New Year's BOLOGNA: Q-View Plus....

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couger78

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
May 3, 2011
679
243
Northern California
Here's my first go in the New Year at making Bologna. I've had many requests form the boys to make some—but I wanted to make something UNLIKE the smooth pink stuff one now finds in the supermarkets. I remember year ago getting a 'courser-textured' stronger-flavored bologna from our local butcher shop that you had to 'peel' each slice before eating. Good stuff. Made great fried bologna sandwiches! So here we go...

I had 5 pounds of extra-lean ground beef (90/10) and a 5lb pork shoulder on-hand. The ingredients to be added to the meat shown below:
3978da1c_Bolog_ingred_sml.jpg


Cubed the 5lbs of pork and prepped to grind:

d0b3b95d_Bolog_pork_sml.jpg


Used a 4.5mm plate the first time through:

8b8eec9b_Bolog_grind1_sml.jpg


I then added the 5lbs of lean ground beef to the pork:

4e0538b2_Bolog_gBeef_sml.jpg


I dissolved the cure and kosher salt into 8 oz of water & then added it to the meat:

85547818_Bolog_Cure_sml.jpg


Mixed in the solution well and let the mixture sit overnight in the fridge:

68471ea4_Bolog_mixed_sml.jpg


Next day, I added all the spices and dissolved the SPC and nonfat dry milk in water and pour the solution into the meat & spice mixture:

131756f2_Bolog_SPCspices_sml.jpg


The mixture really had a nice aroma. So much so that it attracted the attention of my kitchen helper...

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Meat well-mixed:

3cc70589_Bolog_2ndMix_sml.jpg


Casings soaking in warm water while I prep to regrind the meat mixture through a finer plate:

138e4cda_Bolog_casing_sml.jpg


Using a extra-fine (3.0mm) grinding plate for the final grind. This is a slow process as the meat paste gets sticky and is a challenge sometimes to get the paste through the grinder. STILL, it is a quicker process than doing the emulsification way with a processor.

ad619829_Bolog_3mmplt_sml.jpg


2b7d140f_Bolog_fineGrind_sml-1.jpg


Had enough meat to fill one large chub (a little over 8.5lbs), and limited the length so it fit my poacher; and with the leftover I filled two ring casings:

e00c5273_Bolog_stuffed_sml.jpg


Prepping the smoker: got the smoker up to 110° and hung the chubs with NO smoke for the first 60-90 minutes to dry:

05ca8369_Bolog_insmoker_sml.jpg


I began applying smoke for the next three hours. Two hours in:

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Time to pull from the smoker and prep for the poacher:

59a90a2b_Bolog_endsmoke_sml.jpg


I heated the water in the poacher to 165° and plopped the big boy into the hot bath. It was soon joined by other two smaller chubs:

7cafbf44_Bolog_poach1_sml.jpg


The smaller chubs reached the desired IT (155°) in about 30 minutes, while the larger chub will continue to stay in the hot bath.  I pulled the smaller rings, ice-bathed for a quick cool, and let them bloom:

3071c684_Bolog_rings_sml.jpg


Money shot of the smaller rings. Very tasty little cracker-sized rings of bologna:

7f54b51a_Bolog_ringslice_sml.jpg


Two hours later, the Big Boy reaches 155° so out it comes & into an ice bath. Letting it bloom:

1dd0a513_Bolog_BigChub_sml.jpg


Slicing the chub into 'serving slices':

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Sliced and ready to pack up or fry & eat!

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SAMPLE TIME: I took a batch of my uneven slices and fried 'em up. Very tasty! Not nearly as overly-salty or mushy as the store-bought stuff. Pan full of Bologna Pac-Men:

4aef54e3_Bolog_Fry_sml.jpg


Great way to start the New Year! 
biggrin.gif


—Kevin
 
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Wow Kevin that looks great. Looks like it came out just like you wanted.  
 
That's an awesome post Kevin!

The bologna looks delicious & you bring back great memories of when I first got married.

Judy made fried bologna sammies all the time. They were my favorite.

I'm ready for one right now!
 
Great looking grind Kevin, and minimal if any air pockets, I'm jealous!

Care to share the recipe?
 
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Heck yeah!!!

  Man that looks so tasty!!

  Thanks!!

  Craig
 
Awesome looking bolognas, Kevin! A fried bologna with a nice slice of swiss cheese and some good mustard! Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!
th_anim_burp.gif
 
Great looking grind Kevin, and minimal if any air pockets, I'm jealous!

Care to share the recipe?
Dan,

It's basically Len Poli's recipe for basic bologna with a minor variation on the 2nd grind (no emulsification) and smoking/poaching part.

I prefer to measure by weight rather than volume (except for liquids).

BOLOGNA

makes 10 lbs -can be ring or large chub

5 LBS PORK SHOULDER

5 LBS LEAN GROUND BEEF

66g  Kosher Salt

85g  Non Fat Dry Milk

       (or 55g NFDM; 30g SoyProtein)- this is the combo I used

36g  Dextrose

12g  Cure#1

7.0g  White Pepper

6.0g  Paprika

4.5g  Nutmeg

3.0g  Garlic powder

2.0g  Allspice

2.0g  Coriander

1-1/2 cups  Ice water

Soak Casing(s) in warm water.

Use a medium plate (4.5) to grind pork. Mix salt and cure together in 1/2cup warm water.

Mix this solution into meats until well-mixed. Let sit for an hour or so in fridge. Add remaining ingredients and grind again through fine plate (3.0). Stuff into casings. Air dry. Preheat smoker to 100 and hang bologna for an hour. Raise temp to 130 for another hour. Smoke time: 90 minutes-2hours. Raise temp to 160 and hold until IT of bologna reaches 155. Alternatively, poach chubs in hot bath @165 degrees until 155 IT is reached. Cool bologna in ice bath and hang to bloom. Refrigerate. Slice after well-chilling.

Have plenty of mustard on hand.
biggrin.gif


- Kevin
 
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Now that is some fine looking tire patch sammies you have there. I really do like it a good tire patch sandwich maybe with a tomato or something. 
 
Ok, I have an issue......I hate bologna because of my childhood (long story short, at one point loved "ba-lone-y", mom made it, hated "ba-log-na", I made it, didn't know it was the same thing but when I found out I hated it. Tried it years later and still hated it) After looking at yours, I might have to rethink my hate and try some homemade stuff cause that looks AWESOME!

I also remember when I did like it you had to peel outside of the slice first. When I started hating it I know it was Oscar Mayer.

I will keep my mind open now, Thanks!

Looks-Great.gif
 
love fried bologna...............Yours looks great...............................
icon14.gif


Joe
 
Ok, I have an issue......I hate bologna because of my childhood (long story short, at one point loved "ba-lone-y", mom made it, hated "ba-log-na", I made it, didn't know it was the same thing but when I found out I hated it. Tried it years later and still hated it) After looking at yours, I might have to rethink my hate and try some homemade stuff cause that looks AWESOME!

I also remember when I did like it you had to peel outside of the slice first. When I started hating it I know it was Oscar Mayer.

I will keep my mind open now, Thanks!

Looks-Great.gif
Twig, how about fried bologna, with melted muenster cheese and sweet hot pickles topped with a dollop of miracle whip.... huh huh huh? tell me the don't sound delicious..

and your right I remember peeling the casing off of the Bologna of yesteryear.... the best old fashioned Bologna I can find around these parts is a square bologna it used to be  the brand name "Luger" and has changed a couple more times over the last decade I think it was called Hatfield at one time too...  give bologna another chance ..
 
Twig, how about fried bologna, with melted muenster cheese and sweet hot pickles topped with a dollop of miracle whip.... huh huh huh? tell me the don't sound delicious..

and your right I remember peeling the casing off of the Bologna of yesteryear.... the best old fashioned Bologna I can find around these parts is a square bologna it used to be  the brand name "Luger" and has changed a couple more times over the last decade I think it was called Hatfield at one time too...  give bologna another chance ..
That does sound really good. After this I have to try it again, now I just have to find some really good Bologna.
 
Meanwhile, the bologna is rapidly disappearing. I didnt realize how many folks LOVE a good bologna! Maybe its a reminder of child-hood, a comfort food, I dunno—but it is tasty! I've given packages of sliced goodness to the neighbors, co-workers...plus the boys are plowing through it faster than expected. I better get me some fried sandwiches before it all disappears!

- Kevin

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