@sternh8gen If you are making 25 lb then I would recommend 4 oz of carrot fiber and for the Sure Gel use 6 oz per 25 lb batch. We have a Conversion Chart to show you how much by both weight and volume to use for 1 and 5 lb batches. We also have the same for seasoning and cures!

@jonathon Sounds great. Thank you!

@cruise-dw I think it is a little small for Brats yes. A 1/8 plate is better as a second grind plate for snack sticks, summer sausages or other cured products. For Bratwursts a 3/8 plate it going to give you a better consistency for a fresh product. If you are using a 1/8 plate for your first grind that is going to take a long time and it will cause a little too much stress on your meat. Switching will, at the very least, help speed up your process!

@weatherbow21 I’d go a little higher than 15%, closer to 20-25% for taste and consistency. If you can find it, pork fat works better than beef fat as it has a creaminess to it that other animal fats can’t quite match. Now, having said that, beef fat will absolutely work too!

Yes you are correct in how you are planning on just switching out casings. The only thing I want to point out is that after you have stuffed them into the casings they need to be held in a refrigerator overnight unless you are using a Cure Accelerator such as Encapsulated Citric Acid, Sodium Erythorbate or Excalibur’s Cure Excellerator.

How To Make Homemade Ring Bologna

Learn how to make homemade ring bologna with Walton's and Meatgistics. Read the guide and then post your questions or comments below.

What is Ring Bologna?

Ring bologna is similar to a normal bologna sausage but it is stuffed into a smaller diameter casings and made into a ring or semicircle. It is typically left as a ring and then sliced to eat on crackers, or cut into chunks to serve as a part of other dishes or casseroles.

Meat Block

7.5 lb 85/15 Lean Beef
8.75 lb 80/20 Lean Pork
8.75 lb 50/50 Pork Trim

Additives

1 package Ring Bologna Seasoning Unit #4550333550
1oz Sure Cure (packet included with the seasoning)
2oz Smoked Meat Stabilizer
6oz Sure Gel Meat Binder
1 Quart Ice Cold Water

Process

Grind pork trim through 3/16in grinder plate, twice
Grind lean beef and pork through 1/8in grinder plate

Mix

Begin mixing lean meats first. While mixing add Seasoning, Sure Gel Meat Binder (or Soy Protein Blend), Sure Cure, and Ice Cold Water. Mix for 5 minutes.
Add ground pork trim and mix for an additional 3 minutes, for a total of 8 minutes of mixing time

Stuff

Stuff into Collagen Ring Bologna Casings

Note

(If you do not use a cure accelerator like Smoked Meat Stabilizer, then hold in a refrigerator for approximately 12 hours or overnight)

Smokehouse Schedule

120F for 30 minutes
130F for 30 minutes (start adding smoke now and throughout entire cook cycle)
140F for 30 minutes
150F for 30 minutes
160F for 30 minutes
170F until internal meat temperature of 160F
Shower final product or place in a ice water bath for 10-20 minutes to set the casings and cool the product

Other Notes

Place a small pan of water in the bottom of smokehouse during entire cooking cycle to help increase humidity
If your smoker, smokehouse, or oven cannot reach temperatures as low as 120F, just start as low as possible and slowly increase the temperature over time

ENJOY! Shop waltonsinc.com for Ring Bologna Seasoning Shop waltonsinc.com for Collagen Ring Bologna Casings Shop waltonsinc.com for Sausage Stuffers

@gusmanp Sorry for the delay in responding. The only real reason I would add water to a restructured product would be to make mixing and extruding easier, other than that it isn’t necessary. When I make restructured jerky I like to use smoked meat stabilizer so I can go right to the smoker, and when using that you don’t really want to add water or it can gas out so quickly that it can cause issues.

Hope that helps!