Lebanon Bologna
A tangy, fermented and cold-smoked Pennsylvania-Dutch beef bologna, warmly spiced with allspice, cinnamon and clove.
Ingredients
| 500 g | beef chuck roast (80/20) |
| 14 g | kosher salt |
| 1.25 g | Cure #1 (curing salt) |
| 15 g | table sugar |
| 3 g | dextrose |
| 1.5 g | pepper |
| 1 g | allspice |
| 1 g | cinnamon |
| 0.5 g | clove powder |
| 0.25 g | ginger |
| — | F-LC starter culture |
| — | bologna casings |
Instructions
- Trim any silver skin off the beef and cut into small strips. Chill before grinding — the temperature must stay below 34°F (1°C).
- Prepare the starter culture (it needs at least 30 minutes to rehydrate); gather all the spices in a small cup; soak the bologna casings in lukewarm water for 20 minutes.
- Grind the beef through a coarse plate (10 mm), then regrind through a fine plate (4.5 mm), rechilling between grinds if needed. Keep the meat below 34°F (1°C) at all times during processing.
- Mix the chilled ground beef with all the spices and the rehydrated starter culture. Stop mixing once the mixture is sticky and clings to your hand when turned upside down.
- Stuff the mixture into the bologna casings.
If making this in warmer weather (above 65°F / 18°C): 6. Ferment at 90°F (32°C) for 18-24 hours at 90-85% humidity; target pH 4.8-4.9. 7. Cold-smoke (temperature under 80°F / 26°C) for 2 days, keeping the humidity high by adding a tray of water to the smoker. 8. Final pH target after cold smoking is 4.5-4.6. 9. To dry it out (like a summer sausage), hold at 55°F (13°C) and 80% humidity for 5-7 days.
If making this in cooler weather (below 65°F / 18°C): 10. Ferment at 90°F (32°C) for 24-30 hours at 90-85% humidity; target pH 4.6. 11. Cold-smoke (temperature under 75°F / 24°C) for 2 days, keeping the humidity high with a tray of water in the smoker. 12. Final pH target after cold smoking is 4.5-4.6. 13. To dry it out, hold at 55°F (13°C) and 80% humidity for 5-7 days.