Love the idea of making venison pepperoni but lack a curing chamber and six weeks to wait? Try this recipe.
Make Your Own Venison Pepperoni Recipe
45 Min
Prep Time
360 Min
Cook Time
5-7
Servings
Medium
Difficulty
Love the idea of making pepperoni from your venison but lack the curing chamber and the patience to wait six weeks or more for it to cure? This quick-and-easy method only takes a couple of days, and most of that is passive resting in the refrigerator.
In cured pepperoni, that trademark tanginess comes from fermentation over the long curing time. Since this quick recipe doesn't get that, buttermilk powder is added both for its tangy flavor and as a binder. You can find buttermilk powder at health food stores, in larger groceries, or on line.
We eat this pepperoni on pizza, diced into pasta, in cheesy scrambled eggs, or with crackers and cheese for a snack in the deer stand or turkey blind.
Ingredients
3 pounds ground venison
2 pounds pork belly
1 cup buttermilk powder
3 tablespoons smoked paprika
6 level teaspoons Morton® Tender Quick®
4 teaspoons freshly black pepper
3 teaspoons mustard seed
2 teaspoons fennel seed, slightly crushed
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon anise seed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground oregano
½ cup ice water
Cooking Instructions
Run the venison and pork belly through the large plate of your Magic Chef meat grinder. Mix and refrigerate. The pork belly will grind more easily if it's partially frozen.
To prepare the natural sausage casings, remove them from the package and rinse away the salt under warm water. Once they are rinsed well, soak the casings in a bowl of warm water for 30 minutes. After soaking, run warm water through the casings to rinse any salt from the inside of the casing.
Slide the casing onto the tube of your Weston sausage stuffer or use the stuffing tube on your grinder. Stuff the casings, being careful not to stuff too tightly. Tie the ends of the tubes and twist into links. Poke any air pockets with a sausage pricker or the point of a sharp knife to release any air pockets.
Remove the pepperoni from the grill and submerge in ice water to stop the cooking process. Dry the sausages well and store in a zip style bag in the refrigerator for a week or two, or vacuum seal and freeze for up to a year.
