Sweet Beef Bologna FAQs
Q: Is the bologna all beef?
A: Yes, 100% beef.
Q: Does Athens’ Own raise the beef in the bologna?
A: No, we personally do not. We partner with our neighbors at the Red Bird Ranch, which raises the beef, then we work with a local meatpacking plant to process and prepare the bologna to our special recipe.
Q: Is there any MSG in the bologna?
A: No. There are nitrates added as a preservative, however, since the bologna is packaged as a trail food.
Q: How long will the bologna keep?
A: By law, we have to state that the bologna should be refrigerated. However, as it is made to be a survival food, it will last a long time hanging up in clean, dry air. If you refrigerate it, we recommend taking it out of the plastic bag it comes in and keeping it in the fabric wrapping in the refrigerator. This will reduce moisture on the bologna and lessen the chances of mold.
Q: I bought some bologna and it molded, is it bad now?
A: Not at all. The mold is a natural occurance, and we recommend using a soft wire brush and warm water to scrub off the mold, then hang the bologna to dry. After this, it should be good as new. Remember, we make it to be a very resilient and long-lasting food. If you have any further concern about mold or the aging process, feel free to contact us with your question and we will do our best to answer.
Q: How do you make the bologna?
A: You wouldn’t expect us to give away our secret recipes, would you? Basically, we take great local beef, add some spices and sugar, smoke it, and stuff it into natural linen cases.
Q: What is the difference between “bologna” and “salami”?
A: While there are technical definitions of both, we use the term “bologna” to refer to our regular beef sticks, and “salami” to refer to the cured version of those. We take the regular and hot bologna and cure them for at least an additional 4 weeks. This creates a tougher texture, more like beef jerky. It also concentrates the flavors a bit more, as it loses moisture in the process. This end product, we have taken to calling salami, mostly just for the purposes of communication clarity.
Q: Where can I buy Athens’ Own bologna?
A: The Bologna is available for purchase at the Athens’ Own booth at the Athens Farmers’ Market, and at Seaman’s grocery on Union Street in Athens. You can also order from our online store, at www.athensown.biz/store.
If you have another question you don’t see answered here, please leave a comment at the bottom of this page and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
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My coworker, Ken, has left a bologna sandwich in his desk for about 9 months now – pretty sure it was your brand of bologna. Anyway, it has not molded or become rotten yet for some reason. It is basically just turning itself into a oil oozing piece of gross, hard bacon like substance. Yes, I realize this may be a ridiculous question, but here it goes anyway: Is his bologna still edible?
Sincerely,
Josh
Is this bologna sliced and in a sandwich or still in stick form in its cotton muslin casing?
He actually has it as part of a sandwich…which has been in his desk for a ridiculously long time. What is muslin?
-Josh
How is the bread not moldy! Wow!
If it is our bologna, it frequently will age /dry into a hard edible salami.
Muslin is a relatively fine flat weave, frequently of cotton. I stitch the cotton casings on a treadle sewing machine.
Will it be similar to the Mc. Donalds hamburger that someone found perfectly preserved in their closet after 14 years? That would be neat!