Homemade Pepperoni

For the Sausage Mix

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Grind the pork and beef through the coarse disk separately.

3. Mix the meats together with the salt, sugar, cayenne, pepper, paprika, anise seed, garlic, red wine, ascorbic acid, and saltpeter in a large bowl.

4. Spread the mixture out in a large pan, cover loosely with waxed paper, and cure in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

5. Prepare the casings (see instructions below). Stuff the sausage into the casings, and twist off into 10-inch links.

6. Using cotton twine, tie two separate knots between every other link, one knot at the beginning and another at the end of the stuffed casing. Cut between the double knots. ​

7. The pepperoni is 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.

For the Casing

1. Snip off about four feet of casing. (Better too much than too little because any extra can be repacked in salt and used later.)

2. Rinse the casing under cool running water to remove any salt stuck to it.

3. Place it in a bowl of cool water, and let it soak for about 30 minutes. Wait for the casing to soak.

4. 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 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.

5. 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 and makes it more transparent, which makes your sausage look nicer.)

6. Leave the casing in the water-vinegar solution until you are ready to use. Rinse it well and drain before stuffing.

Preventing Trichinosis

If you're handling sausage, you should take steps to prevent contracting trichinosis. Several cases of the illness are reported in the United States annually. It is caused by a parasitic roundworm, Trichinella spiralis, or trichina. The worm, found in some pork and bear meat, can be transmitted to humans if the meat is eaten raw or untreated. Trichinae mature in a person's intestines and are usually killed by the body's defenses. Some, however, can survive in the form of cysts in various muscles for years.

Trichinosis need not be a problem for the home sausage maker. In the case of fresh pork not used for sausage, the meat need only be cooked to an internal temperature of 137 F. Pork to be consumed raw, as in dried sausage, can be made completely safe and free of trichinae by freezing it to -20 F for six to 12 days, -10 F for 10 to 20 days, or 5 F for 20 to 30 days.

A precise freezer thermometer is necessary when preparing pork for dried sausage. And remember never to taste raw pork or sample sausage if it contains raw pork.