fried bologna

Njkim, it's a homemade spread rather than store bought. I've seen recipes for it over the years, but this thread just brought it to mind.

Footnote: A whole, spice-rubbed bologna baked in the oven is heavenly on a roll, bun, or sliced bread with a great mustard. I think the flavor is better than frying, but I enjoy both.

I shouldn't do this but I can't resist. Here's a taste of the novel I'm writing -- this is taken from a passage that I wrote a few months back. (I've filleted the bologna stuff out of the scene -- I'm skipping the ghosts, meth-head troubles, and the protagonist's lentil soup.)



I didn’t have the heart to tell her that the idea of a fried bologna sandwich was one I found unnerving, but when she dropped the discs of Caucasian-looking flesh into the pan the burnt-weenie tang that came off as they cupped from the heat changed my mind. Lulu cracked an egg into each bologna cup, topped them with cheese slices and covered the pan…

Lulu took off the top of the pan and scootched the bologna over to one side, turned up the heat, then dropped a couple of slices of bread into the hot grease. She kept shuffling them around with the pancake flipper, then pulled them out when they were nicely browned on one side and put in two more slices of bread.
She took the crisp fried slices and spread mayo on them and sprinkled it with pepper, then laid down the lettuce and the thicker onion slices, topped them with the bologna/egg/cheese bombs and the last slice of fried bread with more mayo…

I looked down at the grim little packets of grease on the plate in front of me. I picked one up. I bit down. I dabbed at the trickle of butter, bologna grease, and mayo on my lip.
“You got the touch,” I said, and let her put some onions and cucumber on my plate. The sugar worked; the combination tasted somewhere between a salad and a pickle. And the sandwich was fantastic, pure rich degenerate trashy comfort. Hot bologna is nothing like cold. “This is mighty tasty.”

Eggs-actly!

Nyeargh. Remind me never to cut and paste from a .doc into a forum again. The question marks are either quotes, apostrophes, or ellipses-indicating-a-cut-from-the-original. (Wanders of cursing quietly to himself.)

quote:

Originally posted by MellowRoast

Has anyone ever heard of bologna spread? I understand it's made by grinding bologna and adding mayo, pickle relish, etc. Similar to tuna salad. I've never had it, but I may just have to give it a shot.

I grew up eating this - it would be my "job" to turn the crank on the meat grinder. I love this stuff.

And now, just a general observation. A lot of these threads could be boiled down to :

Q: "why do people eat (whatever), it sounds strange to me."
A: "because I think it tastes good."

So true....but isn't it all fun!!!

Yeah, and some of you have ideas that wouldn't otherwise occur to me, although I make bologna spread in the food processor rather than a meat grinder.

My kids love it... I hate it.

I find that most any meat and cream cheese makes a great spread from the high end smithfield hams to the working man's bologna.

quote:

Originally posted by MellowRoast

Leethebard, we don't have porkrolls here, but fried bologna sandwiches are huge in this area, and very common in restaurants.

I don't know about anyone else, but I always add bacon to mine. It sends the flavor through the roof, I gar-on-tee!

Sometimes I even have a BBLTC! (Bologna-Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato-Cheese!)

I'm gonna have to experience a porkroll sometime, though.

coming from nj...i miss pork roll, taylor ham or what ever YOU want to call it...live in mass now, can't get it
leethebard...do you cut the bologna up and scramble the eggs, that's how i do it, or do you fry it like pork roll...w/ the 3 cuts in the side spaced just right to prevent warpage....and eat w/ fried egg on a roll???? ok, now my mouth is watering

It's hard to beat a fried "baloney" sandwich. My wife refuses to eat it but I grew up on friend bologna and egg, or fried bolgona and american cheese sandwishes. Plan to have some tonight with a bowl of chicken noodle soup.


Dennis in Cary

It appears that many of you are missing the essence of the Fried Bologna sandwich, also known as a Hillbilly Hamburger, or, in the case of one with cheese, a Hillbilly Cheeseburger.

The essential fried bologna sandwich is made by frying up a rather thick slice of bologna -- about half an inch thick -- with the edge scored in three or four places to prevent cupping. It is then served on a hamburger-type bun, usually with pickles and a slice of raw onion, although I eschew those two items in favor of plain old brown mustard.

Another name that could be properly applied to this particular sandwich is Ambrosia, food of the gods in Greek and Roman mythology

Now there's nothing at all wrong with bologna and eggs. I've enjoyed it myself, although I prefer salami and eggs and pastrami and eggs. But that's still not a fried bologna sandwich.

At Slugger Field they serve Fried Bologna Sandwiches at all the Louisville Bat's Baseball Games. It is a thick-cut grilled slice of the "tube-steak". We will ask The Travelin' Man to write an objective review of this treat after his visit next month !

OK, I saw forums here about Spudnuts and fired bologna so I had to join this site and post. Anyway, when I was a kid in Iowa my Grandma was the master of making meals out of nothing and we used to eat fried bologna for breakfast, lunch and occasionally dinner. My favorite was fried bologna, fried eggs and potato cakes made from left over mashed potatoes.

quote:

Originally posted by WillieBoy

OK, I saw forums here about Spudnuts and fired bologna so I had to join this site and post. Anyway, when I was a kid in Iowa my Grandma was the master of making meals out of nothing and we used to eat fried bologna for breakfast, lunch and occasionally dinner. My favorite was fried bologna, fried eggs and potato cakes made from left over mashed potatoes.

WillieBoy, welcome aboard... and are we related? My grandma would make fried potato cakes from leftover mash taters as well. And she would sometimes fry up bologna to go with it. But unlike several up here, ours was regular cut, not thick. I tried it with thick cut bologna and prefer it thinner. It has a crispy ring to it and , well, I can't wait for the thicker to cook up.

BTW, I keep wanting to try BBQ'ed bolgona. I have read about places that actually sauce it down. My other point, I prefer Boar's Head sliced really thin for regular sandwiches, but Oscar Meyer regular sliced bolgna for frying.

Dennis in Cary

Dennis: Yeah, I like the crisp ring and the I always liked it when it cupped up. I've had BBQ'd and it's pretty good. It's like BBQ'd hot dogs.
Hey, is that Cary, NC? I used to live out in "little Washington" for awhile.

w

quote:

Originally posted by WillieBoy

Dennis: Yeah, I like the crisp ring and the I always liked it when it cupped up. I've had BBQ'd and it's pretty good. It's like BBQ'd hot dogs.
Hey, is that Cary, NC? I used to live out in "little Washington" for awhile.

w

Yup, good old Cary NC. I'm familiar with Washington NC. I grew up in Craven County ( New Bern area ) and lived for years in Kinston before moving here. My wife is one of the few Cary native as the rest have moved down here from up North.

I'll have to try the BBQ'd bologna some time.



Dennis in Cary

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman Another name that could be properly applied to this particular sandwich is Ambrosia, food of the gods in Greek and Roman mythology.

Can't neither. Ambrosia is a duly registered trademark of Archer Daniels Midland, and is used as a trade name for their chocolate. You can't get it except in wholesale lots, or http://www.admworld.com/naen/productdb/default.aspx if you need a whole lot.

Hmmm, I had always considered AMBROSIA to be that goopy dessert made with Whipped Cream/Kool-Whip, fresh fruit or fruit cocktail and sometimes chunks of Angel Food Cake all stirred into one sloppy mess in a large bowl.

P S I Love the Stuff.

If I were to go to a deli and order bologna, how do I ask for it sliced? thanks,
kim

Grilled Slice of Bologna with Caramelized Onions, Pickles, Pepper Jack Cheese and Banana Peppers on a Kaiser Roll.
Liberty Tavern In Powell, Ohio
Very tasty!!!

wow, great pic!

DL, I tried to smoke my own bologna (or balonie, as it was called
when I grew up).
I was disappointed...the smoke didn't penetrate much, so only
the outside had the flavor.

Some people take a plastic tube and hollow out two tunnels
running crosswise to get the smoke inside, but it seemed like
too much trouble for me.
I love thin sliced fried sandwiches, and it's so easy to do.
Gotta have mayo though.

Tastes almost like a grilled hot dog to me when I fry up the thin slices from the deli. Never had it thick cut.

Well,they're pretty much the same thing...bologna is a bigggg hotdog...isn't it!!!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by njkim

If I were to go to a deli and order bologna, how do I ask for it sliced? thanks,
kim

It all depends on what you plan to do with it. If you're going to fry it, I suggest you ask them to cut it at least 1/2 to 5/8 inch thick. See the picture below your original post. If you're going to smoke it, it could range from a chunk weighing a pound to a whole roll of bolonga. For sandwiches, your choice.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

...the Fried Bologna sandwich, also known as a Hillbilly Hamburger, or, in the case of one with cheese, a Hillbilly Cheeseburger.

A Hillbilly Hamburger would hit the spot right about now.

It all depends on what you plan to do with it. If you're going to fry it, I suggest you ask them to cut it at least 1/2 to 5/8 inch thick. See the picture below your original post. If you're going to smoke it, it could range from a chunk weighing a pound to a whole roll of bolonga. For sandwiches, your choice.


Thanks for the suggestions, I will go to the deli tomm.
Kim

Was in Waldo on Tuesday for some real estate business with my wife's family farm. The G&R is as good as ever - made the 450 mile drive from Virginia easy just thinking about it. The sandwich may have gone up a quarter, they're now $3.75 - and worth every penny. Beers are still $2.00.