Last Updated on August 16, 2024 by Carne Diem
Protein: 
Method: Smoker
Jump to RecipeThis sweet and spicy smoked whole bologna is smoked over hickory wood for a quick and easy recipe to make on your grill or smoker.
Background of Bologna
Originating from the Italian city of the same name, bologna is a sausage composed of finely ground meat, spices and myrtle berries. This ground mixture is then incased and cured. In the United States bologna is classified as a frankfurter. In short, it is a giant hot dog. Typically, bologna consists of a mixture of pork, chicken and beef.
Making Smoked Bologna at Home
We can typically find whole bologna chubs in the refrigerator section of the grocery store with the sliced bologna and hot dogs. If you are having problems sourcing a whole bologna, try asking at the deli counter, if they have any whole chubs for sale.
Preparing the bologna chub
Preparing the whole bologna for smoking only take a couple easy steps. and the entire hickory smoked bologna recipe is extremely simple. First remove the bologna from its packaging and remove any red wax or outer casing.
Optional score marks of the bologna.
For appearance purposes many people like to cross hatch the roll of bologna. We do not typically do this as we have found it can often lead to a dry unappealing edge around the meat, but a lot of people like it. If you choose to do this, carefully use the tip of a sharp knife to cut a diamond pattern or square pattern around the outside of the bologna. Make your cuts about ¼ inch deep and space the cuts in about 1-inch intervals. After you have scored the bologna, it is time to season it.
Next, slather the outside of the bologna with yellow mustard. Other mustards like Dijon mustard or honey mustard or even a Carolina mustard sauce may be used as well, but the mustard is primarily being used as a binder and does not contribute a whole lot to the flavor of BBQ bologna.
Next liberally season the outside of the bologna log with your favorite BBQ rub. We love using a sweet and spicy barbecue rub for the bologna such as Lane's Spellbound or Meat Church Holy VooDoo. Make sure to get a good coating over the entire outside of the bologna meat.
Making the whole bologna on a smoker
To cook the BBQ smoked bologna prepare your grill or smoker. Preheat your smoker to 225-250 degrees and prepare to cook with indirect heat if using a charcoal grill like a Weber.
We made this whole smoked bologna on a Big Green Egg, but you can also smoke bologna on a pellet smoker or grill, or whatever smoker type you have available.
Once the smoker has reached temp, add a couple hickory wood chunks to the smoker. Add the seasoned whole bologna chub to the smoker and smoke for about 1 hour. After 1 hour rotate and flip the bologna. Continue to smoke for another 2-4 hours, checking on the bologna each our and rotating if needed. Total smoke time typically takes about 3-4 hours but can vary. Because the bologna is precooked, there is not a specific internal temperature that you are trying to achieve. Just smoke long enough to get a nice smoky flavor without drying out the bologna. For a less smoky bologna or to get a softer outside, only smoke for 2 hours.
For more simple recipes to make on your grill or smoker try some of our favorite recipes:
- Renaissance Festival Style Smoked Turkey Legs
- Easy Smoked Boneless Turkey Breast
- Applewood Smoked Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
- Grilled Sonoran Hot Dogs
- Baltimore Pit Beef : Maryland Style Roast Beef Sandwich
- Grilled Bacon Wrapped Dates: Devils On Horseback
- Ooni Wood Plank Salmon
Serving the hickory smoked bologna
When it comes to serving the smoked bologna, the options are endless. We tend to just slice up the smoked meat and then eat the bologna slices with cheese and crackers. Another family favorite is to make fried bologna sandwiches with the smoked bologna. To do this, cut the bologna into thick slices. Heat a little oil in a pan over medium heat or use a Blackstone to fry the bologna slices for about 1-2 minutes per side. Serve the smoked and fried bologna on white bread for a simple sandwich or add tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, mayo and spicy mustard to make the best bologna sandwich ever.
What to do with leftover Smoked Bologna
Leftover smoked bologna is best wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated until needed. It is best to use the leftover bologna within about 3-4 days. Do note that the outside of the smoked bologna will soften as it is stored in the refrigerator. Leftovers also are great diced up and mixed into chili or BBQ baked beans or ham and beans.
Frequently Asked Questions
While mortadella is only made with pork, bologna is likely to include a mixture of pork, chicken, and beef. Mortadella is also not as finely ground as bologna, often containing small cubes of pork fat, and pistachios.
Any leftover smoked bologna should be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. It is best when eaten within 3-4 days of smoking it.
While bologna gets a bad rap as being a mystery meat, not all bologna contains offal or organ meat. Any bologna containing "variety meat" must be labelled as containing and list what meats are included in the sausage.
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📖 Recipe
Sweet and Spicy Hickory Smoked Bologna
Ingredients
- 24 Ounce Whole Bologna Chub
- ¼ cup Yellow Mustard
- ½ cup Sweet and Spicy BBQ Rub
Instructions
- Remove the bologna from its packaging and remove any wax or covering from the outside of the meat.
- Lightly slather with the yellow mustard.
- Liberally season with the barbecue rub. You want a fairly heavy coating of rub, but you may or may not use all of the rub, depending on the size and shape of the bologna chub.
- Preheat your smoker to 225-250 degrees. Once heated, add the hickory chips.
- Smoke the whole bologna for 3-4 hours, rotating and flipping the bologna each hour.
- Remove from the smoker and allow to cool. Enjoy thinly sliced, or thickly slice and fry it desired.
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