Tammy's Spicy Pepperoni recipe

I've always been fascinated by making things from scratch; canning, sewing, gardening, dehydrating, preserving, making cheese and soap (not at the same time); I get a self-satisfied feeling of accomplishment. So I was thrilled to find this recipe for homemade pepperoni.

I don't remember what I was researching when I found the Tammy's Recipes site, but her "miscellaneous" section called to me. That's how I ended up with this amazing pepperoni recipe.

It takes some planning ahead to make, but it's totally worth it to have real pepperoni taste minus all the bad stuff that's found in the commercial varieties. I must admit that I substituted kosher salt + some brown sugar for the Morton's Tender Quick curing salt that the recipe calls for. I couldn't find Tender Quick in my local grocery stores and when I looked it up online I found that it contains sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, and propylene glycol, all the stuff I don't want in my homemade foods. The resulting sausage is brown instead of commercial pepperoni red but it tastes the same. The results were fine with my family.

Tammy's Spicy Pepperoni

A spicy dense cured pepperoni recipe. This recipe is very easy to make and has that authentic pepperoni taste.

Yield: 2 pounds of pepperoni

2 pounds lean ground beef (85% lean or leaner)
2 teaspoons liquid smoke flavoring
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons mustard seed
1 1/2 or 2 teaspoons crushed fennel seed*
1 or 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper**
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 heaping teaspoons Morton's Tender Quick curing salt

1. Combine seasonings and meat and mix thoroughly, using hands. Cover and refrigerate for 48-72 hours.
2. Form meat into two long logs or rolls. Place a rack (or pan/sheet with drainage) on a cookie sheet and put the logs onto rack. Bake at 200 degrees for 8 hours, rotating logs every 2 hours.
3. Logs will be a bright pink when they are finished, and should be fairly dry and firm. Wipe off excess grease and allow meat to cool. Chill and then slice thinly. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for longer storage.

Additional Notes from Tammy:
*I crushed mine with a rolling pin; it wasn't extremely crushed, but that's okay: it doesn't need to be very fine.
**Use more if you like hotter pepperoni; use less if you want a milder flavor