When Bobby Bradley, Jr.’s grandfather founded Cozy Corner, one of Memphis’s most popular barbecue restaurants, among the menu items were barbecue spaghetti and a barbecue bologna sandwich. While the restaurant has grown into serving ribs and wings that are locally renowned, Bradley decided to keep those menu items to carry on his grandfather’s legacy.
“I don’t know what my granddad’s motivation was for putting it on the menu,” says Bradley about the bologna sandwich. “However, if you taste it, you will understand why it’s on there.”
He starts making the sandwich by cutting thick slices of bologna on a meat slicer, and each slice gets a generous amount of barbecue rub on each side before it goes to the grill.
Pitmaster Vernon Watson cooks each slice of bologna up to 30 minutes, or until it develops a color he likes. “I like things to have good color because when the customer sees it, before you even taste food, your eyes are appealed to it, and I like the customers to get that appealing look,” says Watson.
The sandwich gets plated on a burger bun, and topped with barbecue sauce and slaw.
Watch the full video to see how Bradley and his team at Cozy Corner make barbecue spaghetti, ribs, wings, and more.