Bologna question ????

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bobdog46

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Sep 11, 2010
273
16
Ponchatoula Louisiana
I made some bologna a couple of weeks ago using LEM seasoning & cure packet. The flavor was real good but it seemed somewhat dry and a little crumbly. Does anybody have an idea what I can do to prevent this on my next try ?  I have made plenty of summer sausage and never had this problem.  Any help would be appreciated.
 
What tempature did you somke at ? How much fat did you have in the mix ?
I used 6 lbs beef round roast - 2 lbs boston butt - 2 lbs chicken thighs.

I cooked just as I do summer sausage. 120 deg for 1 hr w/ no smoke - 150 deg for 4 hrs w/ smoke -  180-190 for 4 hrs when the IT hit 155.

Ice water bath for about 10 minutes. Then went in the fridge overnight.  My summer sausage always comes out great when I do this. I have no idea why the bologna came out the way it did. 
 
Maybe someone else will have a another opinion, but it sounds like you were to hot and rendered the fat out of it.....But I have never made bologna this way.... I will look back at my recipes to see what I did last time I made bologna and let you know..SB
 
Couple things come to mind here. Make that three.

1) If you have enough fat in the mix to start with, dry and crumbly sausage would make me think you didn't mix the meat long enough to develop a good bind.

2) beef round is fairly lean, like 10-15%, so it might be on the lean side to start with.

3) Like Shoneyboy said above you may have rendered the fat out with the high temps you're running. you want to keep it under 175° max.
 
Originally Posted by bobdog46  

180-190 for 4 hrs when the IT hit 155.
At those temps and length of time, most sausage will dry out. Whether there was enough fat in the mix to begin with is a possible reason for the dryness. The lower amount of fat it originally contained may also have hidden the pools of fat that normally form when fat-out happens at the higher temps.

Kevin

This 8.5- pound bad boy took about 3 hours of heavy smoke (135-145°) & finished it with two hours of light poaching (<165°).

c97a68bc_640x480px-LL-1dd0a513_Bolog_BigChub_sml.jpg
 
Last edited:
bobdog

I grew up on a chicken farm. Chicken is one of just a few meats that has its own flavor without really needing to season it with much at all. The enzymes and additives pumped into or added the chicken for a longer shelf stable product could have caused this. IMHO dont add chicken next time.
 
my two cents; There is a difference between summer sausage and bologna.Here is my method for bologna. about an hour at about 110-120 w/ no smoke. another 3or 4 hours with smoke at about 150-155. immerse in about 175-185 degree kettle of water. the temp will drop. keep water temp about 165 for about i/2 hour or untill internal temp is 152-155. My guess is that your meat was smeared and you were left with somewhat grainy product. Smearing just means thet fat was rendered out.Sometimes if too much water is used along with too high heat this can happen.if you like it smokier than i do , try following my suggestion until i say give it water time , instead smoke it longer but not hotter. keep practising until you get the smokiness you like than do the water thing.hope this helps. Weisswurst
 
my 2and a half cents

  also be sure your cure measurement is correct. weisswurst
 
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