Freezing pepperoni, tips please.

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jabbur

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Every time I buy some sliced pepperoni for pizza, I never use the whole bag. Each time I freeze it and then end up throwing it away when I try to use it again. It turns gray and smells off when I freeze it. Has anyone ever had good luck freezing this?
 
HMMM
Ya know, I buy all kinds of different salami and freeze them from time to time and I haven't experienced that before.
I buy Boar's Head brand at the deli counter and have them slice it for me, but I also buy the soppressata and pepperoni cubs and cube it for snacks too.

What brand are you purchasing Jabbur?
Maybe it's those moisture control packets that say "Do Not Eat" ?? dunno
 
An un-opened bag of pepperoni in the fridge should last a very, very long time. I would never consider freezing it. An opened bag, sealed well should last almost as long.
I would consider buying less if there is that much left over that needs to be stored.
They do sell 4.5 oz sliced size packages in most grocery stores.
Or buy a whole (unsliced) half stick and keep tightly wrapped.
 
Pepperoni is a cured dry sausage. It should keep in the fridge for quite a long time.

My thought exactly. I have never heard of anyone ever having left over Pepperoni.

It is a cured meat and should do just fine in the fridge. Considering that it sits just hanging without refrigeration after it is cured, it has quite a long shelf life. :angel:
 
I've frozen my pepperoni in the original package for years, after it exceeds its "best by" date, never an issue. I'll pull out a few slices for tortilla pizza, and it still looks and tastes fine.
 
I guess I'll keep it in the fridge and see how it does. Not sure why it seems to go bad for me. I even removed it from the original bag and used a freezer bag with the same results. We used to eat more pepperoni but have cut back since DH's heart attack.
 
I guess I'll keep it in the fridge and see how it does. Not sure why it seems to go bad for me. I even removed it from the original bag and used a freezer bag with the same results. We used to eat more pepperoni but have cut back since DH's heart attack.

I buy 1 lb packages of thinly sliced salami which are bigger round than pepperoni but not as big as sandwich size. They are vacuum wrapped and keep nicely in the freezer. I buy them on sale instead of pepperoni (not as hot as pepperoni).

If you microwave them warm, the fat from the pepperoni or sausage will melt out leaving you with more meat/fat ratio. Then I rinse and dry it and put it back in a plastic bag and keep it in the refrigerator for use. That might help if you are trying to reduce animal fat in the diet.

I've also seen where people will brown up hamburger with high fat content, then add water, heat, and pour off the water and fat leaving a higher meat/fat ratio in the browned hamburger.
 
There are a multitude of companies, big and small, that make and sell frozen pizzas with pepperoni on them. I have never seen one with gray pepperoni.
 
My thought is that all pepperoni is not created equal.

I use Margherita's traditional stick pepperoni, it will keep in the refrigerator for a long, long time.

Margherita® | There's Italian, And Then There's Margherita

I would be concerned about storing some of the pepperoni products that come sliced paper thin in pillow packs or some of the stick pepperoni that seems to have a high moisture content.

Another thought, if the leftover pepperoni goes bad in the freezer, try finding new uses for it.

I chop it up and add it to scrambled eggs or add part of a stick to Sunday Gravy.
 
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When I buy pepperoni (not often), I usually get pre-sliced Hormel. I've kept it in the fridge in the original package for several weeks with no problems.
 
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