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....
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....
