A couple of pepperoni questions

[gtrplr]

I'm an idiot so if this has already been covered somewhere please don't hammer me 
If I wanted to try to make my own pepperoni is it feasible to try with some deer burger I have and buying a sausage stuffer and casings/ seasoning and could I cook it in the oven or would I have to buy a smoker? I probably should mention I do not have anything now, ie no smoker, grinder, stuffer. I'm just hesitant to invest in the equipment without knowing if I can actually make some that is edible. I pretty much am only interested in "snack stick" size for now. ANY info would be greatly appreciated! It was very painful to pay the bill at the butcher for this years deer and next year I'm planning on doing all my own processing. Thanks in advance!

[MuleySniper]

Ive always wondered the same thing. Although I already have a grinder, stuffer and smoker. Lots of burger too. My dad and I butchered my OR deer this year. I paid $265 for cut/wrap and 30# of summer sausage last year. That's getting too expensive. Id love an idiots guide to pepperoni making. If I bag a buck in Entiat (leaving tomorrow!) Its going to all be made into burger for pep.
MS

[steen]

If you only do a couple of deer a year small is fine but if you plan on doing more than that a walkin smoke house is better with a butcher room next to it.  Yes you can make your own pepperoni, sausage etc.  We are doing aprox. 300 lbs. this weekend.  I need to get our trim out to thaw so it is half frozen when Larry does the first grinding.  Looking forward to lots of summer sausage for Christmas and the winter.  Everyone who has trim involved will be helping.

[Wea300mag]

That's a tough one to answer. Do you know someone in your area who would let you borrow their equipment? If you lived in the NW area, I would just let you borrow my stuff.

You can buy starter kits from here:

http://www.sausagemaker.com/sausagemakingkits.aspx

If you want to make a lot of sausage, you will find the equipment in the kits to be less than adequate. You want at least a 1hp grinder if you grind any quantities at all. I have a 15 lb press and it works great with 25 lb batches of sausage, you only have to reload it once.

[butcher98951]

I am willing to help you out in any way, but yes in order to make good pepperoni you need at least agrinder and stuffer you do not need a smoker just a heat source like a oven or deh.. good look any questions just pm me, i will aslo look in storage to see if we have any used smaller equipment to sale...

[gasman]

To get started I would buy a smaller electric grinder. Most all grinders have stuffing tubes with them so you can start small, like what you have done, then you can up grade later. I did.

As for smoker verses oven, remember, you dry your meat, not cook it. If your oven is big enough to hang meat and dry, then go for it, but you will not get the good smoke flavor (unless you add liquid smoke). Watch Creaiglist for smokers, they come cheap or free  

The amout the butcher wants for your favorite snacks is redickulous. So far this year I have made 20lbs of summer sausage and 20 lbs of pep, 23 lbs of snack snicks (have 6lbs in the smoker right now) and i still have 30lbs of antelope burger to make more summer sausage and kielbalsa  

Its amasing on how fast that stuff gets eaton up. I have to hide it in the freezer from my kids, just so it will last  

You can buy premixed seasoning or make your own, I do both. I did find tha High Moutain has some of the best flavor with the premix stuff but Cabelas has some good stuff to.

One thing you can do is go to you local butcher and ask to buy there seasoning for the pounds of meat you are going to use.

Ask around to people that make there own and ask for tips. I have learned alot and have shared what I have learned with others. There are plenty of good tips on this site  

[carpsniperg2]

i have made it in the oven and i don't like it as much as in the oven as i do in the smoker. but it is still very good.
if you look threw some old posts or do a search i am sure you can also find some good info on here. i have posted a few times some pictures and stuff.

very nice offer butcher/Wea300mag that type of stuff helps makes this site great!

[billythekidrock]

As stated above. You will want a 1 horse (or better) grinder if you plan on doing a lot of sausage. You won't need to buy stuffer. Just use the grinder to stuff. Make sure to get the high speed auger for stuffing the snack sticks

It can be done in the oven, it will have a different flavor and texture. While not bad, it is just not the same. A smoker doesn't have to be much. It can be something as simple as an old canvas tent with a propane burner inside. You can easily rig a 2'x2' out of a sheet of plywood, a couple 2"x4"s and a hinge or two, heated by a hot plate.

I use a hot plate and propane crab cooker inside a metal locker and it works just fine.

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,1015.0.html

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,42596.0.html

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,51114.0.html

[gtrplr]

WOW I cannot believe all the responses!! Thank you guys so so so much! Very generous. I have a buddy at work that is going to loan me his little chief smoker and I'm going to buy a grinder very soon! I will keep you guys updated on how it goes and thanks again!

[gtrplr]

Update- The buddy at work just GAVE me his smoker and said he never wanted to see it again as now he has a Treager so he does not want it back! Now all I need is a meat grinder, any suggestions? BTKR- What kind is the one you use, that thing looks like a beast!

[billythekidrock]

We have a commercial Hobart, but it ain't worth using unless you are doing a hundred pounds or so. It works great and will rip your arm off.

Look at the Cabela's 1 hp.

[uplandhunter870]

my dad has the Cabelas Heavy-Duty meat grinder and it works great for us. we usually do a bear and 1 or 2 deer and about 70 pounds of beef/pork a year with it and do various sausages and pepperoni with it. he has some attatchments that allow it to be converted from a grinder to a stuffer so we can do it all with the same machine. cabelas has it listed for $70 right now

we tried the oven route and the smoked stuff always tastes better

[gtrplr]

Thanks again guys! I'm actually visiting my sister for thanksgiving and she lives in Reno near the Cabelas store so i'll check it out and probably buy on then. I'll keep you updated how it works out! Thanks again!

[Lightning_Rider]

If you're not in the city, you should build your own smoke house we built a beautiful one last summer and absolutely love it...tin roof and used an elk shed as a door handle. We made 100lbs of burger 200lbs pepperoni and 100lbs of kilbosa, that would cost around $1000 to have made but instead it cost us about $175 for the seasonings, casings, and vacuum bags, so the equipment we buy will pay themselves off in no time! 

[Boss .300 winmag]

After i saw biilythekidrock post and links, I realized I had two smokers. One is a sports locker, and the other one is 3/4 size of his cabinet. That is a great way to make smokers. Can't wait to smoke some stuff (i used to use my oven). Thanks billy!