Wapiti Bologna

[WyoDoug]

Got paid to make this for a neighbor with his leftover elk. Got a bite of it now need to make some of my own. Need to perfect the recipe a bit and tweek it because it seemed to be on the dry side.

 

[rmyoung1]

That looks good to me, Doug. Now this is dry....

 

[WyoDoug]

That looks good to me, Doug. Now this is dry....

View attachment 153709

LOL bologna should not be dry at all. I am thinking increase the water and maybe the milk and shorten the cook times a bit. Smoking it probably help dry it some too. Going to try a trick I saw online and increase the humidity while it is cooking and before I actually add the smoke.

 

[Losing_Sanity]

Got paid to make this for a neighbor with his leftover elk. Got a bite of it now need to make some of my own. Need to perfect the recipe a bit and tweek it because it seemed to be on the dry side.

View attachment 153708

Maybe we should try some of it for you and give you our opinion on the dryness. I'd be willing to help you out with testing it.

 

[WyoDoug]

Maybe we should try some of it for you and give you our opinion on the dryness. I'd be willing to help you out with testing it.

Those in my elk hunting group get to try a bunch of neat goodies I make from antelope. I always take treats I make in my smoker hunting the following year. So that is how you getta taste what I make with my smoker and sausage making setup.

 

[noharleyyet]

Big fan of smoked 'baloney' sammiches...good job wyodoug.

 

[WyoDoug]

Huge difference between homemade bologna and store bought. I guarantee it LOL Mine don't taste nothing near what you get in the grocery store. That in the grocery store is mostly water believe it or not and stuff you don't wanna know about.

 

[PNWGator]

Great idea! Been a while since I’ve had a grilled bologna and cheese sammich!

 

[Howie]

I can almost taste that blownee from the picture. Mmmmmmm

 

[Spartan]

Looks good! A smoker is high on my list of things to get this year.

 

[WyoDoug]

I am telling you the smoker is one of my better investments. I now buy a lot of discounted expired packages of frozen meat from the commissary at often 25% of normal price and turn it into either burgers or sausages. We eat burgers with NONE of that pink slime that is added to commercial hamburger. My advice though to those who are considering investing in a smoker is don't scrimp. Get one to fulfill your needs now and into the future. It should have plenty of room to hang sausages and racks if you want to layer them that way. I prefer propane fired with smoker at the bottom and a good humidifier tray that holds a lot of water. Hint though if you are having issues like I am on smoked meat drying out, buy some of them large sponges for washing cars and put them in the humidifier tray.

 

[noharleyyet]

Huge difference between homemade bologna and store bought. I guarantee it LOL Mine don't taste nothing near what you get in the grocery store. That in the grocery store is mostly water believe it or not and stuff you don't wanna know about.

Everthing except the sqeal, cluck, oink, or moo....

 

[WyoDoug]

Everthing except the sqeal, cluck, oink, or moo....

Depends...the place I get my pork and beef I sometimes watch it being butchered. I am friends with a farmer out here that butchers his own pigs and cattle so I know I am getting really good meat and the cuts exactly what I want since I pitch in and do some of them. Pigs really squeal when they know they are about to be butchered.

 

[diamond hitch]

For years I have had german sausage made out of a portion of my elk and deer burger meat. I think the key to it is not beef suet but 20% pork shoulder. It adds moisture without grease.

 

[WyoDoug]

For years I have had german sausage made out of a portion of my elk and deer burger meat. I think the key to it is not beef suet but 20% pork shoulder. It adds moisture without grease.

I don't use beef fat for sausage. I order back fat from a local butcher here and use that. My dry bologna had to do with overcooking with no water for humidity and trying to make it too lean. Had summer sausage do that too.

 

[widnert]

We like to have bacon with our elk burgers so, just bypassed the middleman and began using the packages of bacon ends from one of our local grocery stores as the fat in the elk burger. Works perfect for us.
I too have one of the upright smokers with propane, similar to what WyoDoug describes. Every year on almost every camping trip with friends, I'm asked if I brought some of my summer sausage, meat sticks or jerky from the meat laid-in from the past hunting season. One of the best investments we have made. Between the big LEM grinder and the almost commercial vacuum sealer and this smoker, we are set for our needs in processing meat. My wish list has a meat-mixer on it but, it is just a nice-to-have thing.
Got my elk in the freezer already and headed out this weekend to try for one for the wife!

 

[WyoDoug]

We like to have bacon with our elk burgers so, just bypassed the middleman and began using the packages of bacon ends from one of our local grocery stores as the fat in the elk burger. Works perfect for us.
I too have one of the upright smokers with propane, similar to what WyoDoug describes. Every year on almost every camping trip with friends, I'm asked if I brought some of my summer sausage, meat sticks or jerky from the meat laid-in from the past hunting season. One of the best investments we have made. Between the big LEM grinder and the almost commercial vacuum sealer and this smoker, we are set for our needs in processing meat. My wish list has a meat-mixer on it but, it is just a nice-to-have thing.
Got my elk in the freezer already and headed out this weekend to try for one for the wife!

Something I like better than bacon is boneless boston butt for really juicy hamburgers. If I were using that for sausage making I would go 40-50% lean-boston butt. Depending on how much muscle was in it.

 

[Dave N]

We like to have bacon with our elk burgers so, just bypassed the middleman and began using the packages of bacon ends from one of our local grocery stores as the fat in the elk burger. Works perfect for us.
I too have one of the upright smokers with propane, similar to what WyoDoug describes. Every year on almost every camping trip with friends, I'm asked if I brought some of my summer sausage, meat sticks or jerky from the meat laid-in from the past hunting season. One of the best investments we have made. Between the big LEM grinder and the almost commercial vacuum sealer and this smoker, we are set for our needs in processing meat. My wish list has a meat-mixer on it but, it is just a nice-to-have thing.
Got my elk in the freezer already and headed out this weekend to try for one for the wife!

Meat mixers are wonderful!

 

[Lone Elk]

I also like to use up the rest of my game meat from last year before the season starts. Made a venison/pork mix for sausages. Bratwurst, polish sausage, Italian sausage and breakfast sausage two weeks ago. Close to 100 lbs total. Tastes awesome.