the question of pepperoni

[ben .]

hey all

where does pepperoni fall on the pork product perishability (ppp) scale?

i found a brand of pre-sliced “uncured pepperoni” that i really like. it says both “shelf stable” and “refrigerate after opening” on the packaging. it comes in air tight 4 oz packages that are likely enough for 2 or 3 meals.

my ideal plan is to bring two packages, open the first and have it last 2-3 (even 4?) days while being stored in a ziploc, then open the second and have it last the same.

sound good? or sound like trichinosis?

apologies for the basic question, but i’m always a little confused by this stuff.

(this will be over a 6 day trip in the high sierra this month – low humidity, relatively low temperatures.)

[Matthew / BPL]

I ate a ton for Boars Head Genoa Salami (shelf stable, non-refrigerated, vacuum packed) on the JMT. Maybe not a ton. Four salamis for two of us is probably not a ton… Each salami lasted us 4-5 days and I’m here to live the story. We left them in their original packaging and just put that in a freezer ziplock once it opened.

[Matthew / BPL]

Not that it matters but you get trichinosis from raw/undercooked pork.

[Matthew / BPL]

Sorry to spam but one more though is you could buy smaller pepperoni snack packs or individually wrapped snack sticks if you want to be super safe. The snack sticks could be acquired in different flavors as well for variety.

[JCH]

Like Matthew, I have backpacked various brands of sausage and survived…thrived actually, despite the envious stares and threats of confiscation from hiking partners upon discovering what I had.  Sausage is how mankind has been preserving meat for centuries.  It’ll be fine for several days in a ziplock :)

Hard won knowledge…pre-slice at home using rubber gloves (don’t touch it with your hands and risk introducing bacteria) and pre-package portion sizes in plastic wrap.  That way you only open what you are going to consume.  This same preparation/packaging routine works really well with cheese too.  Harder cheeses last longer, but sharp cheddar will last a week if it is not too hot. Smoked cheeses last forever.

[ben .]

yeah, i generally bring a hard salami and cut it up for lunch each day. this pepperoni tastes quite a bit better to me, such that i’m hoping i’ll be happy to eat it even at high altitude (where my appetite is pretty minimal for the first several days).

i realize now that i may have assumed there was more of a difference between salami and pepperoni that there actually is. i brief google search says that they are more or less the same thing, at least for our purposes. so i guess that’s my answer: it’ll be fine. the pepperoni is pre-cut, so it would see a lot more air exposure once open. but that seems to be the only major difference, unless i’m missing something.

(and yes, i always bring some cheddar in parchment + a ziploc.)

thanks for letting me think out loud…

[JCH]

Hey Ben, care to share the brand of this new awesome pepperoni?  :)

[ben .]

ha! it’s called vincenza uncured pepperoni. i found it at whole foods. it may actually be one of those semi-faux brands that only exist at whole foods?!

but i am no master of meat and you should take my recommendation with a big grain of celery salt — i eat almost no pork or red meat unless i’m backpacking.

[JCH]

it may actually be one of those semi-faux brands that only exist at whole foods

Yup :) And thanks for the heads up.

[ben .]

wow. so much bold italicization…

[Alexander S]

The whole reason people made dried meats such as salami, etc was to be able to keep food for longer periods. They are full of salts which are bacteriostatic.

An unopened salami or similar product will keep for quite a while in reasonable temps and I’ve eaten opened products for days with no ill effects.

[Matthew / BPL]

I’m craving Salami hardcore now. Thanks!

[James Marco]

I often bring salami/peperoni out on longer backpacking trips. I just got back from two weeks out and had carried a stick of pepperoni till the last day. I use about a quarter stick per day as seasoning (along with a quarter cup of beef jerky) in about 7oz of some sort of rice (zaterans, rice sides, etc.) The last day at around 75-80F was as good as the first. I usually just twist the casing, fold it over the end, and wrap a hair tie over it to keep grease down. Usually I get Boars Head, since i find Hormel’s to be mostly too soft, but that is a matter of preference. Not sure I would trust any low salt, or natural cured stuff. Kind of like bringing bacon, some is great, it will keep forever. Some is poorly made and will only keep about 24-36 hours after opening.

[Gary Dunckel]

You could also vacuum-seal each day’s portion separately. I do that with Little Smokies and pre-cooked shelf stable bacon. They last a long time in the fridge (a year or more), and for a good long while on the trail.

[Nick Smolinske]

I usually just go to the supermarket deli counter before a trip and get Boar’s Head pepperoni or salami pre-sliced. Not because it lasts particularly longer, I just think BH tastes better. If it’s a colder-weather trip, like winter in the Grand Canyon, then I just throw it all in a freezer bag and call it good. On a warmer weather trip I usually bring just enough for the first couple of days.

Also, peppered salami with sharp cheddar and dried apples in a tortilla is a really nice combo.

[Franco Darioli]

it’s called vincenza uncured pepperoni. i found it at whole foods. it may actually be one of those semi-faux brands that only exist at whole foods?!

it could not be Italian because in Italy pepperoni is this :

it’s the plural of pepperone , a bell pepper. Not related , in Italy, to salami .

To make it a bit clearer, pepperoni for salami is an American term so no you will not find it on Italian made goods if not specifically made for the US market.

 

[David Thomas]

I’ve great luck with the edibility of Italian hard, dry salami on extended trips.  I cut it into slices at each meal.

I’ve also had great luck attracting bears with salami.  The two times a black bear in the California Sierra grabbed a pack from us, it was the pack with the salami in it.

I’m comfortable with salami or pepperoni, sliced or not, for many days on the trail, but if pre-sliced, I’m more careful to carry it in a zip lock and burp as much air as possible out of the bag after each use.

Also (and this applies even more to cold cuts like roast beef or pastrami which I’ll use for 2-3 days in mild weather), you can do a lot to keep things cold on the trail.  Expose them to the night air and then the following morning place them in the center of your pack with insulating clothing and sleeping bags/pads around them.  The first times I backpacked in ice cream sundaes or frozen wedding cake figuring it would thaw on the way in, I found that I’d insulated it so well that I was rushing to get it thawed before the event. Subsequently, I’d track the temperature through the hike in so that it was refrigerated but not frozen for the planned meal.  And the more I did it, the less styrofoam I used for insulation and the more I relied on clothes and sleeping bag/pads I’d be bringing anyway.  Multipurpose you gear!

Sometimes, there are supplies you won’t use for several days (a second fuel canister, food for later in the trip, etc) that you can freeze along with your meats and cheeses for the middle of the trip.  That gives you a larger thermal mass that will stay colder longer.

Pro-tip#1: put dry ice BELOW the ice cream so the ice cream is kept at a serve-able 10-20F.  If you put the dry ice ABOVE and close to the ice cream, you can’t cut -100F ice cream with an axe!

Pro-tip#2: while live lobsters like to be in cold water, using dry ice to make the water cold can suffocate the lobster.  Yes, we discovered this on a backpacking trip.

[William Kerber]

I like these pretty well. 2 sticks to a pack and I’ll usually eat one stick for lunch with cheese or one cut up in Ramen or a Knorr side for dinner.

[Ken Larson]

I individually vacuum seal unsliced amount for each meal I desire when using salami and pre sliced pepperoni being careful sanitary wise in the packaging process. I stay away with this items when in bear country and plan for their use early in a 10 to 12 day trip. Never have leftovers so this is not an issue.

[Steve Collins]

Ben,

You are right, this is a really tasty one.  I’ve taken it out for a week in temps up to the low 80’s. It does get a little more oily than most so next time I would pack it in zip locks or vac seal individual portions. Their other meats are really good too but can get super oily after a day or so.

In general I have taken the packages marked refrigerate after opening for a week or more with each package being open for a couple days and it’s been fine, or at least I’m still here and have been doing it for years.

[Jim Colten]

David,

I’ve got a feeling that you could write an entertaining book about your “you brought WHAT backing?” experiences.

[Roger Caffin]

I don’t like the pre-sliced stuff – salami or cheese. It exposes far too much surface to air-borne bacteria. I take a large lump of Continental-style cheese and a good lump of hot salami, and cut off bits from the exposed end each day. No trouble.

(You can take your ‘processed cheese’ and … oops, I’m a Mod.)

Cheers

[Author]

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