BBQ Charcuterie Board on the Traeger Ironwood 885

June 14, 2022

Have you ever heard of Redneck Sushi? If you know, you know! If you don’t, let me explain… 

I’m talking about my BBQ Charcuterie Board! It’s not the kind of frou-frou charcuterie board you’ll get in a fine dining restaurant. We’re talking unstuffy, unpretentious food here. It’s the kind of appetizer you might find anywhere in the South at a roadside BBQ shack or at the local watering hole. You know, the kind of place that has a smoker out front or out back! My BBQ Charcuterie Board is the perfect mingling of cheeses, pickles, and meats seasoned and smoked on the Traeger Ironwood 885. Add saltines and you’re ready to go!  

The Ingredients 

Here’s everything you’ll need to make my BBQ Charcuterie Board: 

• Bologna. We’ll use a ¼ chub of bologna, coating it with mustard and BBQ rub. 
• Sausage links. Use two links of your favorite sausage. 
• Cheese(s). Cube up one or two of your favorite cheeses. Remember, this doesn’t have to be fancy. Cheddar or Colby jack work great. 
• Mustard. I use French’s brand yellow mustard to bind the BBQ rub onto the sausage and bologna.  
• Saltine crackers. We’re keeping it simple here with a sleeve or two of your favorite saltine crackers. 
• Pickles. Use your favorite pickles on this BBQ Charcuterie Board. My personal favorite is the hot and sweet snacker type.  
• Sweet BBQ Rub. This is my competition-winning Sweet BBQ Rub. It has hints of chili powder, smoked paprika, onion, and garlic. The flavor of this rub complements the bologna and sausage.  
• Sweet BBQ Sauce. My Sweet BBQ Sauce provides the perfect, finishing glaze for the charcuterie board meats. 

The Smoker Setup 

Here’s the main equipment I used and how I set it up. See the equipment and tools section for everything I used to make my BBQ Charcuterie Board. 

• Pellet grill/smoker. I used a Traeger Ironwood 885 to smoke the bologna and sausage for my BBQ Charcuterie Board recipe. 

• Pellets. I used Royal Oak 100% charcoal wood pellets to smoke the bologna and sausage for our charcuterie board. These pellets lend are exceptionally clean and produce a beautiful charcoal flavor.  

The Process for Making the BBQ Charcuterie Board 

The detailed procedure for my BBQ Charcuterie Board on the Traeger Ironwood 885 pellet grill is covered in my video and the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here’s what the process looks like in general: 

• Prep the grill. Prepare the grill with a combination of charcoal pellets and wood pellets. Get it heating to 300º while you prep the bologna and sausage. I used a Traeger Ironwood 885 with Royal Oak 100% charcoal pellets to cook the bologna and sausage. 
• Prep the bologna. Take the bologna and cut in half vertically to make two semi-circles. (You don’t want to end up with two circles.) Remove the casing from each half. 
  Score the outer surfaces of both halves of bologna in a crosshatch pattern. Do not cut all the way through. Your cuts should be about ¾” deep. Bend each half of the bologna slight to open the cuts you made. Set aside. 
• Prep the sausage. Cut down slightly into each sausage link, preferably on the diagonal, spacing cuts about 1” apart. Bend the links gently to open the cuts. 
• Prep the bologna. Squirt some mustard over the bologna and rub it over all surfaces to coat. Follow that up with a generous sprinkling of Sweet BBQ Rub over all surfaces.  
• Season the sausage. Sprinkle the sausage links with Sweet BBQ Rub. 
• Get the meats on the grill. Place the sausage and bologna on the Traeger and close the lid. Let them cook for about 45 minutes.  
• Glaze the bologna and sausage. Remove the bologna and sausage from the grill and brush well with my Sweet BBQ Sauce.  
• Return to the grill. Place the meats back on the Traeger for another 20 minutes to let the sauce set up. 
• Assemble the charcuterie board. After the time is up, remove the bologna and sausage to a cutting board. Place saltines, cut cheeses, and pickles on the platter. Slice the sausage to your liking and cut the bologna into wedges suitable to fit on a cracker.  
• Sprinkle more rub and serve! Sprinkle a little more Sweet BBQ Rub over the meats and cheeses, then serve it up. 

The Results 

My BBQ Charcuterie Board is a delicious platter that is sure to please everyone! It’s perfect for nibbling on while cooking up more BBQ. Try it at the fishing camp or at your next tailgate. You can even make it in advance and wrap it well with plastic wrap for sharing at a potluck or party.  

Wherever you serve it, make sure you’ve got plenty of ice-cold beer to go with your Redneck Sushi! 

Equipment and Tools 

Traeger Timberline 1300, Royal Oak Charcoal Hardwood Pellets, small metal pan, Thermoworks Silicone Brush , large serving platter

Also in Shootin' the Que with Heath Riles