By JENNIFER WALDERA
How To Purchase And Slice Pepperoni For Perfect Crispy Cups
The trendy, cute, curled pepperoni cups served nestled on top of pizzas nowadays are arguably far superior to standard flat pepperonis in terms of appearance, taste, and texture.
This style of pepperoni is often called ‘roni cups, cup-and-char-pepperoni, or cupping pepperoni. Making them requires pepperoni with the right casing and medium-thick slicing.
To get perfect 'roni cups, chef J. Kenji López-Alt examined the pepperoni’s thickness, the direction of the heat source, and how casing affects pepperoni reactions under heat.
He shared the parameters necessary for the ideal pepperoni cup on Serious Eats and said choosing pepperoni with a natural or collagen casing (not a fibrous casing) is crucial.
A natural or collagen casing will contribute to the shrinkage of the pepperoni, and the way the meat is stuffed into those kinds of casing will be conducive to pepperoni curling.
Pepperoni curls and crisps due to the difference in the way its top and bottom react to heat, and a thicker slice ensures a greater difference between the top and the bottom.
However, the stiffness of an overly thick pepperoni slice can keep it from curling, so it’s best to slice it to a thickness within the range of 2.5 millimeters to 5.6 millimeters.