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| Photo: Hardee's. |
Hardee's is having startling success with a humble Appalachian lunch meat long considered too provincial for nationwide tastes, and nobody's more surprised than the fast-food chain's top brass.
"We were concerned it would be too regional," Executive Vice-President of Marketing Brad Haley says of Hardee's new Oscar Mayer Fried Bologna Biscuit. "But sales have increased every week we've had it."
While bologna is a staple of lunch counters and school cafeterias across the South, Hardee's found inspiration for its menu item at a few roadside diners that sandwiched grilled bologna between biscuit halves for breakfast. For Hardee's, the preparation stood seductively close to the final meat frontier.
"We've done virtually every other meat you can think of on a biscuit," Haley concedes. "We've had country ham, chicken, pork chops, smoked sausage. We even had turkey."
In just one measure of bologna's perceived lowliness, self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff" Joe Arpaio tried to humiliate Maricopa County inmates by serving them unadorned bologna sandwiches. In the mountain South, bologna is so synonymous with thrift that some Appalachian restaurant owners report customers shy away from ordering it.
Recession-struck diners are apparently reconsidering that position, laying the groundwork for a minor bologna renaissance. Last year, Food City reintroduced the legendary Lay's bologna to its coolers.
More recently, small Southern farms, such as Hickory Nut Gap in Fairview, N.C., have added bologna to their lists of value-added products, geared toward locavores who'd rather not tackle a full side of beef. While artisanal bologna hasn't yet acquired the cache of, say, bacon, Haley warns against underrating the classic meat's distinct savory flavors.
"It's delicious," Haley says. "When I go to our restaurants now, Oscar Mayer bologna is what I get."
Hardee's bologna biscuit is currently served only at breakfast time, but Haley says if demand for the sandwich keeps up, its availability -- like bologna's standing with American eaters -- could change.
Have you tried the Hardee's sandwich? Let us know what you think of the fried bologna biscuit in the comments below.
| Delicious. | |
|---|---|
| Haven't made up my mind. | |
| Yuck. |
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9-11-2009 @10:18PM sakimas said... Next comes SCRAPPLE EGG AND CHEESE !!!!!
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9-11-2009 @10:21PM HB said... Next sandwich will be Scrapple, Egg and Cheese...
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9-12-2009 @3:37AM pnut166 said... Fried bologna and a can of biscuits - one of my all-time faves!
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9-11-2009 @10:53PM Toni said... I've eaten fried baloney since i was a kid.Love it and always will.
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9-12-2009 @12:17AM Gary said... And I always thought an "Okie Delicacy" was a moon pie with a Dr. Pepper!
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9-12-2009 @12:22AM Terry said... This is also called an Elliott Saddler sandwich, my husband loves his fried bologna. Just ask Elliott Saddler the NASCAR driver #19 what he has before a race.
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9-12-2009 @12:45AM Jackie said... Growing up in an Italian household, fried bologna
sandwiches were not uncommon, just like fried peppers and eggs. I treat myself every once in a while. I like mine on crusty Italian bread with roasted red peppers and tomatoes. Yummy!
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9-12-2009 @12:56AM Kevin said... good lord people u act as if bologna is reserved for inbred idiots from the south i myself like a good fried bologna and cheese sandwich with mayonaise its not appalachia food as the author so eloquently put it its americas food its luncheon meat for cryin outloud if u go to subway theres a chance youve had bologna. im tired of authors characterizing the south or the southeast as behind the times and are characterized as dueling banjos when the truth is we are and can be as upscale as any other part of the US we just choose not to be such uptight jerks as y'all yes i said y'all dont like it? u can kiss my country a$$
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9-12-2009 @2:17AM Hector said... Is actually delicious grilled with eggs any style and hash brown,fries , mashed potatoes or homestyle potatoes. Many truck stops have it on their menus for breakfast and is less fat than bacon. YUMM YUM. The good thing about bologna is that you can get it just meat, chicken some go for pork of a mixture of either one of them. Try it on the grill but the slice of bologna must be just close to a 1/4 inch in thickness and grilled leaving it tender and with nice grilled color.
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9-12-2009 @10:26AM Julie said... First time I remember seeing fried bologna advertised was on big banners at Biscuitville a few years back. Thought it was hilarious that fried bologna was being proclaimed with banners! Fried bologna was what my family ate when finances were seriously lean in the seventies. Gotta say that while I remember it tasting good back then, I have never been tempted to spend my limited restaurant funds on it now!
I'm a Bojangle's sausage biscuit girl. Hardee's biscuits used to be my fave(and I think their sausage is better than Bo's), but the biscuit is what makes the difference for me and Bo's biscuits rule!!! (Hardee's biscuits are greasy rocks!) It's the only fast food I can still stomach, and it is Good. Sorry Hardee's! Last time I had a hamburger from you I felt ill for 2 days.
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9-12-2009 @4:06AM AnnieG said... Fried balongna with burnt edges and mustard is good if you like balogna. Balogna on a bagel or with mayo is not southern for sure. Spam I am not crazy about.
But..fried left over biscuits is really good.
(you open the biscuits first)
Times have changed but when you are broke and hungry you eat what is in front of you. Lighten up.
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9-12-2009 @2:29PM Kenny said... Fried Bologna & Egg Sandwich? I've been enjoying this tasty combination for several years now. I let myself run out of bacon once and while scrounging around thru the 'frig I came across a package of bologna. I enjoy the tast of a regular bologna sandwich so I thought that I would give it a try for breakfast. Now, for a change on a regular basis, I enjoy fried bologna on egg sandwiches, on the side with my eggs over easy as well as scrambles and in omelets. Go ahead and try some of this Kentucky round steak with your breakfast and you will be surprised at how much you like it!
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9-13-2009 @1:16PM Prince said... Bologna is good, But we here in Hawaii loves spam, if that makes us special, now we know why...aloha from paradise
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