Bologna Sandwich

Not all bologna resembles a Bazooka bubble-gum-colored coaster. If it is made of pork and beef, sliced thick, and sizzled on a seasoned grill until it develops a dark, wickedly savory crust, fried bologna makes a sandwich that commands loyalty. None is more revered than that made by Waldo, Ohio’s G&R Tavern, where the energetically-spiced round of meat is loaded into a sandwich with pickles and onion, maybe cheese, and your choice of mustard, mayonnaise, or tomato. A variation popular in Memphis as well as in Oklahoma and Texas is a barbecued bologna sandwich. Known to derisive outsiders as Okie Sirloin, it is a full cylinder of bologna that smokes slowly in the pit until the outside is a beautiful dark bronze and the inside still weeps garlicky juices. Sliced and served on a bun (in Memphis, with slaw included), barbecued bologna comes sopped with tangy red sauce.