Lebanon Bologna

Chill meat grinding tools and equipment, including a 3/8-inch die and a mixing bowl. Partially freeze chuck until cubes are firm but still have a bit of give to them. Assemble meat grinder and pass chuck through in chilled bowl. Mix meat with the remaining ingredients, making sure the temperature of the mixture doesn’t rise above 38F. (Setting the mixing bowl over ice or periodically placing the bowl in the freezer will prevent the temperature from rising and the fat from creaming during the mixing.) Mix until combined. The mixture should be very sticky. Stuff the casings. (If desired, you can dip the bolognas into a bath of your preferred exterior mold solution.) Ferment the bolognas at 70F to 72F with 90% humidity for 72 hours, until the pH level reaches 5.30. Cold smoke the bolognas over night. Hang bolognas and age 1 to 2 months, until water activity reaches .88. Peel off casings before slicing and serving. Large casings are not digestible and will ruin the texture of the bolognas.