I have eaten Brunswick stew many times and after my last trip to Georgia I decided to recreate it. I followed several of the traditional recipes but in the end I didn’t care for the result so I moved on.
But with all the smoking I have been doing, I had leftover pork and chicken in the refrigerator that was going to go to waste. So I did my research and after looking at dozens of recipes, I finally decided what I thought would be good in the stew. Thus you will find my recipe and some stew history below.
Note, some versions call for Ketchup and BBQ sauce in the stew, I find this makes the stew to sweet, but you can always add some. Also feel free to add more meat or additional veggies to the stew.
Brunswick Stew
Ingredients
2 T unsalted butter
1 sweet onion diced
1 t minced garlic
½ cup mini sweet peppers (seeded and chopped)
6-7 small red potatoes skin on (microwave for 3 minutes and then cut potatoes into ½ chunks, bite size)
1 (28 oz. whole peeled tomatoes with juice)
¼ t ground pepper
1 T hot sauce (I used Cholula Chipotle)
3 cans large butter beans (drained and rinsed, I like Joan of Arc)
1 32 oz. box chicken stock (Kirkland Organic)
1 lb. package of frozen corn
8 oz. smoked chicken (cut up into 1” chunks)
8 oz. smoked pork butt (cut up into 1” chunks)
1 T crumbled bacon
1 T Worchester sauce
2 t BBQ seasoning
Directions
Add butter to large pot and over medium heat add onions, garlic and sweet peppers. Sauté until the onions are translucent about 10 minutes. Next add all ingredients except the pork and the chicken, bring to a boil and then simmer for 90 minutes or until the potatoes are almost tender.
Next add the pork and chicken and continue to simmer for another 45minutes. Add salt and pepper as desired.
Remember this is stew and should be on the thicker side, if needed smash some of the potatoes or add starch or flour to thicken.
Who created Brunswick Stew?
Southerners love to debate the origins of Brunswick stew. Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina all claim to be its birthplace, but the truth most likely is that it originated with Native Americans.
1828 - In Brunswick, Virginia, Dr. Creed Haskins, a member of the House of Delegates from 1839-1841, took a group of friends on a hunting expedition on the banks of the Nottaway River. While off hunting, his slave and camp cook, known as Uncle Jimmy Matthews, resourcefully rounded up some squirrel and cooked it up into a thick soup with onions and stale bread. Upon return, the cold and starving hunters were hesitant to try the stew with squirrel meat, but their hunger won out. They liked the thick warm stew so much that they asked for seconds and thirds! This concoction was known as the first Brunswick Stew. It is rumored that Jimmy Matthews was asked to recreate his stew cooked in a large pot for a political rally for President
Andrew Jackson.
1862 - First published recipe for “Virginia Stew” in the Southern Recorder of Milledgaville, Georgia
Enjoy Greg
