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Made the mistake of buying pepperoni’s at Whole Foods and they didn’t cup up. What’s everyone’s favorite pepperoni? (That cups up)
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Made the mistake of buying pepperoni’s at Whole Foods and they didn’t cup up. What’s everyone’s favorite pepperoni? (That cups up)

First time making a pie at home. Opted for a little cast iron Detroit style with a 48 hour cold fermented dough. Biggest issues was too much cheese and pepperoni didn’t cup up. Do you have a favorite brand that cups up?

by audaciousappetites

47 Comments

  1. rodrigo_i

    I’ve had decent luck with a stick of Boar’s Head cut a little thicker than the pre-sliced.

  2. notawight

    Ezzo from PenMac.

    But if you’re $marter than me, I also had good luck hand slicing a Margerita log.

  4. al_polanski

    Stick of margharitta is the only way

  5. Ocean898

    Hormel Cup and Crisp. Also, looks like yours cupped a bit?

  7. sanquility

    Ezzo is top tier but Hormel cup and crisp is good for 95% of the time.

  8. Glum-Trifle-1691

    Ezzo is the best for quality, but hard to find unless you’re in Ohio, or have access to foodservice.

    Hormel cup and chat cups up and crisps nicely, pretty thin for a Detroit/Sicilian. Perfect for a NY style and available even on Amazon I believe. They are in the dry section and don’t have to be refrigerated until opened

  9. UraeusCurse

    So, an honest question: what difference does it make?

  11. Qazdrthnko

    I’ll take those if you don’t want em

  12. boilface

    With pepperoni like that I like to lay it in rows on a paper towel with another paper towel on top and microwave between 30 seconds and a minute (depending on microwave strength). Once you get the right timing for you microwave you end up with crispy pepperoni that crumbles easily. Crumble said pepperoni (or two batches there of) on the pizza near when it’s done finishing in the oven. It rehydrates a bit in the oil and flavors every bite of pizza more evenly

  13. MusaEnsete

    I usually just buy a stick of Bridgford at Kroger and slice my own.

  16. Godd9000

    It’s funny that the cuppy peps are such a thing now, it used to be considered a flaw. None of of the old school NYC spot use them and all the ones opened in the past decade do. It has to do with how theyre cased

  17. davestradamus1

    Still looks banging. The Kroger brand pep I buy cups if the oven is hot enough (6-700).

  18. opulent_occamy

    I think it’s a Chicago brand, but I really enjoy Bridgeford’s stick pepperoni, slice it ourselves by hand lmao

  19. CardiologistPlus8488

    that looks awesome. no changes! fuck cupped, and Hormel products are garbage. thank you

  22. NaiRad1000

    Still looks delicious. That being said I think in this sub I’ve read you get better results going to a deli and having it freshly slices

  23. bigboxes1

    I buy a stick of pepperoni and sliced my own as thin as I can and they seem to curl

  24. WhatIPAsDoUHaveOnTap

    You can find the pep cups in the prepared foods section next to the dough balls. I buy them all the time.

  25. MonumentMan

    Agree the Whole Foods pep aren’t ideal.

    I did try the hormel cup and char and they were ok. Better the. The Whole Foods pepperoni

    Best I found was an actual whole pepperoni stick I bought at Zabars that dumped so much oil onto the pie it was obscene but the taste was amazing.

    And yes the cupping does improve the taste. It gets a char situation and also the cup gets a little tasty oil

  26. upnorthcouple93

    Just buy a stick of pepperoni and slice it, it tastes better too

  27. Clear_Tom0rrow

    Kenji has spoken a lot about this. You need pepperonis packed in natural casings.

  28. Bonerschnitzel69

    Definitely A or A+ cups.
    If you want D cups you’re definitely gonna need a better pepperoni

  30. hullgreebles

    Looks great, those partly blackened ones are the best

  31. Gh0stndmachine

    Whatever brand of pepperoni, that brand is ideal for making pepperoni rolls, calzone, and pizza pockets.

    Look for pepperoni sticks with a higher fat content, and finish the pizza at a higher temp for 5 min to make the pepp curl and cup.

  32. Size14-OrangeDiver

    Let’s just slow down with the cupping trend. That pepp is crispy and perfect.

  36. Longjumping_Duty4160

    Ezzo pepperoni. If you want cup & crisp then go for a specific one that advertises it. Its really about how its made that allows it to perform like that.

  37. RecedingBeerBelly

    I like it when they barely lift, so they still crisp but you don’t get a grease bowl

  38. TimpanogosSlim

    I’ve been using Hormel Rosa Grande cup & crisp for over a year and like it pretty well. I bought a 5lb bag at Restaurant Depot, broke it down into 8oz portions, and vacuum sealed and froze 9 of them. Still have a couple in the freezer, and they are doing fine. Used some just last night, you can look at the picture i posted.

    Battistoni might be better but i can’t find it locally and amazon only has large packs of it intermittently.

    I hear great things about ezzo but don’t have a way i know of to buy it. Yes, pennmac will ship it. They want $70 to ship it to me in a foam box with cold packs.

  39. curiouscat1986

    This is funny because I go out of my way to buy my pepperoni at my local Whole Foods because they are the only ones that cup for me. I guess every store must slice it differently? 🤪

  41. Sonnysdad

    That pepperoni looks great. What’s so great about cupping pepperoni?

  42. Pale_Garage

    You want the old world style of pepperoni. A couple of good brands are:

    Harder to find the best:
    Ezzo Supreme pepperoni
    Hormel Rosa Grande

    More widely distributed in US good quality
    Boar’s Head Traditional Pepperoni
    Margherita
    Private Selection Old World Pepperoni

  43. A_Fish_Fry

    Hormel cup n crisp are the easiest to find. Battistoni makes a good one. Ezzo is my favorite of all time, though I’m not sure it’s commercially sold. If you can get your hands on it, both flats and cup n char*, I highly recommend.

    *cup n char is the correct term where I live, not cup n crisp

  44. Mission-Bumblebee752

    Try precooking them and then baking on the pizza again

  46. smurfe

    I hate pepperoni that cups up. Maybe I should try this kind.