I don't know about you, but I love a traditional fried bologna sandwich. What I mean by traditional is using real bologna, not beef or turkey, just the fat-laden real bologna.
There's a perfectly good reason for that, and we'll get into that in a minute, but first, the hunt for a fried bologna sandwich in Fresno and Clovis.
The Hunt
The last time I saw a fried bologna sandwich on a menu was when we were at Chuckchansi Casino in Coarsegold, California. We decided to ride up there on a Friday night, and there at Dueces Diner was a poster ad for a fried bologna sandwich as the night's special. My mouth began to water.
I hesitated in pondering it since I wasn't sure about it since it was our first time eating at the Deuces Diner. I wasn't sure what it would be like, so I opted to try it next time instead of trying it that night.
I made a big mistake, because the next time we were there they didn't have the fried bologna, it was only a special for that month. How time flies.
The Hunt Continued
So now the hunt centered on Fresno and Clovis, and to my unhappy surprise, there wasn't a spot in the area that served a fried bologna sandwich. So I decided. I had to do something about that as soon as in making it myself or pushing a diner or some other restaurant to create one. Knowing that convincing a diner or restaurant to build one, I went with the first option, making it myself.
Types of Bologna
So, I know of three types of bologna: beef, turkey, and regular. There are thick and thin cuts when you can find them in the market. Or you can always go to your favorite butcher and order whichever you prefer with the thickness you want.
Traditional or Real Bologna
This (not the healthiest) bologna is the best for frying if you want crispy edges and a darkened center like I do. It has by far the most fat in it and probably the most types of meat to make it bologna. For my money, thin-cut slices of traditional bologna make the best fried bologna sandwich, as seen in this video.
Beef Bologna
Beef bologna is healthier than traditional bologna but still has a little fat, making it less healthy than our last bologna, turkey, which we'll talk about in a second.
It fries okay, but not as good as traditional, but better than turkey bologna. We didn't have beef bologna when I was a kid; traditional was all I knew, and now I see why it's the best.
But overall, beef is okay. I made a video, which I posted here.
Turkey Bologna
This bologna is the healthiest of the three but is the worst for frying. No browning or crispness happens unless I'm doing something wrong. Let me know if you can get some black and brown onto this turkey bologna. It reminds me of turkey sausage, which fries gray no matter how long you fry it unless you burn it to a crisp, which is almost impossible.
I don't want to knock turkey bologna completely because there is a use for it, but not for me. It's up to you to decide.
Enjoy the videos, and let me know your pick for the best bologna sandwich.