Smoked Bologna
On October 11, 2022 (Updated October 24, 2023)
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Smoked bologna makes for a surprisingly tasty afternoon sandwich. Let go of your childhood ideas of bologna and get ready for a fun and flavorful smoky twist on cheap and easy deli meat.
Homemade Smoked Bologna
If you’re looking to upgrade your favorite childhood lunchtime sandwich to an adult-approved version, look no further than this smoked bologna. It’s a sweet and smoky flavor mash-up that will make your bologna sandwich dreams come true.
Whether you’re cooking this bologna for a little snack or you plan to make some awesome sandwiches, you want to buy the whole bologna. Hit up your deli counter to buy bologna as a whole chub, as opposed to pre-sliced. We’re smoking the whole shebang today, so aim for around a 3-pound whole chub of bologna.
How to Smoke Bologna
Ready to get into this recipe? I think you’ll find it’s very easy to make this meat. Here’s how to smoke bologna.
- Preheat. Fire up the smoker to 225 degrees F. My favorite wood is typically oak or hickory because the bologna won’t be on the smoker for too long so I try and choose something a little bold.
- Prep. Remove the bologna from the packaging and remove any red wax from the outside of the bologna.
- Score. Use the tip of a sharp knife to cut slits across the surface area of the bologna. This allows the seasoning and smoke to penetrate the bologna.
- Season. Rub the bologna with yellow mustard then season on all sides with Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub. Once you sprinkle your rub on, resist the urge to spread it on or press on it with your hands. Just sprinkle it on evenly and then transfer it carefully to the smoker.
- Smoke. Place the seasoned bologna on the grill grates of your preheated smoker. Smoke the bologna with the lid closed for around 3 hours.
- Sauce. Slather the chub with Everything BBQ Sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce). My Kansas-City BBQ Sauce is also great on this bologna. Continue to smoke for around 30 minutes to allow the sauce to tighten on the meat. Continue to cook until the meat is at least 145 degrees F.
- Enjoy! Remove the meat from the grill and slice and serve.
How Long to Smoke Bologna
Since bologna is already cooked, you don’t need to follow a certain temperature protocol, but I do always try to get the interior temperature above 145 degrees F (be sure to use an instant-read thermometer to get an accurate reading) so the bologna isn’t sitting in the food bacteria growth danger zone when serving.
Plan for about 3-4 hours of smoke time for optimal smoke flavor without drying out the bologna.
Tips for Smoking Bologna
Hold tight for just a second! Before you jump into making this recipe, I’ve got a couple of tips for you when you’re making this smoked bologna.
- Don’t be afraid of the mustard slather. It doesn’t add a super “mustardy” flavor, but you need a binder to get the Sweet Rub to stick to the smooth exterior of the bologna.
- Enjoy hot or cold. If you’re eating your bologna hot off the smoker, use a sharp knife to cut thick slices for awesome sandwiches or cube it and serve with toothpicks. If you’re eating your bologna cold, chill it completely (usually overnight) before slicing it thin the next day.
- Have your sauce and rub ready to go. We sell some awesome rubs and sauces in the Hey Grill Hey Store. You can buy Sweet Rub and Everything BBQ Sauce pre-made and shipped straight to your door. It’ll save you a lot of time from making them yourself. (If you do want to make the rub and sauce from scratch, you can use my recipes for Best Sweet Rub for Pork and Chicken and Kansas City-Style BBQ Sauce).
More Smoked Sandwich Recipes
There’s something extra special about a sandwich made with smoked meat. In fact, we have a plethora of awesome smoked sandwich recipes ready for you to sink your teeth into below.
Smoked Bologna Recipe
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This post was originally published in March 2018. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
Smoked Bologna
Ingredients
- 3 pounds whole bologna chub
- ¼ cup yellow mustard
- ¼ cup Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub link in recipe notes
- ½ cup Everything BBQ Sauce or your favorite BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Preheat. Turn on your smoker and allow it to preheat to 225 degrees F. I like hickory or apple wood for this recipe.
- Prep. Remove any exterior packaging or red wax from the outside of the bologna.
- Score. Using the tip of a sharp knife, score the bologna about 1/8th of an inch thick in a diamond pattern on all sides of the bologna.
- Season. Slather the bologna chub with yellow mustard and then sprinkle on all sides with the Sweet Rub, opening the slits slightly with your fingers to get the seasoning into the cuts you just made.
- Smoke. Place the seasoned bologna on the smoker, close the lid, and smoke for at least 3 to 4 hours. Bologna is pre-cooked, so heat the bologna to around 145 degrees F until the color on the outside of the bologna is to your liking.
- Sauce. During the last 30 minutes, brush on all sides with Everything BBQ sauce.
- Serve. Slice warm into small cubes and serve as an appetizer or chill completely and slice as thin or thick as you like for smoked bologna sandwiches.
Notes
- Purchase it from the store HERE: Sweet Rub
- Make it from scratch using this RECIPE: Best Sweet Rub Recipe
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this and used spicy mustard. Holy moly! Then I made ham salad with some of the smoked bologna……what a fabulous taste! I will definitely do this again!
I got some venison bologna and it’s already sliced. Do you have any recipes like this for venison Bologna?
Not specifically but this one should work great.
I’m smoking a 5lb bacon and wrapping it in bacon I’m hoping it will turn out really well I will be smoking it for a while and letting it sit until I get back from work so hope it doesn’t over do it due to being cooked already. Fingers crossed
Going to try this. It’s be a great appetizer or sandwiches at my next barbeque. I had thoughts of wrapping it in bacon. What do you think?
Give it a shot! Wrapping it in bacon sounds amazing!
Hi, I so want to do a bologna chub for my stepson BUT I don’t have a smoker. Could you do this in the oven?
Thank you
I’m going to say no on this one. Since bologna is already cooked, this recipe just adds smoke flavor to it. There are ways to smoke things without a smoker though! If you have any kind of grill at all, one of these is an excellent way to add some smoky flavor to your food: https://amzn.to/2HzNJQ2
I have smoked lots of bologna over the years. I would recommend all beef types. Also some bologna is much saltier than others. It’s darn good not using any rub.
Made this tonight got a 5lb cut in half and used your other recipe for hotdog bertends . cut log to 1 inch thick then rolled out flat smoked at 225 till I could see the cuts open then put in butter brown sugar and bbq sauce was awesome thanks for all the help
Hey, Susie!
We’ve been doing smoked bologna for a long time, but trying your recipe for the first time. You say in your video 250 but the recipe calls for 225. Which will produce better results? ..or does it make a whole lot of difference?
Thanks!
Chad
It doesn’t make a whole lot of difference. I personally would stick with the written recipe instructions of 225.
Thanks, Susie!
Hey Susie!
Being a subscriber to your newsletter I don’t always read them all, but couldn’t help read this one, especially the the section on smoked bologna. My family has been smoking bolgna for over 40yrs now and this is the 1st time I have seen one cross hatched, we usually cut 1″ deep slits down the length of the chub about every 1.5″ around the chub to allow more smoke penetration. Got to admit the cross hatching does look appealing. I’m gonna have to give this one a try….it looks delicious girl. Our family has used only paprika, garlic, dark brown sugar and lemon pepper for a rub and of course only pecan wood to smoke with. Hope you will try out my family’s recipe as well.
Thanks so much for your commment Russell!! I love trying new recipes!!
Just did this yesterday and it turned out just like the video and tastey too. Sandwiches and some cut up for appetizers warmed up. Thanks for something different
I’m trying this now…I’m intrigued but not expecting a whole lot. Video has bbq sauce added but directions do not. Do you recommend bbq sauce? And can you do some how to videos on smoked cheese?
Hey Andrew- sorry about that, I swear I put the BBQ sauce instructions in there! Fixing it now. I usually add it on for the last 30 minutes and I use this sauce: https://heygrillhey.com/kansas-city-style-bbq-sauce/