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:
Cubed the 5lbs of pork and prepped to grind:
Used a 4.5mm plate the first time through:
I then added the 5lbs of lean ground beef to the pork:
I dissolved the cure and kosher salt into 8 oz of water & then added it to the meat:
Mixed in the solution well and let the mixture sit overnight in the fridge:
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:
The mixture really had a nice aroma. So much so that it attracted the attention of my kitchen helper...
Meat well-mixed:
Casings soaking in warm water while I prep to regrind the meat mixture through a finer plate:
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.
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:
Prepping the smoker: got the smoker up to 110 and hung the chubs with NO smoke for the first 60-90 minutes to dry:
I began applying smoke for the next three hours. Two hours in:
Time to pull from the smoker and prep for the poacher:
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:
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:
Money shot of the smaller rings. Very tasty little cracker-sized rings of bologna. Just need some ritz crackers:
Two hours later, the Big Boy reaches 155 so out it comes & into an ice bath. Letting it bloom:
Slicing the chub into 'serving slices':
Sliced and ready to pack up or fry & eat!
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:
Great way to start the New Year!
Kevin
