12 oz. pork butt, fat included
5 oz. beef chuck or round

  • cube meat and grind on coarse setting

1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cayenne or other powdered chili
3/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. anise seed, ground
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
4 tsp. dry red wine

  • mix thoroughly with ground meat
  • spread on a baking sheet, cover with baking parchment, and chill for 24 hours

sausage casings
2 cups water
2 tbsp. white vinegar

  • soak casings in cool water for 30 minutes, then flush with water
  • mix vinegar with water and soak casings in the vinegar solution until ready to fill (rinse before stuffing)
  • fill sausage casings with meat mixture and segment into desired link size
  • bake at 375°F or smoke at 250°F, until the internal temperature reaches 160°F

source: https://www.thespruceeats.com/homemade-pepperoni-recipe-1808542

07/27/2024: i’m making my own sausage to avoid nitrites/nitrates, and a comment on the original recipe says it’s using way too much anyway. so i’m scaling down to a more reasonable batch size, removing all of the preservatives, and cooking the pepperoni instead of curing and drying it.