Need to find old-school pepperoni pizza in Boston/Southern NH!
March 29, 2010 7:58 AM   Subscribe

Remember when pepperoni on pizza was thick and would curl up and collect it's own grease in a nice little meat bowl? I need to find a pizza place in the Boston or Southern NH area that still cooks their pizza that way.

A few coworkers and I remembered it being mostly Greek places that used to make this kind of pepperoni pizza. But none of the places we visit make a pizza quite like that anymore. And nobody seems to know where we can find one.

Secondarily, why is it that the pepperoni cooks so differently these days? It it because it's cut so much thinner? Lower quality meat?
posted by csimpkins to Food & Drink (15 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
I find that the Pizza Hut pepperoni pizza (specifically, the pan pizza) does this. You may not find this an acceptable answer, but when I need crispity grease-holding goodness, nothing else does the trick.
posted by Madamina at 8:23 AM on March 29, 2010


Dano's in Plaistow, NH used to make pepperoni pizza like this several years ago, thought I have not been recently. It's right over the border next to Haverhill, MA. And it's a Greek place.
posted by kmavap at 8:26 AM on March 29, 2010


Response by poster: Actually, my coworker used to get his greasy pepperoni pizza from Dano's. But he says they're one of the places that no longer make it like that.
posted by csimpkins at 8:30 AM on March 29, 2010


Sal's , which has a few locations in southern NH has pizza like this---here's a pic. And OMG is it good.

Regina's is also a good bet for such pizza, if I remember correctly---it has been a couple years since I have eaten there. Pain to find a place to park there though, better idea to take the T.

Both of these are Italian style places.
posted by chiefthe at 8:32 AM on March 29, 2010


Try asking your favorite place for the pizza "well done". Like seriously double the time they would usually bake it for. If its a place that has the conveyor belt over, have them put it through twice. I LOVE when pepperoni curls up and gets crispy, and that does the trick every time.
posted by sandra_s at 8:47 AM on March 29, 2010


I just had pizza at Regina's in Station Crossing (Wellington Station in Medford), and their pepperoni is still thick and curly like that.
posted by xingcat at 9:08 AM on March 29, 2010


Grocery store frozen pizza (red barron from experience) usually does that when baked - I know you've asked for a venue but if all else fails...
posted by doorsfan at 9:20 AM on March 29, 2010


Armando's in Cambridge.
posted by Melismata at 9:23 AM on March 29, 2010


2nd Reginas, and if you go to Thatcher Street in the North End you can ask for extra oil. yummmmmmmmmy
posted by Gungho at 9:49 AM on March 29, 2010


I'd like to highlight, in agreement with others, that what you are seeing is overcooked pepperoni (which, in your case, is cooked just right.) The oil separates out of the meat and puddles in the middle, while the corners of the pepperoni dry and curl like bologna in a frying pan. I suspect this would be a very poor indicator of pizza quality, as your post seems to imply--not all pepperoni is universally going to do this when overcooked, but I doubt it's an intended behavior dependent on quality.
posted by Phyltre at 10:10 AM on March 29, 2010


Regina's is part of Polcari's, which has a number of locations north of Boston and even in Salem, NH. I agree with the post above that ordering your pizza 'Well Done' from them should get you a pizza with the curled up pepperoni that you desire.
posted by Diginati at 1:14 PM on March 29, 2010


minor point: it's not just "overcooked" pepperoni - it's also that pepperoni slices used to be thicker in the past (my past at least: Town Pizza, Riverside, RI, represent!) - and it used to be cut from the smaller, more cured, and more compact pepperoni sausages, the ones about an inch or so in diameter - today, most pepperoni seems less cured, & larger (2 inches or more in diameter) - more like salami

and, oh do i miss it too - the way the hot oil in those little meat cups were just waiting to sear the roof of your mouth... what could be better? i will be watching this thread with interest to see if anyone is still doing it "right" :)
posted by jammy at 1:59 PM on March 29, 2010


I've worked at a Pizza Hut. The thing you're looking really is just well-done pepperoni. Have them put in in one and a half times the usual amount. I used to do this for some people, though I don't really recall what prompted it. They probably asked for it well-done, for all I remember.
posted by Precision at 2:00 PM on March 29, 2010


Seconding Sal's pizza. Mmm.
posted by tastybrains at 4:40 PM on March 29, 2010


Damn it.
I'm in L.A. and you just made me hungry. good luck.
posted by flowerofhighrank at 11:49 PM on March 29, 2010


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