Smoked Bologna

Smoked bologna transforms your childhood favourite sandwich into something truly special. We’re talking about thick slices of gloriously crispy-edged bologna on a hamburger bun or great homemade sandwich bread with mustard or mayo, lettuce, tomato, and a slab of sweet onion.

I’m coming in hot with the best, easiest recipe you didn’t know you needed; Smoked Bologna. It’s good enough to transform bologna haters into bologna lovers!

I promise you that you have never had bologna like this before. Smoky and rich with toasted edges, this is bologna made sublime!

I’ve loved fried bologna sandwiches for as long as I can remember. I cannot say the same about regular bologna sandwiches, but fried bologna? Heaven.

It’s the crispy edges on the rich sausage (because bologna is technically a sausage) that really do it for me. Pop that on some white bread and I’m a happy woman.

But if you sub in smoked bologna, I might just weep with happiness. When you smoke bologna it somehow transforms from the stuff of childhood lunchrooms to something to be craved and the best bologna sandwich you’ll ever eat in your entire life.

Your friends might give you the side-eye if you tell them you’re serving smoked bologna at a party, but their reticence will vanish like the wind at the first bite. Guys. This stuff is good. REALLY good.

It’s so good that we’re adding it into our fall tailgating repertoire and I’m absolutely bringing extra. Why? Because I expect my tailgating neighbors are going to want some!

This is your childhood favorite sandwich transformed into something truly special. We’re talking about thick slices of gloriously crispy-edged bologna on a hamburger bun or great homemade sandwich bread with spicy brown mustard or barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomato, and a slab of sweet onion. Mercy.

How to Smoke Bologna

It doesn’t take anything really outlandish to make our smoked bologna. And because our bologna log is already fully cooked when it goes onto the smoker, we don’t have to hit a specific internal temperature.

That makes this great recipe a wonderful beginner recipe if you’re new to smoking foods. Unlike many smoker recipes, it doesn’t require days or even hours of advance planning. It’s super forgiving, easy to make, and has an irresistible end result!

So what do you need to make this fabulous smoked meat? Check out the lists of both the equipment and ingredients required to make smoked bologna, then we’ll get into the details of this simple recipe.

🔥Equipment for Smoking Bologna

1. Sharp paring knife
2. Smoker (pellet smoker, electric smoker, or any grill/smoker combo that allows you maintain between 225ºF and 250ºF)
3. Heat-safe basting brush
4. Sturdy tongs
5. Sheet pan
6. Aluminum foil

Ingredients for Smoking Bologna

1. Whole chub bologna (about 5 lbs), preferably all beef bologna
2. Yellow mustard
3. Brown sugar
4. Good BBQ rub
5. Good barbecue sauce
6. Honey

What is Bologna?

Bologna is made from either all beef, or a combination of beef, chicken, and pork and is what’s known as a forcemeat sausage. What that means is that meat and fat are ground extremely finely.

Because grinding creates friction and friction creates heat, ice or water are used to keep it from beginning to cook while the meat is being ground ultra-finely. This creates an emulsion which is mixed with a binder then stuffed into casings and cooked.

Bologna has a reputation as a “mystery meat” but all of the ingredients are clearly listed on the ingredients list on a roll of bologna in the deli counter. The binders used vary from rice to potatoes to breadcrumbs, eggs, heavy cream, or milk, among others. Nothing scary there!

You’re going to want a whole bologna log or at least a 5 pound piece that has not yet been sliced. To do this, simply ask for a 5 pound chub at your local grocery store or deli. Alternately, you can buy one at your local restaurant supply store like Gordon Food Service which is open to the public.

The best bologna for smoked bologna is all-beef. You can absolutely smoke mixed meat bologna, but it tends to be a little sweeter and paler as an end product.

Smoked Bologna Recipe

To get that incredible smoke flavor you’ll need a pellet grill, smoker, or a charcoal grill set up with low, indirect heat and wood chips or wood chunks. Because it’s permanently set up on my deck, I opt for my Traeger pellet grill.

It doesn’t really matter which of these you have, so long as you know how to maintain a low temperature between 225ºF and 250ºF. It can fluctuate a little, but you don’t really want to go higher than 250ºF as that might effect the overall texture of the bologna.

As a gentle reminder, while bologna is indeed fully cooked, you don’t want to go under 200ºF with your smoker either for food safety reasons. This will help your bologna come up to a temperature beyond “the danger zone” quickly enough to avoid issues.

I like to use hickory or mesquite wood pellets for a stronger, bolder smoke presence in our final smoked bologna. Cherry, maple, and apple wood are too delicate for the short number of hours of smoke time on this recipe.

While your smoker preheats, you’re going to first remove the packaging and rind or red wax. This is done most easily with a good paring knife.

Next, score your bologna in a diamond pattern or square pattern with a small knife. Then you’re going to rub the scored bologna all over with yellow mustard.

It simply serves as a flavourful and effective binder for your barbecue rub and brown sugar. Don’t freak out over this if you’re not a mustard lover. It doesn’t give a strong mustard flavor to the smoked bologna meat.

If you’re constitutionally opposed to mustard, you can substitute barbecue sauce for it, but it won’t have quite the same binding ability. It’ll still taste great, though.

After the mustard comes the brown sugar mixed with the rub and it just gets sprinkled over the entire thing. Do not rub it in or press it into the mustard; it’ll just melt! Sprinkle it on top of the bologna, flip rub side down directly on the grilling grate, sprinkle the remaining rub over the top and close your smoker!

Brush it every hour with your barbecue sauce and honey mixture. The bologna is done after 3 to 4 hours, or when it is your desired color.

I don’t advise smoking at higher temperatures or for longer 4 hours, though, as your bologna could take on a grainy texture.

Smoked Bologna

Preheat your smoker to between 225ºF and 250ºF for at least 20 minutes. Scrub your grates clean and close the grill cover. 

Remove any packaging from the bologna chub, including the outer casing. If it’s stuck, wiggle the tip of a sharp knife under an edge and cut it to give yourself something to tug. 

Use your sharp paring knife to score the entire chub at 1-inch intervals in a diamond or square pattern. Rub or brush the mustard all over the outside of the bologna chub, getting it into the score marks where you can.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, bbq rub, and black pepper until even. Sprinkle about  ¾ of this over the top, sides, and ends of the bologna. 

Carefully transfer the chub directly onto the grates of your smoker or grill, rub side down. Sprinkle the remaining rub onto the top side of the bologna.

Close the grill or smoker. While the bologna smokes, combine the barbecue sauce and honey in another small bowl. 

Smoke the bologna for 3 to 4 hours, flipping it and brushing with your barbecue sauce and honey mixture after each hour. 

The bologna is done when it reaches the crispy-edged, degree of colour you desire. Remove it to a sheet pan and let it cool completely before slicing it. 

I love thick slices of it pan-fried or seared and served on sandwich rolls with mustard or mayonnaise, tomato and onion slices, and lettuce. 

You can also cut the smoked bologna into cubes and serve hot or fried with barbecue sauce or mustard sauce as an appetizer.

Smoked Bologna

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Rebecca Lindamood

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

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This is your childhood favorite sandwich transformed into something truly special. We’re talking about thick slices of gloriously crispy-edged bologna on a hamburger bun or great homemade sandwich bread with spicy brown mustard or barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomato, and a slab of sweet onion. Mercy.

Equipment

• 1 Smoker or grill with indirect heat
• 1 basting brush
• 1 sheet pan
• 1 paring knife

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 5 lb chub whole bologna
• 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons bbq rub
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey

Instructions

 

• Preheat your smoker to between 225ºF and 250ºF for at least 20 minutes. Scrub your grates clean and close the grill cover.
• Remove any packaging from the bologna chub, including the outer casing. If it’s stuck, wiggle the tip of a sharp knife under an edge and cut it to give yourself something to tug.
• Use your sharp paring knife to score the entire chub at 1-inch intervals in a diamond or square pattern. Rub or brush the mustard all over the outside of the bologna chub, getting it into the score marks where you can.
• In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, bbq rub, and black pepper until even. Sprinkle about ¾ of this over the top, sides, and ends of the bologna and gently press or tap it to embed it in the mustard.
• Carefully transfer the chub directly onto the grates of your smoker or grill, rub side down. Sprinkle the remaining rub onto the top side of the bologna and again gently press or tap the sugar mixture.
• Close the grill or smoker. While the bologna smokes, combine the barbecue sauce and honey in another small bowl.
• Smoke the bologna for 3 to 4 hours, flipping it and brushing with your barbecue sauce and honey mixture after each hour.
• The bologna is done when it reaches the crispy-edged, degree of colour you desire. This will likely take between 3 and 5 hours. Remove it to a sheet pan and let it cool completely before slicing it.
• I love thin to moderately thick slices of it pan-fried or seared and served on sandwich rolls with mustard or mayonnaise, tomato and onion slices, and lettuce.
• You can also cut the smoked bologna into cubes and serve hot or pan fried with barbecue sauce or mustard sauce as an appetizer.

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 18gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.001gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 1168mgPotassium: 384mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 130IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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