So, we never expected sausages like salami and pepperoni to be health food. At the same time, when scientists found that the nitrites in cured meats were associated with cancer…that was a little more than we bargained for. Salty and fattening are factors we can live with. Cancer-causing, on the other hand: that puts cured meats in the same category as cigarettes**. Dang.
In response, you might have noticed a trend where the labels of bacons and sausages say something on the lines of “Uncured: No added nitrites, except for ones that occur naturally in celery.” Celery is a vegetable, so this new approach is like getting meat with a built-in serving of healthy vegetables. Win-win!
Uh, no. It turns out that there’s no real evidence that celery-sourced nitrites are somehow better for us. Nitrites are nitrites.
So here’s to Geneva, Ohio’s Na*Kyrsie meats. Na*Kyrsie has masterminded uncured, REALLY uncured pepperoni. That means you can enjoy all the other things you like about pepperoni, minus the extra nitrites. Na*Kyrsie makes more than pepperoni, though. The full-service butcher has an uncured line that includes a billion bacons, salamis, sausages and chorizo too.
Back to the pepperoni. Sold in a black wrapper, we anticipated it to be kinda brownish, since nitrites tend to be associated with the red color of cured meats. Nope, the slices are a deep red, maybe even a deeper red than a commercially produced pepperoni full of chemicals. Made from a pork and beef blend, the Na*Kyrsie pepperoni ingredient list includes all the expected things (“spices,” salt and paprika) minus the added nitrites or celery juice. And taste? It’s a good, lip-smacking meaty pepperoni!
And while Na*Kyrsie is based in Geneva Ohio, you can score its products locally in Columbus at the Beechwold Farm Market.
For more information, visit nkmeats.com.
**Yes, an exaggeration, probably.