Bologna
Fire Jack Bologna
Jalapeño Cheddar Style Bologna
Fire Jack Bologna is a bologna built on a 50% lean meat / 35% pork / 15% pork fat blend, using lean wild game or lean beef. Smoke at 130-175°F (54-79°C) and finish at an internal 152°F (67°C), stuff into 4.5" Fibrous casing, grind at 3/8" then 1/8". Exact amounts scale to any batch weight in the DeepWoodz Smokehouse app for iPhone and Android.
Jalapeño and cheddar through a fine-ground bologna, so the heat is even and the cheese shows up as distinct pockets. High-temp cheese only — a log this thick spends a long time in the smoker and ordinary cheddar will not survive it. Chill it completely before you slice.
- Internal temp
- 152°F (67°C)
- Smoker temp
- 130-175°F (54-79°C)
- Casing size
- 4.5" Fibrous
- Casing
- Fibrous
- Bloom
- 1-2 hours
What goes in it
- Kosher Salt
- Cure #1
- Coarse Black Pepper
- White Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Paprika
- Mace
- Coriander
- Sugar
- Mustard Powder
- Jalapeño Powder
- Ice Cold Water
- High-Temp Cheddar
- Diced Jalapeños
- Ground Nutmeg
Amounts are calculated for your batch weight in the app — including the cure, which is held at a fixed, food-safe rate.
The meat
Lean Wild Game · Lean Beef · Pork Butt · Pork Shoulder · Pork Fat
Bear or wild hog: take it to 160°F and hold 3 minutes. Freezing, smoking and curing do not kill trichinella — only heat does.
How it's made
- With the meat ice cold (28-32°F, partially frozen is ideal), grind through a 3/8" plate, then regrind through a 1/8" plate for a fine texture.
- Add all seasonings and ice water. Mix until very smooth and paste-like with good protein extraction.
- Fold in high-temp cheddar and diced jalapeños by hand — do not process these in.
- Stuff firmly into soaked 4.5" fibrous casings. Prick any air bubbles with a pin.
- Rest in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours.
- Smoke at 130°F with dampers open for 1 hour to dry the casing.
- Apply smoke and increase to 140-150°F for 2-3 hours.
- Raise to 170-175°F until internal temperature reaches 152°F. Important: Do not let your smoker exceed 175°F. Even if your smoker is set at or below 175°F, the actual temperature can spike higher — monitor closely.
- Immediately plunge into ice water bath until internal temp drops below 100°F. (Optional — an ice bath is not required. It is personal preference; many just let them cool at room temp, or outside in cold weather. Just cool them down promptly.)
- Hang at room temp for 1-2 hours to bloom, then refrigerate overnight before slicing.
Wood
Hickory · Cherry
Safety
- Keep meat below 40°F during grinding and mixing
- Ice water is critical — keeps emulsion stable
- Cook to 152°F internal temperature
- Add cheese and peppers after final grind to keep chunks intact
- Ice bath immediately after smoking to prevent wrinkling and keep casing from sticking to the meat. (Optional — an ice bath is not required. It is personal preference; many just let them cool at room temp, or outside in cold weather. Just cool them down promptly.)
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