Brunswick Stew

 

Brunswick Stew is an old recipe, dating back to pilgrim days when this country was raw and new and a refuge for those fleeing the Puritan wars in England.  Original recipes call for wild boar, squirrel, rabbits etc.

In the South I grew up in, Brunswick Stew has many variations and people have strong opinions about it.  Mama and Granny made their stew with a mix of cooked pork shoulder and boiled chicken.  Some folks add cooked ground hamburger (or venison) to their stew.  Some stews are sweet and thin, some are thick and meaty.  Some have tomato sauce as well as tomatoes.  It really does come down to what type most closely resembles what you're accustomed to eating.

In the small town where I once lived, there were two barbecue places that they sat right across the highway from each other.  A friend and I would have barbecue for lunch at least once a month and we had to go to BOTH restaurants because we did not agree on the Brunswick Stew.  The barbecued meats were equally good, but the Brunswick Stews were vastly different!

A Barbecue restaurant will usually offer a variety of meats.  Pulled pork, BBQed ribs, chicken quarters and these days you might find beef Brisket, but it was not common in decades prior to this.  The meat is smoked onsite. If you order the dinner, the plates are served the same regardless of which meat choice you make.   You get a serving of meat, two slices of white bread, coleslaw and Brunswick Stew.  If you order pulled pork, you generally get dill pickle slices to go with it.

Generally, when I serve Brunswick Stew, I keep it simple.  The recipe has plenty of meat in it and because I serve it in generous bowls, I don't feel the need to add a pulled pork sandwich on the side.  If we're especially hungry or it's especially cold a wedge of cornbread is a welcome addition.

My recipe base for Brunswick Stew comes from The Culinary Arts Encyclopedic Cookbook.  I have altered the recipe.  When I first made it, there was something missing and after tasting it Mama told me just what it was.  There were two ingredients that were required to give it the taste that I'd grown up on.  I've added those, increased the tomatoes and voila!  Taste memory is satisfied with every bite.

This recipe makes a lot.  My Dutch oven was full.  We ate big deep bowls for supper one cold night and then I put up 13 cups in the freezer.  So be prepared to freeze leftovers.

Brunswick Stew

1 whole chicken, cooked, meat pulled from the bones

2 onions, diced

2 tablespoons fat of choice

2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 can whole kernel corn, do not drain

2 cups frozen small green butter beans

1 cup frozen Green Garden Peas

7 cups water (I used broth from cooking the chicken)

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c. ketchup (start with 2 tablespoons and increase to your taste)

1/ 4 cup vinegar (start with 2 tablespoons and increase to your taste)

Tabasco or hot sauce of choice (optional)

Heat fat in a large Dutch oven or stock pot.  Cook diced onion in fat until translucent.  Add all ingredients except the ketchup and vinegar. Bring to a boil then slow simmer for a couple of hours.  Add ketchup and vinegar to suit your taste.

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