Do you enjoy a well-cooked hot dog at a barbeque? Well, then you’re going to love this smoked bologna recipe! It’s better than you could ever imagine.
Bologna is essentially one large hot dog cut into thin slices. By doing this, you turn a hot dog into delicious deli meat. You don’t need to know how to smoke bologna to enjoy a good bologna sandwich, but after you taste this smoked bologna, you’ll never want it any other way.
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Ingredients for smoked bologna
In our recipe for smoked bologna, we’ll use a brown sugar rub and a dark ale to keep everything moist. Here are the essential ingredients you need to smoke bologna.
Your favorite bologna
Bologna is primarily made of ground meat from pork, beef, chicken, or turkey. Sometimes, it’s a combination of all or some of those meats, and sometimes bologna is made of just one meat. What’s inside totally depends on the brand and type of bologna you buy.
You can also find venison and game meat bologna if you look hard enough!
Either way, you’ll need your favorite bologna log for this recipe. When you go to the deli counter, you can ask for a “whole chub” to ensure you get the entire log and not the pre-sliced kind of bologna.
A Great barbecue sauce or rub
We’re not going to tell you which barbecue sauce to use—we know that when it comes to sauces, it can get personal.
What we will say is that you need a great sauce or rub for this smoked bologna. You can make your own at home (like we do in our smoked bologna recipe below) or use your favorite sauce or rub it right out of the bottle.
Our rub is simple. It’s just brown sugar and cracked black pepper—two ingredients you probably have at home right now.
Your favorite beer or ale
For this smoked bologna, we will fill a water pan with a mixture of water and beer. This will prevent your bologna from drying out—and it will impart an added layer of complex flavor.
We recommend using a brown ale, but if a light beer is all you have on hand, that will work, too!
If you don’t have any ale or beer for this smoked bologna, don’t worry. Good old water will work just as well.
How to smoke bologna on a pellet grill
Once you have all of your supplies and ingredients together, it’s time to cook your smoked bologna!
Step 1: Scoring the Bologna
Imagine holding a juicy chunk of bologna in your hands. To infuse it with smoky goodness, we’ll need to score it like a culinary artist. Take a knife and make angled cuts in one direction, then flip it and score it in the opposite direction, creating beautiful diamond-like patterns. These scores will help the smoky flavors penetrate deep into the meat, enhancing every delicious bite.
Step 2: Seasoning the Bologna
Now that your bologna is artfully scored, it’s time to add a burst of flavor. Reach for your favorite sazon seasoning—I highly recommend Eat Loisa—and generously coat the bologna. The aromatic spices in the seasoning will complement the smoky essence, creating a harmonious symphony of tastes.
Step 3: Smoking the Bologna
Are you ready to fire up your Z Grills and let the magic happen? Set the temperature to a mouthwatering 275°F and place your seasoned bologna onto the grill grates. Close the lid and let the smoky dance begin. Allow the bologna to smoke for a tantalizing 60 minutes, giving it ample time to absorb those rich, smoky flavors.
Step 4: Glazing with Cherry Peach Sauce
Prepare yourself for a flavor explosion! After an hour of smoking, it’s time to add a touch of sweetness to the mix. Grab your bottle of Branch BBQ Cherry Peach sauce and glaze the bologna, generously coating every inch. The fruity notes of cherry and peach will add a delightful tang and balance to the savory profile of the bologna.
Step 5: Back to the Grill
Once your bologna is glazed to perfection, place it back on the Z Grills for a quick encore. Give it a final smoke session of 15 minutes at 275°F, allowing the glaze to caramelize and create a heavenly crust. This step adds that extra layer of flavor and texture that will have everyone begging for more.
Step 6: Slicing and Savoring
The moment has finally arrived—the unveiling of your masterpiece. Take a sharp knife and slice the smoked bologna to your desired thickness. As the blade glides through the tender meat, you’ll catch a whiff of the smoky aroma that fills the air. Plate those succulent slices and get ready to indulge in a symphony of flavors.
The best ways to serve smoked bologna
You can enjoy smoked bologna hot or cold, but we highly recommend enjoying your smoked bologna fresh off the grill.
To enjoy your smoked bologna as an appetizer, simply cut your bologna into squares. Then, you can serve it with cheeses, crackers, dips, pickles, and (of course) toothpicks.
Smoked bologna also tastes amazing piled high on sandwiches. You can enjoy a thick slice of smoked bologna with barbecue sauce on a bun. You can also serve it up with added ingredients like:
- pickles
- tomatoes
- lettuce
- onions
- ketchup
- mustard
- sliced cheese
If eating cold, allow the bologna to cool completely before cutting.
What’s the best time and temperature for smoking bologna
When you buy bologna, it’s precooked. So, the grilling process is all about flavor and heat.
For this smoked bologna recipe, you’ll be smoking a bologna log at 275 °F for 1 hr 15 mins. To ensure your bologna doesn’t sit at an unsafe temperature that breeds bacteria, make sure the center of your smoked bologna reaches 145 °F before serving.
Recommended reading: Smoking meat times and temperatures chart
Tips for smoking bologna
Trust us. The first time you grill this smoked bologna will not be the last. This smoked bologna recipe is a fan favorite.
If you’re new to smoking bologna, here are some pro tips to keep in mind.
Stick to the recipe
For pro chefs, winging it is a great idea. For beginners, not so much. Follow the guidelines in this recipe, and you’ll end up with delicious smoked bologna.
Set a timer
You’ll need to add water and wood pellets to your smoker every hour. You don’t need to babysit the grill, but you also don’t want to forget about it. So, set a timer—and thank us later.
Cherry Peach Sazon Smoked Bologna
Equipment
- Z Grills Pellet Smokers
- Z Grills Cherry Wood Pellets
Ingredients
- 3 pounds whole bologna roll
- Eat Loisa’s Sazon Seasoning
- Branch’s BBQ Cherry Peach Sauce
Instructions
- Score the bologna with angled cuts to enhance smoky flavors.
- Season generously with Eat Loisa sazon seasoning for a burst of flavor.
- Smoke on Z Grills at 275°F for 60 minutes to infuse smoky goodness.
- Glaze with Branch BBQ Cherry Peach sauce for a touch of sweetness.
- Return to grill for 15 minutes at 275°F to caramelize the glaze.
- Slice to desired thickness, savor the smoky aroma, and indulge in pure delight.
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