Pepperoni Jerky - dehydrated pepperoni slices - is a convenient & tasty snack to bring camping. Here's how I make pepperoni more shelf stable.
My husband isnโt on a keto diet, so he can have every manner of delicious snack he can think of.
Me? Iโm a lot more limited by my need to stick to a low carb diet.
Sure, I have plenty of options for great keto snack ideas in general... but the โroad trip friendlyโ can be more limiting.
Recently, I started making what just may be the perfect snack for my needs: dehydrated keto pepperoni chips.
This crispy pepperoni chips recipe picks up where my Pepperoni Chips Recipe leaves off:
Where that keto friendly snack is meant to be served fresh and hot, this pepperoni crisps recipe takes it a step further: After rendering the fat out through baking, the pepperoni slices are dehydrated:
Dehydrating renders them into something more akin to a pepperoni jerky: crunchy snacks that are shelf stable!
Itโs the perfect keto snack to toss in plastic baggies for road trips - and camping in general.
Itโs also a great low carb snack to keep me on track when my husband whips out every type of potato chip I can think of... and Cheezies... and Masala Munch... and...
Yeah. Having crispy chips of my own on hand, make the whole thing far more tolerable!
Anyway, let me show you how to make this tasty keto snack!
Ingredients
... Well, I guess I mean โIngredientโ, anyway. This tasty snack needs only one ingredient, and you can easily find it in any grocery store:
Pepperoni
You can use any kind of pepperoni you like to snack on, and there are a lot of pepperoni brands to choose from.
The type of pepperoni - especially with regards to its fat content and moisture content - will just have a bit of an effect on your cooking time, thatโs about it.
You can use pepperoni sold in the fridge, the more shelf stable varieties, mini pepperoni... you can even buy a log of pepperoni and slice it yourself!
Just aim to keep every slice of pepperoni at a uniform thickness, for the best results!
Supplies and Equipment
Beyond the pepperoni, you will need
At least 1 Large Baking Sheet
Parchment Paper
Paper Towels
Food Dehydrator
How to Make Pepperoni Jerky
The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through, with detailed instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Arrange pepperoni slices in a single layer - with no overlapping - on the baking sheet.
Bake pepperoni for 8-10 minutes, or until fairly dry with a LOT of fat rendered out. The cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of your sliced pepperoni.
Blot pepperoni with paper towels, removing as much excess grease as possible.
For best results, you want to get as much oil out as possible - both in rendering, and blotting every little bit of oil you can.
Dehydrate for about 4 hours, or until dried out to a good texture.
Note: The shelf life of these will depend on the pepperoni you start with, and how much fat you can render out and blot off. The less fat remaining, the longer the shelf life.
If you want to be really careful, you can store them in the fridge or freezer until use. I recommend letting them warm to room temperature before serving, for the best taste and texture.
More Camping Recipes
Looking for great ideas to cook on a campfire, or in an RV? Here's a few simple recipes to start with!
Banana Protein Pancakes
Cabbage Roll Soup Mix
Camping Breakfast Skillet
Camping Tacos, 2 Ways
Dutch Oven Pulled Chicken
Egg Roll Soup Mix
Gingerbread Latte [Protein Powder Mix]
Hobo Eggs
Homemade Mushroom Jerky
Hot Chocolate Mix [Protein Powder Mix]
How to Make an Epic S'Mores Board
Instant Camping Pancake Mix
Instant Cream of Chicken Soup [Protein Powder Mix]
Italian Wedding Soup Mixes [Just Add Meat & Water!]
Pumpkin Chai Latte [Protein Powder Mix]
Smoky Campfire Chili
Traditional Bannock
Vegan Tofu Jerky
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Easy Pepperoni Jerky [Dehydrated Pepperoni Slices]
Equipment
- 1 Large Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Paper Towels
- Food Dehydrator
Ingredients
- 6 oz Pepperoni Slices You can use as many as you like, the pack I use is 6 oz, and I need to specify amounts for the nutrition calculations!
- More Pepperoni! The software doesn't like having a single ingredient. That said, more is definitely better, in this case!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange pepperoni slices in a single layer - with no overlapping - on the baking sheet.
- Bake pepperoni for 8-10 minutes, or until fairly dry with a LOT of fat rendered out.
- Blot pepperoni with paper towels, removing as much excess grease as possible. Note: Iโll usually do this in a few passes - one or two rounds of blotting in the pan. After that, laying the blotted pepperoni out on a layer of paper towels and blotting with another layer of paper towel.
- Transfer blotted pepperoni slices to a food dehydrator, arranging them in a single layer on the dehydrating trays.
- Dehydrate for about 4 hours, or until dried out to a good texture.
- Allow to cool, then transfer to airtight baggies for storage.
Notes
Nutrition
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