Pepperoni Recipe

[Blacktail]

This recipe can be altered in the amounts of spices to your individual taste and the amounts of game meat and pork.
I have used this over the years and have found it not too bad at all.


3 1/2 lbs. venison
1 1/2 lbs. ground pork
4 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
3 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. cayenne
2 tbsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. crushed anise seed
6 cloves of garlic
1 cup red wine

mix all the ingredients well and refrigerate for at least 48 hours
stuff into hog casing and dry in a smoker or dehydrator or whatever process you wish.
If you want to add cure you can but if it is dried really well it will keep for a few days on its own.

I package up in amounts that will last me for a couple days in the field.

[jamfarm]

How would this turn out if you were to substitute bear for venison?

[Blacktail]

that would work too but remember to make sure all the fat and sinew is cut out of the bear meat as it will give you a bad taste after it is processed.

[tomahawk]

Thanks for sharing, pepperoni is the toughest sausage to find that one great recipe for me, i'll give this one a try

[Ron.C]

Bear should work great, but you will want to make sure you get the finished product up to the required temp to ensure Tric is killed. Depending on which reference you choose to use, I've seen that recommended temp be from 153 deg F to 185 deg F. Good looking recipe and similar to the one I use. But correct me if I'm wrong, isn't the cure used to prevent bacteria from growing during the drying process? And should it not be used everytime regardless of if is to be refrigerated on completion or not?

[Philcott]

But correct me if I'm wrong, isn't the cure used to prevent bacteria from growing during the drying process? And should it not be used everytime regardless of if is to be refrigerated on completion or not?

That's what I believe too Ron. Not needed for fresh sausage like italian and brats but definitely for pepperoni and salami type sausages according to what I have learned.

[Blacktail]

Yes you could, but the combination of the salt and sugar and leaving it cure in the fridge for at least 48 hours will lessen the chance of that happening.

Nitrates are everywhere and in healthy individuals the are absorbed rapidly with no problems. Absorbed nitrates react with the hemoglobin in your blood to produce methemoglobin which in adults is rapidly converted to oxyhemoglobin and excreted by the kidneys.
In unhealthy people and some young children the conversion sometimes does not occur and can cause the hemoglobin in the blood to fail to transfer oxygen.
Are nitrates and nitrites safe?? The jury is still out on that.
Make up your own mind on the use of them and if you do the accepted rate of nitrate or nitrite addition is 6.1 grams per 100 pounds of meat ( around a teaspoon) but follow the directions for whatever you use. The most common cure is prague powder but you can get other types from sausage supply houses.I tend to use them sparingly.

there is your biology lesson...... http://albertasportsman.com/Smileys/default/cool.gif