Thoughts On Pepperoni

Few pizzas are as classic as a pepperoni pizza.

Every pizza shop sells one.

But all pepperoni are not created equal.

In fact, the final quality of your pepperoni pizza relys greatly on what pepperoni you use.

Most grocery stores sell three types of pepperoni, a fourth variety is reserved for specialty shops and delicatessens.

The most common varieties of pepperoni are presliced, vaccumed packed pepperoni and turkey pepperoni.

Never buy turkey pepperoni.

The regular kind will do in a pinch, it's easy (pre-sliced) and fairly inexpensive.

However, if you're looking to really excell, you need to buy a complete stick of fresh margeita pepperoni, and either have the store slice it, or slice it yourself.

Fresh pepperoni has about three times the flavor of the pre-sliced kind, and as such, you may not need as much to achieve the taste you want.

It also is denser, and so will cook slower than it's counterpart.

Typically, if you are using fresh pepperoni, plan on an extra 2 to 3 minutes of cook time.

One final thought...

Since all types of pepperoni release a good deal of grease when they are cooked, sprinkling a light layer of dried paremesan cheese (like you would put on spaghetti) will absorb some of the grease, and keep the pizza tidy and tasty.

 -James