The late chef and food writer Anthony Bourdain is famously credited with the quote, “Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start — undoubtedly an accurate representation of his point of view on how food, and especially barbecue, can unite people and cultures.
Bourdain’s admiration for smoked meats, especially in Houston, is well-documented. In 2001, before he was a household name, Bourdain rolled into Houston to film a segment for his early travel-food series “A Cook’s Tour” at Burns Bar-B-Q in Acres Homes.
He came back in 2016 to film an episode of his new show, “Parts Unknown,” returning to the location of his original visit, now called Burns Original BBQ.
Another story attributed to Bourdain is his love for a particular sandwich made from a traditional deli meat and cheese. He first mentioned this sandwich in his 2016 cookbook, “Appetites.” Here, he provides a recipe inspired by a sandwich he encountered while travelling in Brazil, featuring a pile of fried mortadella (the Italian progenitor of American bologna) and melted Provolone cheese, with mayonnaise and mustard on a buttered and toasted roll.
Undoubtedly a mouth-watering and crowd-pleasing dish. But was it actually his favorite?
Like many stories associated with Bourdain, the tale of the fried mortadella and cheese sandwich has taken on a life of its own. In the intervening years, food bloggers and influencers, forever in pursuit of clicks and views, have attributed this sandwich as Bourdain’s “favorite,”though there is no definitive statement on his part that this was the case.
Still, if there’s a worthy Bourdain dish that food bloggers could have seized upon, this is certainly it. And it all starts with the meat.
Mortadella is a savory, salty, pork-based sausage originating in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, specifically the city of Bologna. The American version (to the horror of many Italians) is called bologna, and is the foundation of many lunch-box sandwiches.
At the risk of offending my Italian friends, I’m going to use mortadella and bologna interchangeably here.
This savory meat is particularly well-suited to the smoking process, so you’ll occasionally find it on Texas barbecue joint menus. Indeed, smoked bologna is the most famous dish of Oklahoma-style barbecue, such as it is.
My first experiences with smoked bologna were thick slices crisped on a griddle and served as just another meat along with brisket and turkey. Later, these slices started showing up in various types of sandwiches.
Only recently have I noted specific versions inspired by the Bourdain recipe. In Houston, Roegels Barbecue Co. offers perhaps the most authentic version as an occasional special, with house-made mortadella stacked high on a toasted bun with melted provolone cheese and mayonnaise (call for availability).
More recently, I visited Dayne’s Craft Barbecue in Aledo, near Fort Worth. While perusing the blackboard menu, I noticed a special menu item written on a sheet of butcher paper taped to the wall.
“Fried bologna melt” sure sounded a lot like the Bourdain sandwich. But it was infused with Texas twists. House-made beef bologna is griddled with melted American cheese, served with grilled onions and gold barbecue sauce, and served on crusty, buttery Texas toast.
It’s the perfect combination of a mortadella and cheese sandwich and classic Texas barbecue. Bourdain, I think, would approve.
Roegels Barbecue Co. will be participating in the 2026 Houston Barbecue Festival on April 12th at Humble Civic Center Arena Complex. This will be their 11th consecutive year of participating in the premier barbecue festival in the Houston area. Come find out what delicious barbecue creations they’ll be serving! Tickets on sale now! https://houbbq2026.eventbrite.com.