Buying pepperoni and cured meats for pizza

Short answer

For pepperoni that cups and chars, look for a narrow stick in a natural casing and slice it yourself to a few millimetres; wide, pre-sliced pepperoni from fibrous-cased sticks usually lies flat. Thinner slices crisp more and render more fat. Delicate air-dried hams such as prosciutto are usually added after baking, while spreadable nduja melts into the pizza during it. Expect cured meats to add salt and fat, and adjust cheese and seasoning.

Pepperoni: casing, diameter and cupping

Pepperoni that curls into cups with charred rims is often sold as natural-casing or 'cup and char'. Natural casings are eaten with the sausage; many mass-market sticks are made in a fibrous casing that is removed before slicing, and these tend to stay flat. Testing reported from Serious Eats suggests the cause is the meat's shape when stuffed into a casing that does not stretch, rather than the casing itself; other accounts point to casing shrinkage or fat distribution. Whatever the mechanism, natural-casing, narrow-diameter sticks are the most reliable way to get cups.

Labels such as 'Old World' or 'cup and char' are descriptions, not, as far as PizzaHQ can establish, defined standards. Check the casing and the diameter rather than relying on the name, and expect some variation between batches. The pepperoni cup and char sensory guide explains why cupped pepperoni tastes different.

Slice thickness and fat

Slicing a stick yourself lets you control thickness. Thin slices crisp quickly and are more likely to cup and char; thicker slices stay chewier and render less fat in a short bake. Very thin slices can burn in a hot oven or under a grill element.

All cured sausages release fat as they heat. That fat flavours the pizza but adds to whatever oil the cheese releases. Fattier meats, a whole-milk cheese and a long bake together can make a pizza greasy; a part-skim cheese, fewer slices or blotting after baking help. Fresh sausage is a different case and is covered in its own topping profile.

Before or after the bake

Air-dried hams such as prosciutto crudo turn dry, salty and tough when baked, so they are usually laid on after the pizza comes out, where residual heat softens the fat. Thinly sliced salami such as soppressata and capicola can go on before baking but crisp and darken quickly in very hot ovens.

Nduja, a soft, spreadable spicy pork product from Calabria, melts into the pizza in the oven; small dots spread a long way, and the oil it releases carries chilli heat. Guanciale and similar uncured or partly cured cuts need enough heat and time to render; in a short bake they are often sliced very thin or partly cooked first. See the individual topping profiles, and the pre-cooked versus raw toppings comparison.

Salt load

Cured meats are salty, and so are pizza cheeses, many tinned tomatoes and anchovies. Stacking several salty toppings can make a pizza taste over-salted even when each is fine alone. When using a salty meat, salt the sauce lightly and taste it before adding more.

What to look for

• Casing (natural or fibrous) for pepperoni

  Natural-casing pepperoni is the most reliable route to cupping and charred rims; fibrous-cased sticks usually lie flat.

  Check: The label or ingredients for 'natural casing' or 'collagen casing'; whether the casing is meant to be peeled off.

• Diameter

  Narrow slices cup more readily and crisp more evenly than wide ones.

  Check: The stick or slice diameter; narrower sticks for cupping, wider ones for flat coverage.

• Whole stick or pre-sliced

  Slicing yourself controls thickness, which controls crispness and fat render.

  Check: Buy a stick if thickness matters to you; pre-sliced is convenient and fine for flat coverage.

• Fat and salt content

  Rendered fat adds to cheese oil, and salt adds to that from cheese and sauce.

  Check: The fat and salt figures on the nutrition panel; adjust cheese and sauce seasoning accordingly.

Sold harder than it matters

• 'Old World', 'artisan' or 'cup and char' labelling. These are marketing descriptions rather than defined standards that PizzaHQ can identify; a narrow natural-casing stick cups whether or not it carries the label, and labelled products vary.

PizzaHQ does not test, rank or recommend meat brands. This guide describes which product characteristics change how cured meats behave on pizza, drawing on published testing and editorial synthesis; it is not based on products PizzaHQ has cooked.

Common misconceptions

“Cupping depends only on the oven temperature.”

Heat helps, but the product matters more: narrow, natural-casing pepperoni sliced thin cups far more readily than wide, fibrous-cased slices.

“Prosciutto should be baked with the pizza.”

It can be, but it usually turns dry and salty, so many cooks add it after baking.

What this page cannot tell you

Products and casing types vary by country and producer, and the cupping mechanism is reported second-hand and not settled. Salt and fat vary widely; this page gives no amounts. For storage and handling of cured meats, follow the pack. PizzaHQ has not cooked or measured any product.

Related

Evidence

• What Sets Old World Pepperoni Apart From The Rest — Chowhound
• The Pizza Lab (column) — Serious Eats
• PizzaHQ editorial synthesis — PizzaHQ