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10 pounds lean beef chuck, round or shank, cubed
Grind meat through the coarse disk of a meat grinder.
Mix with the remaining ingredients (except the casing).
Spread the mixture out in a large pan, cover loosely with waxed paper, and cure in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours.
Prepare the casings (see instructions below. Stuff the sausage into the casings and twist off into
ten" links. Using cotton twine, tie two separate knots between every other link, and one knot at the beginning and another at the end of the stuffed casing. Cut between the double knots. This results in pairs of
ten" links.
The pepperoni are hung by a string tied to the center of each pair. Hang the pepperoni to dry for six to eight weeks. Once dried, the pepperoni will keep, wrapped, in the refrigerator for several months.
Preparing the Casing:
After soaking, rinse the casing under cool running water. Slip one end of the casing over the faucet nozzle. Hold the casing firmly on the nozzle, and then turn on the cold water, gently at first, and then more forcefully. This procedure will flush out any salt in the casing and pinpoint any breaks. Should you find a break, simply snip out a small section of the casing. Place the casing in a bowl of water and add a splash of white vinegar. A tablespoon of vinegar per cup of water is sufficient. The vinegar softens the casing a bit more and makes it more transparent, which in turn makes your sausage more pleasing to the eye. Leave the casing in the water/vinegar solution until you are ready to use it. Rinse it well and drain before stuffing
Poster's Notes:
This started out life as a regular treyf homemade sausage recipe. I haven't ever tried it as all-beef (or any other way; I've never made sausage in casings....) but friends who make sausage say that there are ways to substitute beef for pork and not lose much in the translation. This recipe has simply had all references to pork replaced with references to beef; the cut of beef used might be too low-fat for this recipe, however.
As to where one would get casings, I can't help you. (I keep nagging my husband for a KitchenAid mixer with sausage attachment and when that appears in my kitchen I'll get to researching the question....)
If nothing else, having the spice and flavoring information might allow you to make a mock pepperoni for use in recipes that call for pepperoni as a flavoring rather than as a decoration.
Posted by Gypsy/Phyllis Wilson
Nutritional Info Per Serving:
N/A
5 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoons crushed anise seed
1 teaspoon garlic, very finely minced
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 teaspoon ascorbic acid
1 teaspoon saltpeter
6 feet small (1/2" diameter) casings
Snip off about four feet of casing. (Better too much than too little because any extra can be repacked in salt and used later.) Rinse the casing under cool running water to remove any salt clinging to it. Place it in a bowl of cool water and let it soak for about half an hour. While you're waiting for the casing to soak, you can begin preparing the meat as detailed below.