Pepperoni Power Rankings

Pepperoni is the most popular pizza topping. In recent years, cup n char pepperoni has gained popularity in many regions. This type of pepperoni is known for how it curls up and creates what looks like a cup on top of the pizza. The edges of these “cups” crisp up and char a little bit and add fantastic flavor and texture to the pizza.

Cup n char pepperoni is sometimes difficult to find for the everyday consumer. Even pizzerias in certain areas have challenges in procuring this topping. Even when the pepperoni is available to consumers, many times it is sold in a 25 lb case and can cost anywhere between $75 to $125. Not to mention that most consumers won’t use that much pepperoni in 5 years, let alone prior to its expiration date.

There are several small bags of presliced cup n char pepperoni available in grocery stores to date, but those too are difficult to source in many areas. My readers consistently vent this frustration and ask me where to buy this cupping pepperoni. Instead of providing vague or difficult answers to them, I decided to do something about it!

Check out my “Come Shop With Me” series of videos where I roam local supermarkets looking for the best ingredients for making pizza at home! I specifically point out some of my favorite pepperoni in these videos!

The Pepperoni Evaluation Process

So I devised a plan to purchase many of the most popular sticks of pepperoni available in supermarkets, big box stores, and on amazon. I sought out brand names that were easy to find in stores or online without having to go through extraordinary measures to buy the stuff. I decided we’d leave the science aside and just get out there and do the work! So I bought the pepperoni sticks, sliced them up, and made a pizza with each one. The cupping action varied quite a bit. As a result, there were some interesting things I learned with regard to how thick pepperoni needs to be sliced to obtain the optimal cupping curve!

Once these pepperoni tests are complete, we’ll look at the research and science behind what makes pepperoni cup and char, but until then let’s have some fun and see which pepperoni cups the most and tastes the best! Below you will find my rankings based on the Cupping Score, Taste Score, and Overall Ratings. You’ll also see each pepperoni tested in the videos below.

I made at least one pizza with each pepperoni, and in most cases I made multiple pizzas with each stick as I purchased multiple of each just in case there was a mishap! I put some controls in place as the pizza that I scored the pepperoni on was an 11″ round pizza made with a basic room temperature pizza sauce and grande whole milk mozzarella cheese.

Note that these scores are completely subjective opinions based on visual observation and taste test.

Pepperoni Name	Cupping Score	Taste Score	Overall Rating
Hormel Pepperoni	9.6	8.7	9.15
Margherita Pepperoni	8.5	9.2	8.85
Battistoni Cup & Char Stick Pepperoni	8.7	8.9	8.8
Vermont Smoke and Cure Pepperoni	7.9	7.8	7.85
Battistoni Classic Pepperoni	7.0	8.2	7.6
Boar’s Head Pepperoni	7.2	7.9	7.55
Dietz and Watson Pepperoni	7.0	7.8	7.4
Delallo Pepperoni	6.8	7.6	7.2
Bridgeford Pepperoni	7.1	6.7	6.9
Foustman’s Salami Pepperoni	4.4	8.1	6.25
Sugardale Sliced Pepperoni	2.2	5.2	3.7

NEPA Pizza Reviews rating and rankings of pepperoni in terms of how much the pepperoni cups when baked on a pizza and taste.

Want to know what the best pizza sauce is? I taste tested every one of these to find out which pizza sauces are the top for homemade pizza! Click here to see my rankings and reviews!

Watch Every Pepperoni Taste Test!

This has been a really fun series of quick videos to demonstrate how each pepperoni reacts when baked on a pizza. All the videos are less than 30 seconds and are designed to show you visually how I sliced the pepperoni, what it looks like uncooked, and how it looks after it cups up on a pizza!

Episode 1: Margherita

Testing out Margherita Pepperoni to see if it Cups and Chars!

Episode 2: Boars Head

Putting Boar’s Head Pepperoni to the test in this “Will it Cup” Challenge

If you want to make your own pizza sauce, it all starts with great tomatoes. That’s why I taste tested a bunch of them to find out which tomatoes are the best for making the perfect pizza sauce at home! Click here to see the rankings!