Trail Bologna

After the meat is ground, add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly until evenly distributed.Then

place the meat in containers or tubs and pack tightly to eliminate air pockets. Do not pack more than

6” high. Then place the mixture in a cooler at 45-50ºF. for 48 hours. Regrind it through a 3/8” grinder

plate and stuff it into protein-lined 3 1/2” x 24” casings or beef middles and keep at 45-50ºF. for 12 hours.

Place bologna into 120 degree F. preheated smoker until it starts to take on a brown color, with draft

and damper 1/2 open. Increase the smokehouse temperature to 170ºF. and keep the sausage there until

an internal temperature of 158ºF. is reached. Remove the sausage and air-cool it over night at 60-70ºF.

Smoke the sausage again the next day for about 48 hours, or until it has a dark brown color.

After smoking, store the sausage at 65ºF. for 10-12 days with a relative humidity of 70-80%. Place the

sausage in a cooler at 40-45ºF. to achieve an 18-20% weight loss.

Country-style, or trail bologna, is a bologna made with coarse cuts of meat. Before emulsifying machines,

most of the meat was cut by grinding the fat meat through a 1/8” or 3/16” grinder plate.The lean meat

is ground through a 1/4” or 3/8” grinder plate.