It’s football season and as a proud graduate of the University of Georgia and a Southern girl – I decided it was time for some tailgate food. My husband is a barbeque artist and smoked a Pork Butt this week. The menu: Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Potato Salad and a bowl of Brunswick Stew.
The origins of Brunswick Stew are lost to the mists of time, though there is a city called Brunswick in South Georgia with a good barbeque culture. I grew up in the Deep South, eating Pulled Pork Barbeque sandwiches with a bowl of Brunswick Stew. Potato salad and cornbread muffin on the side are optional, but recommended. Since moving to Florida I have been unable to find any of the above (worth eating). As we had smoked pork butt on hand, a vital ingredient – it seemed the time had come to try making the classic stew.
Pushing past my fears that the legendary Brunswick Stew would not be good without the addition of something obscure, like squirrel meat. I decided to go for it (I am a dedicated soup and broth maker) and base a recipe on my memories of Brunswick Stew. I figured out a recipe to try, it turned out so well I wrote down the recipe and will make it again. After posting some pictures of my stew on Facebook, I was surprised at how many Floridians like it. One even made it with beef, a new idea to me, go figure.
The Chicken and the Broth
About an hour before you want to start cooking the Stew, cook two chicken thighs (bone in and skin on) while making broth for the stew:
1 onion sliced
1 Stalk celery
3 baby carrots
3 whole cloves
Bay Leaf (one)
Spring of Rosemary
8 cups water
Add two chicken thighs, bring to a boil and simmer for an hour. Take the thighs out, let cool and shred the meat. Leave the broth simmering to add to the stew.
Brunswick Stew:
2 medium onions
1 stalk celery
8 baby carrots
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
3/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 medium Russet potato
1/2 red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 cup frozen lima beans
2 ears fresh corn kernels
28 0z container diced tomatoes (I use Pomi)
8 oz smoked pork butt
Chop all vegetables in 1/2 inch dice. Add onions, celery and carrots to olive oil and red pepper flakes. Cook until onions become translucent, then add garlic, potatoes and red bell peppers, cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, add paprika and Old Bay, stir and let the vegetables cook in the seasonings for 3 minutes.
Add 5 cups broth and diced tomatoes, bring to a boil and add the lima beans. Turn heat down to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Add the chicken, pork butt and the corn and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper or additional broth to taste.
Yield about 10 cups of stew. This is one of those things made better by sitting in the fridge overnight so the smokiness of the pork butt comes through in the stew.
Go Dawgs!
Spotted Hound Kitchen 