Canning pepperoni slices

Why would anyone 'can' pepperoni slices when they can be stored conveniently in the refrigerator? Well, if you are serious about food preservation and are already canning most meats, this is the simplest 'meat' of all to can. Unlike the bacon bits in the previous post, you don't have to precook anything, and the end product is rather interesting.

A couple of years ago, I wondered about canning pepperoni so I could stock up and not worry about it 'going bad.' So I went to one of my frequent canning sources, Canning Granny's blog canninggranny.blogspot.com . She tries just about EVERYTHING and you should visit her blogspot and just look around sometime. She's fearless! (I just checked her site, and I'm not seeing it now, but) I'm almost sure I read how to can pepperoni on her blog.

If I explain to you how the pepperoni slices turn out after canning, you might want to try it. As tasty as it it, pepperoni has a lot of fat. Personally, I like it! But my husband is always dabbing the extra grease up with paper towels. He says when it's too heavy it upsets his stomach. Well, canning pepperoni cooks out much of the grease during processing. If you put parchment paper in the bottom of the jar (as in the previous blog about bacon bits), all that grease drains to the bottom of the jar and away from the slices. The result? The pepperoni comes out drier and and lighter. The diameter is a bit less due to shrinkage. Still tastes like pepperoni and you use it the same way. It's also tempting to just eat it like a snack right out of the jar.

So, if you'd like to try it, I use 8 ounce jars. Put parchment paper in the bottom of the jar and press it down. I put 32 slices of pepperoni in each jar (only because I counted how many it took to cover one round homemade pizza, and that was it). I fan the slices out a bit so they are not stuck together like a stack. They have to be carefully peeled apart when ready to use, and it works best if you fan them a bit. Overstuffing the jar may also cause the slices to stick together after processing.

After you wipe the rims, of course, top each jar with a simmering lid and apply bands finger-tight. Process at 10 lbs pressure for 75 minutes. Wipe jars when cool and label with date.

The jar I opened on Feb. 27, 2015 for this blog (slices shown at right) was canned April 30, 2013 and tasted just fine... oh yeah!