# Making ring bologna



## riverratt (Jan 17, 2012)

I have been experimenting making ring bologna using 5 pounds of ground beef mixed with 2 1/2" pounds of fresh sausage from a local butcher. My recipe calls for tender quick, salt, pepper, coriander, mustard seed, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder and I am stuffing them into collagen casings about 1 1/2" thick. Would it hurt to mix up a batch and stuff it but let it in the refrigerator over night before smoking it? I did 2  7 1/2 pound batches today and did them one at a time. I stuffed the first batch and put it in the smoker because thats all that can hang at a time and when i went to start stuffing then next batch the meat that was left in the stuffer was turning brown and it only sat for less than 1/2 hour. was this just from the cure? I hurried up and stuffed the next batch and ended up putting all 15 lbs in the smoker using the racks instead of hanging them since I was afraid the second batch would not be ok it I left it sit until the first batch was done. I also had some left over from a batch that I did Sunday that was left in the stuffer that I put in the refrigerator in a sealed dish and that also turned brown. Is it the the pork and cure that is making it turn brown?


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## big casino (Jan 17, 2012)

yes the cure will turn the meat a grayish color if you was to take a spoonful out of the center you would probably find it nice and pink under the surface, I can't remember exactly why, but I think it has something to do with the cure and the meat  reacting with the air?

anyways yes you can put meat mixed with cure in the fridge over night, how ever it will get stiff, and can be harder to stuff, in my opinion it is best to mix everything and stuff it all ASAP and then refrigerate, and if you do refrigerate you should leave the sausage hang at room temp for a while b4 putting in the smoker

sounds like a good bologna, try fresh garlic sometime, the aroma you get from it is awesome


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## DanMcG (Jan 17, 2012)

Like BC said .the meat will turn brown/gray with the cure. not a problem...Let's see some finish Q-view of you sausage


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## riverratt (Jan 17, 2012)

Thanks for the replies. It should be ready to come out of the smoker any minute now. This will be my first time laying it on the rack. I hope it comes out ok.


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## venture (Jan 17, 2012)

With cured meat, it will turn back to red/pink when cooked.  That is when the cure kicks in for color. And I am only talking color. The cure works way before that for food safety.

For stuffing, it is sometimes easier to do when mixed, because it will set up stiffer in the fridge.

You will be fine either way as long as you are following safe food practices.

Good luck and good smoking.


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## africanmeat (Jan 18, 2012)

the guys got you covered  so left for me only to   wait for the photos


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## riverratt (Jan 18, 2012)

So what you are saying is that even though it was turning gray that is would turn back to pink once it is done smoking? We were afraid that it would turn gray overnight in the refrigerator in the casings before i could smoke it and it would stay gray. All in all it did not come out too bad laying it on the racks but the top rack and bottom rack definitely had signs of more heat on the casings. i made half rings instead of full rings and one little one directly above the burning got cooked open and a little fried. what is the max temp you should cook it at to get the IT of 155?


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## sprky (Jan 18, 2012)

the guys gave ya great advice, just awaiting the Q-view


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## big casino (Jan 18, 2012)

Yes the meat would turn back from gray to a nice pink or rosey red color

160 for  a while then I think you can go up to to 170 for the last couple of hours to get it to an internal of 155, I am not home right now or i would look up my ring bologna recipe, but I think it says to smoke to 135, and then to put in a water bath that is 180 and poach until it reaches an IT of 155, and that will take you less time to finish and also make the casings easy to peel


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## couger78 (Jan 18, 2012)

Good advice given here!

All I would add is this little bit of info: Do WATCH those temps, both in the smoker and/or the poacher!

I've had a few greasy batches due to runaway temps. My great dane thought the results were great. Me? not so much.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






- Kevin


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## riverratt (Jan 18, 2012)

So you are saying too high of temperature makes it greasy? I have been doing the no heat for about 1 hour at 100 and then raising it to about 135 for an hour or 2 and adding smoke then going to 160 for an hour or 2 then going to about 175 for the finish.
 


Couger78 said:


> Good advice given here!
> 
> All I would add is this little bit of info: Do WATCH those temps, both in the smoker and/or the poacher!
> 
> ...


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## gersus (Jan 18, 2012)

Where's the q-view?!?!?!


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## riverratt (Jan 18, 2012)

Not the best pictures but this was one on the bottom rack. The flavor is great.


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## venture (Jan 18, 2012)

Looks pink to me?

Send me some!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## riverratt (Jan 18, 2012)

Yes it is pink but there was a little grease build up in some places on the outside. Is this from too much heat? How long do most people keep it in the smoker? I had a temp probe on a ring on one of the middle racks that showed an IT of 157 after about 7 1/2 hours but I had to close the vent and crank up the heat to get there.


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## big casino (Jan 18, 2012)

yes the grease between the sausage and casing is due to high heat, they call it a fat out, basically it either stays in the smoker until it's done or, you can take it out and poach it to your IT alot quicker that in the smoker, and it doesnt affect the smoke flavor either


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## riverratt (Jan 18, 2012)

Is it because I had the smoker heat too high or because I left it in the smoker too long?


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## big casino (Jan 19, 2012)

high temps


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## DanMcG (Jan 19, 2012)

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


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## SmokinAl (Jan 19, 2012)

It sure looks good from here!


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## johnnie walker (Jan 19, 2012)

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.


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## riverratt (Jan 19, 2012)

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


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## africanmeat (Jan 19, 2012)

well done looks good


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## riverratt (Jan 19, 2012)

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


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## chef jimmyj (Jan 19, 2012)

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


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## big casino (Jan 19, 2012)

DanMcG said:


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




what Dan said


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## couger78 (Jan 19, 2012)

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


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## venture (Jan 19, 2012)

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.


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## weisswurst (Jan 27, 2012)

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


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## couger78 (Jan 27, 2012)

Quote:


weisswurst said:


> 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


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