Homemade Beef Pepperoni

Pepperoni used to be widely available. Aaron’s/Rubashkin used to sell a beef pepperoni salami that was delicious. In its absence, it is next to impossible to get kosher beef pepperoni. I found the following recipe and I thought it yielded a good product:

2 pounds lean ground beef

2 teaspoons liquid smoke flavoring (I used Colgin brand, which is parve- Dallas Kosher hechsher)

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 (ou)

Instructions:

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.

I used thin slices of this on pizza made with daiya cheese, parve dough, and a good tomato sauce. It was the first time I ever had fleishig pizza- very unique.

I had other slices on Bellaccio Kof K parve frozen garlic bread (got it in Pomegranate), with melted Daiya vegan/parve provolone slices, a roasted red pepper tapenade (Meditalia brand), and on the side for dipping, a creamy balsamic vinaigrette (done with mayonnaise, dijon, sugar, garlic powder, EVOO, and Bartenura balsamic). This was one of the best sandwiches I ever ate.