GrillinFools
Thick slices of bologna, seared like a steak on a grill to get those gorgeous grill marks and then piled onto a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato and cheese. Then, we slice some potatoes into thin chips in a mandolin and flash fry them for the perfect potato chip side to our Southern Grilled Bologna Sandwich.
Are you full of baloney!!?? Well you might be after trying this recipe. I teamed up with Grillin’ Fool Tom at his grilling paradise to recreate a sandwich he was fond of while working in Mississippi (Southern for sure!) at a fabrication plant during his younger days (circa 1983). You see, everyday at lunchtime a traveling food vehicle came around, affectionately referred to as the roach coach, and a poor precursor to the modern food truck phenomenon, peddling inexpensive lunch items to the workers.
The most popular item was a simple grilled bologna sandwich with cheese and mayo served on a burger style bun. Indeed, it was cheap and it was good!
Here are the items needed for our effort to take Tom back to this culinary delight from his younger years known as the Southern Grilled Bologna Sandwich.
Southern Grilled Bologna Sandwich Ingredients:
For the Sando:
- 3 1/2 inch thick old fashioned bologna slices. (Sub beef bolo if you wish but based on a previous cook in which we tasted both the good ole pork stuff was best in both flavor and texture in our opinion)
- 3 thick slices of colby cheese. (Why colby? It fit the bun!)
- Vine ripened tomato, sliced
- Butter lettuce
- Fresh restaurant sized buns (we went with cornmeal dusted ‘cuz it’s sorta Southern)
- Spray oil
- Your favorite condiment(s)*
*We used mustard however mayo was the original from the coach. We thought comeback sauce would work and be truly Southern.
For the Chips:
- 3 Idaho russet potatoes-they crisp up the best.
- Frying oil
- Your favorite BBQ rub OR salt (suggest you don’t do both together as most rubs already contain significant sodium)
Bologna Preparation
Carve the baloney into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Slice up the vine ripened tomatoes:
How to Make a Southern Grilled Bologna Sandwich
We decided to cook these bologna beasts on the newest addition to the Grillin’ Fools stable of grills, the Broilmaster Premium Grill:
Check out those cross-hatch grill marks! Tom replaced one of the burners with an optional infrared sear unit.
A sear burner can also be added on the side table if desired:
Don’t do this
Pay attention when using the sear station.
This can happen quickly.
Toast those buns
Once the baloney slices are seared and moved off the heat it was time to give the buns a quick, really quick, toast. Make sure to give the buns a quick spritz with some spray oil before toasting to keep them from burning and give a little better toast action:
Create the Southern Grilled Bologna Sandwich
Now for the “fixins”. That’s Southern ain’t it?
Lettuce and cheese on the bottom so the juicy tomato doesn’t soak the bun:
How about those grill marks?!
As an SCA certified judge I was prepared to give him high marks for appearance but I see he still has some practicing to do.
I wonder what Marty Mayrose would think of that.
The sando is great and needs an equally amazing side to accompany it.
These fried potato slices are sooo much better than that tiny bag of chips from the roach coach.
Potato prep
The mandoline was set to approximately 1/8 inch for the taters.
And they’re sliced!
After slicing, the taters were soaked in cold water for 20-30 minutes then drained and patted dry with paper towels prior to hitting the fryer.
Fry the home made potato chips
Tom scored a used commercial fryer and installed it on his covered patio/deck cooking area. Gas is piped directly so there are no cans to kick around plus the thermostat regulates a steady temperature which makes for fabulous frying.
Tom’s fish fries are wonderful with hush puppies, french fries, fish, and fried pepper rings (Oh yeah!)
Fryer in action!
Temp set to 350 and the taters are cooked until golden and crispy.
Having two baskets is simply super because the chips disappear quickly!
Season or salt the chips while hot.
We used our favorite pork bbq rub.
Here’s the cook’s treat. Notice the divots in the bowl of seasoning?
We dipped warm sample chips into the rub for an awesome kick of flavor.
Testing one, two. Testing. More testing!
Can you handle this bolo beast of a sammich??
Bologna Basket to go!!
Now we’ve come this far and I have to ask “Do you say baloney or bologna??” I’m guessing that if you say bologna you probably lift your pinky when you sip your beverage. Therefore, put me in the baloney crowd.
Many of us grew up with fried baloney sandwiches but now the grill makes them even better.
Southern Grilled Bologna Sandwich Run Down
So how was this cook we always ask? First the chips, oh the chips, were extremely habit-forming. The sandwich? It was, of course, Wunderbar, as well as a blast from the past (and the South)
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Southern Grilled Bologna Sandwich
Ingredients
For the Sando:
- 3 slices old fashioned bologna ½ inch thick cut (Substitute beef bologna if you wish, but based on a previous cook in which we tasted both, the good ole pork stuff was best in both flavor and texture in our opinion.)
- 3 slices colby cheese thick sliced (Why colby? It fits the bun!)
- garden tomato sliced
- butter lettuce
- fresh restaurant sized buns (we went with cornmeal dusted 'cuz it’s sorta Southern)
- spray oil
- your favorite condiments (We used mustard however mayo was the original from the coach. We thought comeback sauce would work and be truly Southern.)
For the Chips:
- 3 russet potatoes (they crisp up the best)
- frying oil
- your favorite BBQ rub OR salt (we suggest you don't do both together as most rubs already contain significant sodium)
Instructions
Sando Instructions
- Slice the bologna into three half inch thick slices
- Grill the slices to put cross hatch grill marks on each side
- Give the buns a quick spritz of the spray oil and toast quickly on the grill (don't walk away as these will brown quickly)
- Apply your favorite condiments and stack that sando
Chips Instructions:
- Slice the potatoes 1/8 of an inch thick
- Soak the potato slices in water for 30 minutes then drain in a colander and pat dry
- Deep fry until the chips float and remove from the oil and season with salt OR your favorite BBQ rub (not both)
- Serve
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