# 10-pounds of Homemade Bologna



## couger78 (Jan 21, 2020)

It's been a few years since I've made homemade smoked bologna and so here we go...
Nothing too unique about this recipe (very similar to the version I made here:  https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/more-bologna.128336/#post-866045 ) with some slight modifications. I used leaner cuts of both beef and pork in this version. Normally, I shoot for 18-20% fat content in many sausages/smoked ground meats—but this recipe I went far leaner (<15%).
Five pounds of butchered Pork butt— trimmed well, keeping more of the lean, less of the fat...






Leaner grind—evident in the color...






I had the local butcher grind me up some five pounds of well-trimmed beef chuck. Good price on the chuck and when the butcher offered to grind it, I said 'go for it!'—hey, one less step for me in the process. Here's a tub with ten pounds of the ground meat for the bologna...






Seasonings & freshly-ground spices...the usual suspects for that classic bologna flavor. I did increase the amount of kosher salt (to 2% from 1.7%) from my previous recipe. I feel this increase will provide a slightly _better_ balance between the saltiness & sweetness in the finished product (the nonfat dry milk & dextrose amount to approximately 1.8% sugar).







For the casings, I'll be using these large-diameter fibrous casings. This will yield full_ 'sandwich-sized' _slices of bologna.






Meats mixed with spices. I used about two cups of ice water to help in the hand-mixing of all the spices & cure to help ensure good equal distribution of all ingredients.
End result is a slightly-stick paste...






FINER Grind: ran the meat mix through a finer plate to get a uniform texture






Stuffing: Two full five-pound loads through the stuffer produced one large 19"long chub. Tightly-packed, hog-ringed and tied. Into the fridge to hang overnight!






Next Day: Into a preheated smoker (110°F) to dry out for about an hour before adding smoke. I had do some rearranging to accommodate the big chub as well as the large water pan. After an hour or so, I increased the heat to 130-135°F and began adding smoke.






Two and a half hours in: I've had good success with this pellet tube in this particular smoker. I can get 5 to 6+ hours of even smoke with a full tube of pellets. Some big box smokers tend to snuff out some of pellet or dust smoke providers.






A few more hours to go—then finish with a hot water poach, ice bath and overnight hang in the refrigerator.
Thanks for viewing!
MORE TO COME....


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## smokerjim (Jan 21, 2020)

looking good, nice write up. i'll pull up a chair and wait for the finished pics!


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## pushok2018 (Jan 21, 2020)

Looks good.... Waiting for the final result and a sliced pick...


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## TNJAKE (Jan 21, 2020)

Why would you tease us like that?


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## thirdeye (Jan 21, 2020)

Whoa, that's starting on the ground floor and going through the roof!  Your bologna looks great.   When I saw "homemade smoked bologna" I was thinking of of this kind...


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## couger78 (Jan 21, 2020)

TNJAKE said:


> Why would you tease us like that?


I actually was hoping to have the big chub smoked, sliced  & posted by today—BUT things got delayed today so I'm a little behind in production.
As soon as it finishes and ready to slice, I'll have more! _Thanks for your patience!_

One part I left out in my initial post was _sampling_ the mix before stuffing the chub. This is, of course, important to get the seasonings right before stuffing. I took about two tablespoons of the fresh meat mix, cooked it, and gave it to my in-house bologna taste-testers. Consensus: strong _'perfumey'_ bologna taste with a good balance of sweet and salty. Adding smokey goodness is only going to enhance the flavor.


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## TNJAKE (Jan 21, 2020)

couger78 said:


> I actually was hoping to have the big chub smoked, sliced  & posted by today—BUT things got delayed today so I'm a little behind in production.
> As soon as it finishes and ready to slice, I'll have more! _Thanks for your patience!_


I'm just messin with you man. Looks good


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## pc farmer (Jan 21, 2020)

I cant wait to see the finish.  Great thread so far.  I have big casings like that I never used, they are years old now.  Maybe I better buy new ones and try the big stuff.


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## Sowsage (Jan 21, 2020)

Looking good! Im excited to see the finished product!.


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## couger78 (Jan 21, 2020)

pc farmer said:


> I cant wait to see the finish.  Great thread so far.  I have big casings like that I never used, they are years old now.  Maybe I better buy new ones and try the big stuff.


Unlike the naturals, the fibrous casings seem to keep for a long time with no ill effects.


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## smokin peachey (Jan 21, 2020)

Looks good so far. Do you mind sharing the details on the recipe?
Thanks.


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## jcam222 (Jan 21, 2020)

Looks fantastic. Very nicely organized post too. What program are you using to put labels in the pics?


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## chopsaw (Jan 21, 2020)

Great thread . Watching .


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## couger78 (Jan 21, 2020)

jcam222 said:


> Looks fantastic. Very nicely organized post too. What program are you using to put labels in the pics?


Photoshop CS.


smokin peachey said:


> Looks good so far. Do you mind sharing the details on the recipe?
> Thanks.


Not at all.

*BOLOGNA*
_makes 10 lbs -can be ring or large chub_

5 LBS (2.27kg)    PORK SHOULDER (trim to lean; <15% fat)
5 LBS (2.27kg)    BEEF CHUCK (trim to lean, <15% fat)
66g    Kosher Salt (1.7% salt ) *Normal: 1.8-2.2%; 2%=80 grams
85g     Non Fat Dry Milk (= 44g sugar)
36g     Dextrose (+44g = 80g sugar; 1.77%)
12g    Cure#1  (11.32g = 6.25%)
7.0g    Pepper (white, preferred)_ freshly-ground_
6.0g    Paprika
4.5g    Nutmeg, _freshly-ground_
3.0g      Garlic powder
2.0g    Allspice
2.0g    Coriander, _freshly-ground_
1-1/2 cups  Ice water

Soak Synthetic/Fibrous Casing(s) in warm water for 30 minutes prior to use.
Use a medium plate (4.5) to grind pork and beef chuck.
Mix salt and cure together in 1/2 cup  water. Mix this solution into meats until well-mixed.
Let sit for an hour or so in fridge.**  _**optional step—not necessary if wish to save time._
Add remaining ingredients and grind again through fine plate (3.0 plate).
Stuff into casings. Air dry.

Preheat smoker to 100-110°F and hang bologna for an hour.

Raise temp to 130°F for another hour.
Apply Smoke. Smoke time: smaller chubs: 2-3 hours ; One large chub: 4-6 hours.
After two & a half to three hours (smaller chubs) raise temp of smoker to 160°F and
hold until internal temperature of bologna reaches 135°F. For one large chub, raise temp to 160°F after 4-5 hours of smoke until internal temperature of bologna reaches 135°F.
Poach chubs in hot bath @165°F degrees until 155°F IT is reached (30-60 minutes, depending upon chub-size).
Cool bologna in ice bath and hang to bloom.
Refrigerate overnight. Slice after well-chilling.

NOTE: the second FINE grind (3.0mm plate) can be done in a food processor as well (use ice chips with the meat) in order to reach the desired emulsified state. It can be a pain pushing a sticky ground mass through a fine plate on a meat grinder, but I found it more expedient than putting  multiple loads through my food processor. Results are near identical and clean-up is far less.


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## sawhorseray (Jan 22, 2020)

Some fine charcuterie and a really well written thread going on here, nice piece of work! Like, RAY


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## smokin peachey (Jan 22, 2020)

couger78 said:


> Photoshop CS.
> Not at all.
> 
> *BOLOGNA*
> ...


Thank you


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## xray (Jan 22, 2020)

Looking good! I really like how you add the captions ti the photos, pretty cool.

Be back for the sliced shots


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## pushok2018 (Jan 22, 2020)

Thanks for the recipe. Still waiting for the final result...


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## SmokinAl (Jan 22, 2020)

Great job on the bologna so far!
I can only get about 7 pounds into those casings, but I have a recipe for 7 pounds, so I have never tried 10.
Nothing like a good fried bologna sammie!
Al


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## chopsaw (Jan 22, 2020)

pc farmer said:


> I cant wait to see the finish.


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## crazymoon (Jan 22, 2020)

C78, Looks great and an awesome thread.


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## couger78 (Jan 22, 2020)

_Well, that cook/smoke was much longer than anticipated!_
After bringing the chub in the smoker to a desired temp of 135°F, I transferred it to my large turkey poacher to finish the cook. Lo & behold...the chub was* too big* for the poacher! 
Oh well, back into the smoker went _'Goliath the Bologna.'_
Kicked the smoker temp upwards to 170°F to finish. The big chub finally reached the desired IT (internal temp) of 154°F at...1:00 in the morning—some 13.5 hours in the smoker!
Next, into the ice bath and then wipe down, and then hang in the fridge overnight.

Today, I broke out the heavy, dense bologna log and began slices pieces off one end...
Color looks good; densely colored outer skin (smokey!), uniform texture—slightly coarser than the _store-bought_ emulsified bologna. Texture reminds one of cotto salami or Lebanon bologna.  For a smoother, more _'emulsified'_ velvety bologna texture, I would recommend the food processor approach (small batches at a time _with_ plenty of ice). A few air pockets (holes), which are not totally unexpected, but overall, a very even texture.







Taste? I'm very pleased with the flavor: Cold, sliced—_sweet, smokey, meaty—hint of spice_. Reminiscent of a well-made beef frankfurter. FAR and away _better mouth-feel_ than grocery store bolognas.






Fried? MMmmm-mmmm! Tasty! As much as I like a good cold bologna sandwich, frying up this bologna is really where its at! Not greasy; yet salty & sweet with a bit of char. Pass the mustard!






Thanks for viewing, guys!
I hope you found this thread at the very least, informative, and maybe it gave some the desire to use the recipe listed here and make a batch for themselves. Just remember, the bigger the chub, the longer the cook time required!

Kevin


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## Sowsage (Jan 22, 2020)

Man I could really go for a fried bologna sandwich with mustard right now! What a long haul on the cook but looks like it was well worth it! Awesome end product!


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## ChuxPick (Jan 22, 2020)

MMMMmmmMMM! Pictures are worth a thousand words. After I have finished salivating, I need to add this to my immediate list to make. The local market has butts on special for 3 days this week for $.97 per pound, what's the I hear? Opportunity knocking!!


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## chopsaw (Jan 22, 2020)

That's just awesome . Looks so good , and great thread .


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## pc farmer (Jan 22, 2020)

That looks great.    Well done and I need to try the recipe.


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## DanMcG (Jan 23, 2020)

couger78 said:


> I transferred it to my large turkey poacher to finish the cook. Lo & behold...the chub was* too big* for the poacher!


I laughed out loud at this remembering when I did that for the first (and last) time.
Thanks for the recipe Kevin, I'll definitely give this a try.


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## crazymoon (Jan 23, 2020)

C78, Great money shot ,nice job!


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## pushok2018 (Jan 23, 2020)

Beautiful bologna! Air packets? Not really... You just cannot avoid having them in this kind of sausage. Especially when you emulsify meat. Nice job!


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## PoppinSmoke (Jan 23, 2020)

What a great thread, thanks for putting in all the effort. Amazing what some do around here as well as taking the time and effort to share with the rest of us. Again very well done and thanks


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## Bearcarver (Jan 23, 2020)

Beautiful Job, Kevin!! As always!
Nice Job!
Like.

Bear


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## gary s (Jan 23, 2020)

One Word My Friend     "DAMN"  !!!!!

Gary


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## fished (Jan 23, 2020)

Looks great.  I would like to make some of that once I get my smoker going again.


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## BGKYSmoker (Jan 24, 2020)

Man that looks good and welcome back.


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## couger78 (Jan 24, 2020)

SFLsmkr1 said:


> Man that looks good and welcome back.


Thank you! Nice to see some familiar faces!


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## HalfSmoked (Jan 24, 2020)

Awesome finish and as the others have said a great step by step post.

Warren


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## ChuxPick (Jan 24, 2020)

*

 couger78
, Thank you for the like*


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## fullborebbq (Jan 25, 2020)




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## couger78 (Jan 25, 2020)

I was asked the difference if one were to use a food processor (instead of a 3mm fine plate) to achieve a finer, _more emulsified_ bologna texture. There IS a difference in overall texture, appearance and 'feel.' Aside from having or not having a 3mm plate, _personal preference_ plays into deciding which route to take. Both methods will produce good results.


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## SmokinEdge (Jan 25, 2020)

Awsome job! Thanks for sharing


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