[USA] Two Types Of "Quick" Pepperoni
Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 06:30
Two Types Of "Quick" Pepperoni
(Semi-Dry-Cured Pepperoni)
Lots of folks like a bit of pepperoni but don`t like the idea of waiting months for it to air-dry. There are two relatively easy solutions for making quick pepperoni, but the sausage maker should be aware that crafting a fully-flavored, less-tangy, European-style pepperoni requires a long-term culture such as T-SPX in which a sausage may be fermented then air dried up to 90 days in a controlled environment.
In many countries, large companies have produced "quick-fermented" type pepperoni for so long that the public has now come to believe that all pepperoni must be "tangy" to be any good. Chr. Hansen in Denmark now produces a Bactoferm™ product (LHP) that is so quick that it can drop a pepperoni product safely below pH 5.0 in merely two days! And yes, it is tangy and popular with pizza lovers. Each 42-gram packet of LHP will treat 500 pounds (225 kilo) of meat. Any remaining culture may be re-frozen (up to 6 months).
"Powder Keg Pepperoni"
Type #1. Semi-Dry Pepperoni (fast fermented sausage using Bactoferm™ FLC)
7.0 lbs. pork butt
3.0 lbs. lean beef
105.00 g. salt
11.00 g. cure #1
118.30 g. ice water
45.50 g. powdered dextrose
150.00 g. soy protein concentrate
45.50 g. sugar
15.00 g. black pepper (coarse)
30.00 g. Hungarian paprika
14.50 g. fennel seeds
9.0 g. cayenne pepper (or 14 gr. for very hot!)
1.14 g. Bactoferm™ FLC culture
Place the grinder knife and plate into the freezer while you separate the fat from the lean meat using a sharp knife. Cut the meat into 1" cubes to keep long strands of sinew from wrapping around the auger behind the plate as the meat is ground. Grind the meat using a 3/8" plate then use a sharp knife to hand-dice the fat into the size cubes of your choice or grind it through a 3/16" plate. Place the fat into the freezer while you mix the Cure #1 with a little water (for uniform distribution) and add it to the meat. Work with small batches, refrigerating the meat at every opportunity. Next, mix the meat with all the remaining ingredients (except the frozen fat), kneading the mixture to develop the proteins myosin and actin, creating a "sticky meat paste" (primary bind). Finally, fold in the frozen fat and distribute it equally throughout the mixture. The sausage should be immediately stuffed into casings to avoid smearing (while the fat remains frozen), using 1-1/2" (38mm) synthetic fibrous casings or beef middles up to 60 mm. Next, choose one of the following options:
(a.) Hang them in a fermenting chamber at 100° F. (38° C.) in 90% humidity for 24 hours,
OR...
(b.) "Warm smoke" them at only 110° F. (43°C.) for eight hours in 70% humidity. (You may have to use a pan of water on a warm hotplate in your smoke house).
Raise the smokehouse temperature to 160°F. (71°C.), then gradually, only a couple of degrees at twenty minute intervals, raise the smokehouse temperature until the internal meat temperature (IMT) registers 145°F. (63°C.). This procedure must be done slowly to avoid breaking the collagen. Remove the sausages, showering them with cold water until the IMT drops to less than 90°F. (32°C.). This semi-dry-cured sausage remains perishable and must be refrigerated. Do not enclose them in a jar or plastic. Paper sacks are ideal for storing this type pepperoni.
"Poker Face Pepperoni"
Type #2. Semi-Dry Pepperoni (made with Fermento™)
7.0 lbs. pork butt
3.0 lbs. lean beef
105.00 g. salt
11.00 g. cure #1
118.30 g. ice water
45.50 g. powdered dextrose
150.00 g. soy protein concentrate
70.00 g. Fermento™
45.50 g. sugar
15.00 g. black pepper (coarse)
30.00 g. Hungarian paprika
14.50 g. fennel seeds
14.50 g. cayenne pepper
Place the grinder knife and plate into the freezer while you separate the fat from the lean meat using a sharp knife. Cut the meat into 1" cubes to keep long strands of sinew from wrapping around the auger behind the plate as the meat is ground. Grind the meat using a 3/8" plate then use a sharp knife to hand-dice the fat into the size cubes of your choice. Place the diced fat into the freezer while you mix the Cure #1 with a little water (for uniform distribution) and add it to the meat. Work with small batches, refrigerating the meat at every opportunity. Next, mix the meat with all the remaining ingredients (except the frozen fat), kneading the mixture to develop the proteins myosin and actin, creating a "sticky meat paste" (primary bind). Finally, fold in the frozen fat and distribute it equally throughout the mixture. The sausage should be immediately stuffed into casings to avoid smearing (while the fat remains frozen), using 1-1/2" (38mm) synthetic fibrous casings or beef middles up to 60 mm. Hang the sausages in your smoke house but "Warm smoke" them only - at just 110° F. (43°C.) for eight hours in 70% humidity. (You may have to use a pan of water on a warm hotplate in your smoke house). Next, raise the smokehouse temperature to 160°F. (71°C.), then gradually, only a couple of degrees at twenty minute intervals, raise the smokehouse temperature until the internal meat temperature (IMT) registers 145°F. (63°C.). This procedure must be done slowly to avoid breaking the collagen. Remove the sausages, showering them with cold water until the IMT drops to less than 90°F. (32°C.). Allow the sausages to "bloom" and lose about 30% moisture before consuming them. This semi-dry-cured sausage remains perishable and must be refrigerated. Do not enclose them in a jar or plastic. Paper sacks are ideal for storing this type pepperoni.
*Fermento is not a fermentative culture. It is a dairy-based, tangy flavoring product made by The Sausagemaker™.
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
(Semi-Dry-Cured Pepperoni)
Lots of folks like a bit of pepperoni but don`t like the idea of waiting months for it to air-dry. There are two relatively easy solutions for making quick pepperoni, but the sausage maker should be aware that crafting a fully-flavored, less-tangy, European-style pepperoni requires a long-term culture such as T-SPX in which a sausage may be fermented then air dried up to 90 days in a controlled environment.
In many countries, large companies have produced "quick-fermented" type pepperoni for so long that the public has now come to believe that all pepperoni must be "tangy" to be any good. Chr. Hansen in Denmark now produces a Bactoferm™ product (LHP) that is so quick that it can drop a pepperoni product safely below pH 5.0 in merely two days! And yes, it is tangy and popular with pizza lovers. Each 42-gram packet of LHP will treat 500 pounds (225 kilo) of meat. Any remaining culture may be re-frozen (up to 6 months).
"Powder Keg Pepperoni"
Type #1. Semi-Dry Pepperoni (fast fermented sausage using Bactoferm™ FLC)
7.0 lbs. pork butt
3.0 lbs. lean beef
105.00 g. salt
11.00 g. cure #1
118.30 g. ice water
45.50 g. powdered dextrose
150.00 g. soy protein concentrate
45.50 g. sugar
15.00 g. black pepper (coarse)
30.00 g. Hungarian paprika
14.50 g. fennel seeds
9.0 g. cayenne pepper (or 14 gr. for very hot!)
1.14 g. Bactoferm™ FLC culture
Place the grinder knife and plate into the freezer while you separate the fat from the lean meat using a sharp knife. Cut the meat into 1" cubes to keep long strands of sinew from wrapping around the auger behind the plate as the meat is ground. Grind the meat using a 3/8" plate then use a sharp knife to hand-dice the fat into the size cubes of your choice or grind it through a 3/16" plate. Place the fat into the freezer while you mix the Cure #1 with a little water (for uniform distribution) and add it to the meat. Work with small batches, refrigerating the meat at every opportunity. Next, mix the meat with all the remaining ingredients (except the frozen fat), kneading the mixture to develop the proteins myosin and actin, creating a "sticky meat paste" (primary bind). Finally, fold in the frozen fat and distribute it equally throughout the mixture. The sausage should be immediately stuffed into casings to avoid smearing (while the fat remains frozen), using 1-1/2" (38mm) synthetic fibrous casings or beef middles up to 60 mm. Next, choose one of the following options:
(a.) Hang them in a fermenting chamber at 100° F. (38° C.) in 90% humidity for 24 hours,
OR...
(b.) "Warm smoke" them at only 110° F. (43°C.) for eight hours in 70% humidity. (You may have to use a pan of water on a warm hotplate in your smoke house).
Raise the smokehouse temperature to 160°F. (71°C.), then gradually, only a couple of degrees at twenty minute intervals, raise the smokehouse temperature until the internal meat temperature (IMT) registers 145°F. (63°C.). This procedure must be done slowly to avoid breaking the collagen. Remove the sausages, showering them with cold water until the IMT drops to less than 90°F. (32°C.). This semi-dry-cured sausage remains perishable and must be refrigerated. Do not enclose them in a jar or plastic. Paper sacks are ideal for storing this type pepperoni.
"Poker Face Pepperoni"
Type #2. Semi-Dry Pepperoni (made with Fermento™)
7.0 lbs. pork butt
3.0 lbs. lean beef
105.00 g. salt
11.00 g. cure #1
118.30 g. ice water
45.50 g. powdered dextrose
150.00 g. soy protein concentrate
70.00 g. Fermento™
45.50 g. sugar
15.00 g. black pepper (coarse)
30.00 g. Hungarian paprika
14.50 g. fennel seeds
14.50 g. cayenne pepper
Place the grinder knife and plate into the freezer while you separate the fat from the lean meat using a sharp knife. Cut the meat into 1" cubes to keep long strands of sinew from wrapping around the auger behind the plate as the meat is ground. Grind the meat using a 3/8" plate then use a sharp knife to hand-dice the fat into the size cubes of your choice. Place the diced fat into the freezer while you mix the Cure #1 with a little water (for uniform distribution) and add it to the meat. Work with small batches, refrigerating the meat at every opportunity. Next, mix the meat with all the remaining ingredients (except the frozen fat), kneading the mixture to develop the proteins myosin and actin, creating a "sticky meat paste" (primary bind). Finally, fold in the frozen fat and distribute it equally throughout the mixture. The sausage should be immediately stuffed into casings to avoid smearing (while the fat remains frozen), using 1-1/2" (38mm) synthetic fibrous casings or beef middles up to 60 mm. Hang the sausages in your smoke house but "Warm smoke" them only - at just 110° F. (43°C.) for eight hours in 70% humidity. (You may have to use a pan of water on a warm hotplate in your smoke house). Next, raise the smokehouse temperature to 160°F. (71°C.), then gradually, only a couple of degrees at twenty minute intervals, raise the smokehouse temperature until the internal meat temperature (IMT) registers 145°F. (63°C.). This procedure must be done slowly to avoid breaking the collagen. Remove the sausages, showering them with cold water until the IMT drops to less than 90°F. (32°C.). Allow the sausages to "bloom" and lose about 30% moisture before consuming them. This semi-dry-cured sausage remains perishable and must be refrigerated. Do not enclose them in a jar or plastic. Paper sacks are ideal for storing this type pepperoni.
*Fermento is not a fermentative culture. It is a dairy-based, tangy flavoring product made by The Sausagemaker™.
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
