Ham Salad (Ground Bologna Sandwich Spread)

There’s a deli/butcher shop in Burton, Michigan, called Nehring’s Market. Ralph Nehring and his crew of cutters make a Ground Bologna Sandwich Spread that tastes almost exactly like this recipe. This recipe is what my mom and her mom (my grandma) made for over five decades. Somewhere down the line, I think my grandma’s recipe, and what the Nehring’s crew offers in the store, crossed paths and are, in fact, of the same lineage.

This lunchtime and picnic favorite is available by the pound in some variation in just about every deli and butcher shop in the Midwest. It’s simple to make and as a kid, I absolutely loved helping grind the bologna in the meat grinder. A lot of this recipe doesn’t actually need to be measured. This is one recipe you can make ingredient-by-ingredient, tasting as you go, creating your own flavor, and using different brands and various flavors of each of the ingredients.

Ground Bologna Sandwich Spread goes by at least a couple different names. There are likely others, which I’m attempting to find. In some places it’s known as…

Ham Spread/Ham Salad:

This seems a misnomer, as there is certainly no ham in the recipe. But this appears to be similar to what Irma S. Rombauer called Mock Chicken Drumsticks (City Chicken) in the original versions of her Joy Of Cooking. The 1943 edition lists both pork and veal as ingredients, but no chicken. Many versions of City Chicken today only use pork. So a Ham Salad that contains bologna but no ham also makes sense.

Bologna & Pickle Spread:

But of course.

PM Sandwiches:

This is the term used in northeastern Pennsylvania, according to Jackie who commented on this post on March 29, 2018. In explaining the term, Jackie wrote “We called them PM sandwiches, meaning pickles & meat or party meat because it wasn’t a party without it.”

Funeral Salad:

So-named because in some areas it’s regularly served at wakes.

Monkey Meat:

This is mentioned in the comments, and Google users search for Monkey Meat and land on these types of recipes. I have no idea why it’s called this in some areas. But please, eat no monkeys. Ground bologna is much better.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 lb Koegel’s ring Bologna or bulk, unsliced German, NOT Dutch
• 2 - 3 ea Gherkins, sweet
• 1 cup Mayonnaise (I use Duke’s)
• 2 tsp Yellow Mustard (plain is typical, but I like stone ground as well)
• Salt & pepper (optional)

See Notes

• You can use homemade [recipe:Leberkäse (Click this link for recipe)] in place of the bologna. See notes section.

Directions

1. If using ring bologna:

Remove any strings or clips off the ends.

1. Cut the bologna into 4 sections for easier handling.
2. Slit one side of each section lengthwise and remove the casing.

Grinding

1. Install discs onto the front of the meat grinder for a fairly small grind and grind the bologna into the glass dish. After digging the rest of the bologna out of the grinder, dump the bologna into the mixing bowl. As suggested in the notes below, I prefer a manual meat grinder but an electric will work just fine.

Pickles

1. You can either finely-chop the sweet pickles or run them through the grinder (my preferred method) until you have about 1/2 cup and add to the ground bologna in the mixing bowl. Then, add the mayonnaise and mustard and mix it all together till it’s smooth. Taste it, adding some salt and pepper to punch up the flavor if necessary.
2. A lot of times I just throw in a pickle while grinding the meat. When it looks like I need more, I throw in another and just “eyeball” the ratio until it looks right to me.

Mixing

1. Just mix it all together until everything is incorporated and taste often. I sometimes add salt, pepper, more mayo, etc. You be the judge.
2. Transfer it to the storage bowl and refrigerate the spread until it’s ice cold.

Notes

The original recipe calls for onions, but I don’t like them, so they are not in my recipe. I also like to use stone ground mustard and sometimes I will add horseradish.

Regional variations:

Adding small chunked American or cheddar cheese

Using dill pickles instead of the sweet gherkins

Adding chopped hard-boiled eggs

Historical Note:

In chats with Hungry Christel up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, we believe the historical recipe this preparation came from is what’s called Fleischsalat. A simple staple in Germany that’s loosely translated as “meat salad”, it’s different from the similar preparation Wurstsalat or “sausage salad” in that Fleischsalat contains a German mayonnaise that’s mostly sunflower oil, among other differences. You can use a German ring bologna (aka “ringwurst”) for Fleischsalat, and you need to use a German pickle as well … but it’s the German delicatessen mayonnaise (there’s another style that’s a different preparation) that you’ll find to be expensive.

Use Leberkäse:

You could take the leap to make your own [recipe:Leberkäse (Click this link for recipe)], which is a baked loaf of meat, to use instead of the ring bologna. It would also certainly be less expensive to make your own sunflower oil-based German mayonnaise. Be aware though that homemade mayonnaise only has a life of a couple days due to the use of raw eggs in its preparation. But remember, for authenticity German-style ingredients matter.

Good Meat: Of course, ya’ gotta have good meat. Finding the right ring bologna is an important step as it affects the flavor of the finished spread. The most popular ring bologna, such as Ekrich and many others, have roots in the Pennsylvania Dutch communities. What you want to find is a good German ring bologna, as the Pennsylvania Dutch versions won’t taste the same whatsoever. Koegel’s Ring Bologna is the only stuff most home cooks use for this recipe.

Albert Koegel was raised in the city of Durlach, Germany, in the late 1800s. When he was of age he joined one of Germany’s well-respected apprenticeship programs under the supervision of a Master Butcher. In a few years he had earned his Meister Wurstmacher designation, indicating he was a Master Sausagemaker. The product I use, shown below, is his own original recipe from the early 20th century. Find yourself a good local German meatpacker (there are many, such as at Alpine Village in Torrance, California) and use their ring bologna.

The option that Nehring’s uses: Several years ago (maybe in 2000 or so?) I first visited Nehring’s Market itself. While getting some ring bologna for this recipe, I asked for a couple pounds of beef bologna from a 10-lb chubb. I asked for it not to be sliced as I was planning on slicing it about 3/8″ thick, especially since I already had the ring bologna for the spread. The meat cutter looked at me strangely and, while holding the chubb of lunchmeat bologna, said “But this is what we use for the spread.” Ummm … what??

It turns out home cooks have likely used ring bologna because it’s more readily available in most stores. (I’ve found Koegel’s ring bologna as far away as Lafayette, Indiana). But the chubbs of beef bologna are generally only found in delis in Genesee County and surrounding areas, and grinding slices from a 1-lb packs is a royal pain.

Bulk bologna and ring bologna are spiced differently, so the final seasoning of the resulting spreads will differ. Koegel’s bulk bologna from a 10-lb chubb or original-flavor ring bologna are the preferred choice. The garlic or pickled varieties also make for an interesting flavor. Other brands from other “real” German meat suppliers may be acceptable substitutes.

The bottom line:

Ring bologna is not a requirement. You could also use a good German-style beef lunchmeat bologna. (Again, for accurate flavor make sure it’s not from a Dutch-style company). Experiment, have fun, find what YOU like best.

Grinding: While it’s possible to grind the bologna in a food processor, a better texture is created using an old-fashioned hand-driven meat grinder. These are available in specialty and antique shops, commercial food equipment dealers, and the cooking section of stores such as Cabela’s in Michigan. I have some great memories of sitting at the table working the grinder while my mom or grandma fed the bologna and pickles into the grinder. So fantastic.

Mayo:

There are only two commercial mayonnaise that are acceptable in this recipe. Hellman’s and Duke’s! For many years I only used Hellmann’s but after moving to and living in the south for many years, I discovered Duke’s. WOW! Since then, I switched to Duke’s for its extra creaminess and richness, and almost zero “twang”. It’s the only commercial mayo I use but as always, homemade is the absolute best.

Now… That all being said, Nehring’s Market, my mother and my grandmother all used Miracle Whip dressing instead of the mayonnaise.  They also ground the pickles and onions through the grinder instead of chopping them separately. Grinding the pickles and onions also squeezes their juices into the ground bologna, which adds an interesting touch to the already tangy flavor of the Miracle Whip dressing. Oddly enough, my mom liked my version better, even though she insisted on using Miracle Whip for her own batches!

My best batch:

The best batch I’ve made so far uses Koegel bulk bologna, Duke’s Mayo, French’s yellow mustard, sweet gherkins, and no salt or pepper whatsoever.