Memphis Smoked Bologna Sandwich with Mustard Slaw
Chapter 2 — The Meats
Let's get something straight right out of the gate: smoked bologna is not a joke. If you have ever stood in a gravel parking lot breathing in the blue smoke of a cinderblock pit, you know the "Oklahoma Prime Rib" commands respect. You take a cheap, mass-produced emulsified sausage, score it, coat it in a spicy Memphis rub, and subject it to three hours of hickory smoke until the edges crisp into a mahogany bark. But the sandwich isn't complete without the slaw—a neon-yellow, aggressively acidic mustard punch to the jaw that cuts perfectly through the rich, fatty meat. Serve it on a squishy commercial bun and don't look back.
Before you start
Use the snake method for standard charcoal kettles.
Stack unlit charcoal briquettes two-wide and two-deep in a semi-circle along the edge of the kettle, top with hickory chunks, and ignite one end with eight lit briquettes to deliver a steady 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
The kitchen oven workaround uses liquid smoke and a cast-iron finish.
Mix 1 tablespoon of hickory liquid smoke into your mustard binder, roast on a wire rack at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 minutes, glaze, then sear the thick slices in a hot cast-iron skillet to fake the char before assembling.
Ingredients
- bologna chub3 lb
- yellow mustard2 tbsp
- sweet paprika3 tbsp
- dark brown sugar2 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- black pepper1 tbsp
- garlic powder2 tsp
- onion powder2 tsp
- dry mustard powder1 tsp
- celery seed1 tsp
- cayenne pepper1/2 tsp
- green cabbage1 med
- yellow mustard1/3 cup
- apple cider vinegar1/4 cup
- white sugar1/4 cup
- mayonnaise2 tbsp
- dry mustard powder1 tsp
- celery seed1 tsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1 tsp
- Memphis-style BBQ sauce1 cup
- white hamburger buns6 large
Method
- 01
Prepare the mustard slaw at least two hours ahead of time.
Whisk the yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, mayonnaise, dry mustard powder, celery seed, salt, and pepper until the sugar dissolves, then toss with the chopped cabbage and refrigerate.
- 02
Score the outside of the bologna in a diamond pattern.
Using a sharp knife, make cuts about 1/2-inch deep and 1-inch apart, spanning the entire length and circumference of the chub.
- 03
Slather the bologna with yellow mustard and pack on the dry rub.
The mustard acts purely as a binder; mix the paprika, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, celery seed, and cayenne, and press it firmly into the score lines.
- 04
Prepare your smoker for indirect cooking at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Toss a few chunks of hickory or pecan wood onto the coals to get a clean blue smoke going.
- 05
Smoke the bologna for two to two and a half hours.
The score marks will expand deeply to expose the interior to the smoke while the exterior turns a dark mahogany.
- 06
Mop the exterior heavily with BBQ sauce during the final thirty minutes of the cook.
Wait until the internal temperature hits 160 degrees Fahrenheit, then glaze the meat, close the lid, and let the sugars in the sauce tack up and caramelize.
- 07
Let the chub rest loosely tented for twenty minutes before slicing.
This allows the sticky glaze to set up properly before you cut it into thick 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch slices.
- 08
Build the sandwich on a squishy white bun.
Pile a thick slice of smoked bologna on the bottom bun, drizzle with extra BBQ sauce, heap a massive spoonful of mustard slaw right on top of the meat, and cap it.
Notes
The target internal temperature is 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Unlike brisket or pork shoulder, bologna is precooked; your only goal here is to render the interior fat slightly and caramelize the exterior sugars without burning them.
Hickory is the absolute standard, but pecan is an excellent substitute.
Because scored bologna is highly porous, it can easily over-smoke. The milder, nutty profile of pecan is perfect for avoiding a bitter, acrid bark.
Bologna does not experience a stall.
Because it is highly processed and lacks raw muscle fibers and high water content, wrapping in butcher paper or foil is unnecessary and will ruin your carefully crafted bark.
A twenty minute rest is all you need.
While raw meats require extensive resting in a faux-Cambro to reabsorb juices, bologna just needs a brief moment for the exterior glaze to cool and set.
From Cook BBQ at Home.