Making ring bologna

[johnnie walker]

Riverratt, the balogna looks good. I beleive what the guys are trying to tell you is if the temp (inside the smoker) is to high the fat will begin to render out of the meat and you get fat pockets between the casings and the meat and it will also dry out the meat.

 

[riverratt]

Thats what I thought. What is that magical number that you should not go over for a max temp inside the smoker?

 

[africanmeat]

well done looks good

 

[riverratt]

Thanks for the compliments. it tastes good but it is greasy on the outside when you take the skin off.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Looks Good...Does it taste like Kunzlers or Berks?...JJ

 

[big casino]

.... You don't want you smoker temp to get above 170°-175°

what Dan said

 

[couger78]

From Stanley Marianski:

"Smoking temperature is one of the most important factors in deciding quality. There is no steadfast rule that dictates exact temperature ranges for different types of smoking. A few degrees one way or the other should not create any problem as long as the hot smoking upper temperature limit is not crossed. Crossing this limit will significantly affect the look and the taste of the product. When smoking, the inside temperature of the smoker cannot exceed 170° F (78° C) for any extended time. At this temperature, fat starts to melt quickly. Once it melts, the sausage inside will be a mass of bread crumbs, have a greasy outside, will lose its shine, and will have an inferior taste.

If your sausage:

• Is greasy on the outside...
• Contains spots of grease under the sausage...
• Is too shriveled and wrinkled....
• Has lost its shine and looks opaque....
• Is crumbly inside with little empty pockets...

...It means that the internal temperature of the sausage was too high during smoking or cooking. The fats start to melt at very low temperatures and we don’t want them to boil and leak through the casings. When faced with excessive temperatures, they begin to melt, and there is no way to undo the damage.

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That's why I've had to learn the hard way about keeping a keen eye on temps.

Kevin

 

[venture]

Kevin and Marianski have you on the right track.

My first smoked sausages had problems.

Temp control is the key.

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[weisswurst]

Greetings

   I havent posted in a while. Home smoked ring bologna is my favorite.It looks to me like you have done a fine job on yours. I concur with the posted comments on the coloration issue.It will come back. The temps posted for ring bologna  are pretty much what i shoot for. When it gets too hot the fat " smears" and changes taste and physically changes product.If I may offer a few suggestions..  Only suggestions... If you can ,  try grinding your own pork using coarse cutter.I watch for pork butts on sale.I have used the ground pork found in supermarkets , it works fine but i have found when I grind my own ( kept cold ) it works even better.I use an electric grinder i bought at Gander mountain. Aso if you find the raw batch too stiff  try adding a little water. Just enough to make it more workable in stuffer.I have many times had to leave batch in frig. Not a problem. Now heres where I differ from a lot of bologna makers..I dont like my bologna overly smoked.I do the traditional smoking for up to about 3 and a half or 4 hours then I transfer it to a kettle of water holding it ( not boiling) for about a half hour until the temp in meat is about 152 degrees. I then submerge it in ice water untill the temp is about 100 to 110.I wipe it off and let it hang in room temp a couple of hours. Good job on yours !! Weisswurst

 

[couger78]

Quote:

Now heres where I differ from a lot of bologna makers..I dont like my bologna overly smoked.I do the traditional smoking for up to about 3 and a half or 4 hours then I transfer it to a kettle of water holding it ( not boiling) for about a half hour until the temp in meat is about 152 degrees. I then submerge it in ice water untill the temp is about 100 to 110.I wipe it off and let it hang in room temp a couple of hours. Good job on yours !! Weisswurst

I also tend to keep the smoke for a limited time (2-3 hours), which is plenty of time for the ring to get flavor AND pick up that desirable color. In the smoker, the temps never get over 150°

The rings get finished in the warm water 'bath' (no hotter than 165°); usually no more than 30 minutes before the final temperature is reached. Ice plunge, wipe down & bloom. Just as Weisswurst described.

Sometimes I dont have the time to babysit the smoker for 7, 8 or 10 hours, so being able to cut the cook time in half (or more!) is great.

So long as the results are good— the meat is moist, tender, flavorful— I'm happy with the process.

-Kevin

Some recent rings...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer Stuff/Bolog_rings_lg.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer Stuff/Bolog_ringslice_lg.jpg