No Group 1 carcinogens in this homemade pepperoni! Make your own at home. You’ll taste the difference and find your own pepperoni to be cheaper and healthier. Read on for the easy to make recipe but I admit, the ingredient list is long! A well stocked spice cabinet will have all you need, though. This recipe is very adjustable to whatever spices you have on hand.
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The ingredient list heads up
WAIT! Don’t leave. Please don’t see this long ingredient list and run for the hills like I usually do.
When looking for recipes, I’m looking at two main things:
- how many ingredients
- how long it will take to make
Can you relate?
The good news is this recipe is very versatile! You can take or leave quite a few of the spices in this list and still make a delicious pepperoni meat stick.
Pepperoni vs. meat stick
Pepperoni generally is loaded with red pepper, paprika, black pepper, and maybe spicier peppers like cayenne and white pepper.
This recipe has most of those in it which is why I call it homemade pepperoni.
However, I’ve made this same meat stick with my All Meat Seasoning (replacing 1 for 1 the garlic powder, paprika, and onion powders with the All Meat Seasoning) which doesn’t have as much pepper in it. With that said, it would probably just be a meat stick instead but I still call it pepperoni.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs lean ground meat (beef, pork (not sausage), chicken, turkey, venison, I personally like to mix beef and pork)
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder or granules
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard (or 1 tsp liquid mustard)
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (double if you like a bit of heat)
- 1/2 tsp coriander, crushed
- 1/8 cup cold water
optional spices:
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp all spice
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
Homemade Pepperoni Instructions
Day 1
Start by adding the thawed ground meats to a mixing bowl. Then measure and add in all spice ingredients plus the cold water.
Using your hands, mix the ingredients together well. If you simply cannot (clean) bare handed, wear food safe gloves or use a spoon but be sure to really work in the spices into the meat.
Now wash your hands well.
Using plastic wrap, stretch out about 18 inches of plastic wrap onto a clean, cleared table space. If you’d like this recipe to make 2 thinner meat sticks, tear off a second 18 inches long plastic wrap. This recipe makes one meat stick that is about 2.5 inches in diameter when sliced after cooking. Great for snacking and pizza making.
For one sheet of plastic wrap, pour the meat ball onto the plastic wrap. Gently try to shape it into a thick rectangle log as best you can.
Then take the two open ends of the wrap and close up the meat stick package. There should be a good amount of plastic wrap left on both ends of the meat stick.
Next, wash hands if dirty from the step above.
Shaping Homemade Pepperoni into meat stick
With the meat encased in the plastic wrap completely, use both hands to roll the meat stick back and forth, trying to stretch the meat stick out length-wise. This is going to take some gentle manipulation on your part.
The goal is to get the meat stick to be almost as long as the plastic wrap but leave 2 inches on each end to twist closed when the meat stick is the thickness you prefer.
If making two meat sticks from this recipe, repeat the “log roll” with the other half of the meat.
Once the meat stick is the desired thickness, twist closed the ends, just like hard peppermint candy is twist closed.
Now put the homemade pepperoni meat stick(s) on a baking sheet and allow the meat to rest in the refrigerator for exactly 24 hours. This allows the flavors to develop in the meat.
Day 2
Next day, after 24 hours of resting, preheat smoker grill to 200 degrees Farenheit.
Then unwrap the meat stick(s) from the plastic wrap and discard the wrap. Gently place the meat stick onto a cooling rack inside of the baking sheet. This allows the pepperoni not to sit in the drippings, leaving an undesirable texture.
Place the baking sheet into the oven and allow it to cook for 2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Check internal temperature around 1 hour 45 minutes. If cooking 2 meat sticks with this recipe, check the internal temperature at 1 hour and 15 minutes of cook time.
What if I do not have a wood pellet smoker grill?
Alternatively, this homemade pepperoni meat stick can be placed in a regular oven at 200 degrees for 2 hours or internal temp of 160 degrees.
The wood pellet smoker adds a nice smokey flavor profile is why it is our choice.
After homemade pepperoni is cooked
Once the homemade pepperoni is cooked and cooled, using a nice slicing knife, slice the meat stick into rounds as thick or thin as you prefer.
How long does homemade pepperoni last?
Refrigerator Storage: up to 3 days as this is an uncured pepperoni meat stick
Freezer Storage:
- store in air tight container like a freezer safe zip top bag or container
- take out the amount of slices you want and allow to thaw in fridge for a few hours
- store up to 1 month in the freezer
Does homemade pepperoni need casing?
This homemade pepperoni recipe does not need any casing!
Interestingly enough, after the meat stick is done cooking, it LOOKS as if there is a casing on the outside of it. That outside texture even has a little bit of a “snap” like casing does.
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Baking sheet with cooling rack (stainless steel)
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Homemade Pepperoni
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Day 1
- Start by adding the thawed ground meats to a mixing bowl. Then measure and add in all spice ingredients plus the cold water.
- Using your hands, mix the ingredients together well. If you simply cannot (clean) bare handed, wear food safe gloves or use a spoon but be sure to really work in the spices into the meat.
- Now wash your hands well.
- Using plastic wrap, stretch out about 18 inches of plastic wrap onto a clean, cleared table space. If you’d like this recipe to make 2 smaller meat sticks, tear off a second 18 inches long plastic wrap. This recipe makes one meat stick that is about 2.5 inches in diameter when sliced after cooking. Great for snacking and pizza making.
- For one sheet of plastic wrap, pour the meat ball onto the plastic wrap. Gently try to shape it into a thick rectangle log as best you can.
- Then take the two open ends of the wrap and close up the meat stick package. There should be a good amount of plastic wrap left on both ends of the meat stick.
- Next, wash hands if dirty from the step above.
- With the meat encased in the plastic wrap completely, use both hands to roll the meat stick back and forth, trying to stretch the meat stick out length-wise. This is going to take some gentle manipulation on your part.
- The goal is to get the meat stick to be almost as long as the plastic wrap but leave 2 inches on each end to twist closed when the meat stick is the thickness you prefer.
- If making two meat sticks from this recipe, repeat the “log roll” with the other half of the meat.
- Once the meat stick is the desired thickness, twist closed the ends, almost like hard peppermint candy is twist closed.
- Now put the homemade pepperoni meat stick(s) on a baking sheet and allow the meat to rest in the refrigerator for exactly 24 hours. This allows the flavors to develop in the meat.
- Day 2
- Next day, after 24 hours of resting, preheat smoker grill to 200 degrees Farenheit.
- Then unwrap the meat stick(s) from the plastic wrap and discard the wrap. Gently place the meat stick onto a cooling rack inside of the baking sheet. This allows the pepperoni not to sit in the drippings, leaving an undesirable texture.
- Place the baking sheet into the oven and allow it to cook for 2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Check internal temperature around 1 hour 45 minutes. If cooking 2 meat sticks with this recipe, check the internal temperature at 1 hour and 15 minutes of cook time.
- Alternatively, this homemade pepperoni meat stick can be placed in a regular oven at 200 degrees for 2 hours or internal temp of 160 degrees.
- The wood pellet smoker adds a nice smokey flavor profile.
- After homemade pepperoni is cooked
- Once the homemade pepperoni is cooked and cooled, using a nice slicing knife, slice the meat stick into rounds as thick or thin as you prefer.
