt is required to make pepperoni. The curing salt is what prevents bacterial growth while the product is in the temperature danger range. Some of the nasty bacteria's thrive in the oxygen depleted environment of a stuffed casing and when the meat sticks hang in the smoker slowly drying, smoking and then brought up to final temperature the conditions are perfect for problems to arise. Thus the need for curing salt. It ensures food safe in the dangerous temperature range.

The only exception I can think of would be to make your pepperoni without stuffing it in cases and immediately freeze it as patties or in logs. Then thaw as required and cook well.

I could be wrong but just a heads up, altering sausage recipes other than those labelled "fresh sausage" can have bad results.

[Daybreak]

I have a good pepperoni recipe to share however it includes 1 Tsp curing salt for every 5 lbs of meat. I believe the fear of nitrates in our diet is over worked. There are many vegetables that contain nitrates naturally including celery. As long as a person isn't eating processed meats day in and day out I would say our bodies can tolerate it well.

[Blacktail]

If you are going to smoke sausages you need the cure to inhibit bacterial growth when smoking and curing.
Try going to a local butcher or meat shop for casings.
I use 20-21 mm casings for my pepperoni and it works awesome.
A little bigger than normal and takes a little longer to finish in the smoker but well worth it.

Pepperoni

4 pounds Venison
2 pounds pork

4 tbsp salt
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp. cayenne
2 tsp crushed anise
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp thyme
6 tsp dried garlic
1/4 cup honey garlic sauce or teriyaki sauce depending on your preference
1 cup red wine

[Whonnock Boy]

I only see one pepperoni recipe on this site, but there are plenty of others to try. http://lpoli.50webs.com/Sausage%20recipes.htm

[fishy]

Thanks guys for the info. What smokers do you have home made or bought. THANKS again

[cdub]

Thanks guys for the info. What smokers do you have home made or bought. THANKS again

I made mine, made of plywood and 2 inches of insulation with a 1500watt element for a smoker retro from gas. For smoke I added a Bradley smoke generator on the side so I can control the heat and smoke separately.