Easy Pepperoni Jerky [Dehydrated Pepperoni Slices]

5 from 1 vote

Easy Pepperoni Jerky [Dehydrated Pepperoni Slices]

Pepperoni Jerky - dehydrated pepperoni slices - is a convenient & tasty snack to bring camping. Here's how I make pepperoni more shelf stable.

Prep Time5

Cook Time4 10

Total Time4 15

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American, Italian

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Lactose

Servings: Servings

Calories: 143kcal

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: I’ll 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

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.

Also note: The nutritional information with regards to fat is WAY off. The software doesn't take into account the fact that most of the fat is rendered, blotted off, and discarded. As such, the nutritional values for fat and calories shown are MUCH higher than in reality!

Nutrition