You deserve nothing but the best, and that includes the best meat toppings for your pizza. These are the 7 best meaty add-ons known to mankind.

Pepperoni

Let’s start off with a classic.

Pepperoni is a good call in any form. Large thin slices of pepperoni blanket nearly every inch of a pizza, ensuring equal meat distribution throughout your slice. Meanwhile, the vaunted pepperoni cup offers a beautiful textural contrast thanks to its raised edges that crisp up in the oven. 

Hot Soppressata

Love pepperoni? Then you’ll really go nuts for hot soppressata.

This Southern Italian classic speciality offers a similar flavor profile to pepperoni, but also has a deeper flavor profile thanks to its extended curing process. It’s also a bit more moist than pepperoni, which makes it less dry than pepperoni when baked in the oven, according to many pizzaiolos.

Over the last ten years, shops around the country have come to embrace hot soppressata, taking it from the deli counter to the pizza pie and solidifying it as one of the very best meats to top your pizza. 

Sausage

A sausage-topped pizza always hits the spot, but we’re especially fond of sausage that is crumbled up after being taken out of its casing. When spread all around a pie, the fat rendered from crumbled sausage blesses the entire pizza with its flavor.

If you can’t get enough sausage, go for a deep dish pizza, which can include up to a full pound (!) of the good stuff.

Bacon

No, bacon is not just for breakfast. Pies adorned with crispy bacon have an irresistible crunch that will keep you coming back for more…and more….and more.

Prosciutto

When the holy combination of pork and salt isn’t quite enough, elevate your pizza experience with thin slices of prosciutto.

Prosciutto is cured for months on end to develop a rich and complex taste that can’t be easily replicated by younger hams. Want that funk? Prosciutto is ready to deliver like George Clinton. 

Meatballs

Can’t decide between a saucy meatball sub or a pizza? The answer is simple – split the difference with meatballs.

Meatballs are often cut into thinner slices before being placed on a pizza in order to ensure that they are cooked evenly. Meatballs made for pizza also usually draw on a blend of beef and pork, which keeps them nice and juicy in the face of the oven’s heat.

Buffalo Chicken

Want a break from pork and beef on your pizza? Why not give your pizza a kick with flavorful pieces of buffalo chicken?

Buffalo chicken pizza is often drizzled with ranch dressing to recreate the classic chicken wing taste, but ranch lovers can request extra ranch on the side to really satisfy their cravings. 

Even if you’re not a ranch dressing person, you’ll be all about buffalo chicken pizza after just one bite.

— Zach Links is an L.A.-based sports journalist who is equally concerned with the outcome of the game and what he’ll be eating at halftime. In addition to serving as a staff writer for The Sauce, he’s also the lead writer and editor of ProFootballRumors.com. You can follow him on Twitter @ZachLinks and on Instagram @FatZachLinks.