Smoked bologna is easy to make and surprisingly flavourful. It makes an amazing lunch, dinner or snack.
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Childhood Memories of Bologna
Growing up bologna was a staple in our house. Lunches consisted of ‘baloney’ sandwiches with mustard or ketchup. Bologna sandwiches were fast and easy to make for a summer lunch by the lake.
We also had fried bologna for dinner. Served with mashed potatoes and creamed corn, this was not only a staple but a delicacy as far as I am concerned.
So when Mike told me he wanted to smoke bologna, I was all for it. A childhood favourite being transformed into something I had never tried. Of course, I wanted to try it.
Where to Buy a Whole Bologna
Before smoking bologna, I had never purchased the whole bologna and had no idea where to find one.
The best place to start when looking for whole bologna is at your local grocery store. Almost every in-store deli sells bologna. It is getting the whole piece that can be harder to find. You may have to ask the deli manager to order one for you if they don’t keep it in stock or it’s not a big seller.
You can also find whole bologna at some Costco locations or wholesale grocery stores. We almost always find it at Costco Business Centre and The Wholesale Club. Depending on where you live, you may have to ask around at different stores.
And if whole bologna is too much, you can always use a smaller piece, either a half or a quarter piece.
How to Smoke a Bologna
Smoking bologna is easy. Once you try it, you will want to make it again and again.
You can use a wood smoker, pellet smoker, charcoal BBQ or gas grill. We usually use our wood smoker but we have also used our Weber kettle and our Traeger pellet smoker.
Because bologna is already cooked, you won’t need to smoke it for a long period of time like you would a raw piece of meat. It will only take 2-3 hours of smoke time to make this recipe.
Scoring the Bologna
The bologna will need to be scored to allow the smoke to get inside. This is easily done by running a knife crosswise across the bologna in one direction and then the other, creating diamond shapes in the bologna. You don’t want to cut too deep, only about a ¼-½ inch deep.
Seasoning
After scoring the bologna, flavour is added by coating it in seasoning. We use different seasonings depending on our mood. You can make it spicy or mild with your choice of spices. One of our favourites is Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning.
Smoking Wood
The choice of wood to smoke bologna is up to you. We prefer using apple wood or cherry wood. We like the flavours the fruit woods bring to the bologna. Hickory wood is also a good choice.
How to Serve Smoked Bologna
Smoked Bologna sandwiches are one of our favourites. We like to slice the bologna after smoking to make toasted bologna sandwiches.
We have used the smoked bologna to make Chuck-wagon Sandwiches, as well. We smoke the ham and salami alongside the bologna for these sandwiches.
We have also sliced the bologna and fried it to serve with eggs and toast for breakfast. And there is my all-time favourite: fried smoked bologna with mashed potatoes and corn.
Smoked Bologna Sandwiches
To make sandwiches with Smoked Bologna, start with two slices of toasted, thick-sliced bread. Add sliced Smoked Bologna, mustard, shredded lettuce and Salt and Vinegar chips.
An alternative to Salt and Vinegar chips is Hickory Sticks. These add even more smokiness to the sandwich. If you don’t like or can’t find Salt and Vinegar chips or Hickory Sticks, just use your favourite flavour of chips.
Breakfast Smoked Bologna
We love frying some slices of Smoked Bologna and serving it on the side of fried eggs, toast and hash-browned potatoes. A runny yolk on the bologna is so good. You can also turn this into a breakfast sandwich by adding the fried bologna, egg and some cheese to toast to create a sandwich.
Storing Smoked Bologna
Storing Smoked Bologna is easy. All you have to do is wrap it in plastic wrap after it is cooled and refrigerate it. You can slice it before storing it or wrap it up whole. Use it within 3 days.
It can also be frozen for up to one month. Slice and wrap in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag or air-tight container. Thaw in the fridge before using.
Print
Smoked Bologna
Course Meat
Cuisine American, Canadian
Author Stacy and Mike
Ingredients
- 1 whole bologna, uncut
- Cajun Seasoning or BBQ Seasoning
Instructions
Soak wood or chips.
Preheat Smoker to 225°F, add wood chips of choice for smoke
Score whole bologna on all sides into diamond shapes, about ½ inch deep, using the tip of a sharp knife
Coat bologna in seasoning, making sure the seasoning gets into the score marks in the bologna.
Place bologna on smoke and allow to smoke for 2-3 hours, until outside of bologna is golden. Add more smoking wood as needed.
Remove bologna from smoker and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
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