Beef Questions For Upcoming Brunswick Stew

[BradNorthGA]

Sorry for posting two questions in one day, but I got a lot of planned cooks coming up and questions to go with 'em!

My wife loves Brunswick Stew, so I'm gonna cook this recipe that just got previewed here:

https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/pork-chops-pulled-pork-ham-and-more-pork-recipes/brunswick-stew

In the recipe he says "Squirrel is the traditional meat, but I like to use beef and pork or even scraps of barbecued pork (try Pulled Pork BBQ or Slow Cooker Pulled Pork BBQ)." I am planning on buying a pork butt tomorrow at the butcher to make some pulled pork this weekend. I intend to use the leftovers from that for the pork component, so I will have that covered. My questions are about the beef component:

1) The recipe calls for 1 1/2 pounds beef chuck/stew meat. What should I ask the butcher for exactly? Should I simply ask for 1 1/2 pounds of beef chuck and he'll give me the right thing? Sorry if this is a dumb question, just want to make sure I'm getting the right thing and this is kinda unfamiliar to me.

2) If I am understanding this recipe correctly, the beef will go in raw in step 2; I don't cook it all before adding it. Then I would add my leftover pulled pork in the later step when I add the corn. Am I understanding this correctly?

Thanks in advance.

[Alabama Smoke]

Tell the butcher what you are planning to use the beef for and ask for suggestions. My butcher has been great to that regard.

[BradNorthGA]

That's a good idea actually

[RonB]

I did not read the whole recipe, but I generally sear beef before adding to a dish that gets more cookin'.

[Rocinante]

I like to buy beef tenderloins on sale at Kroger when they have them. I just got a couple last week that were on sale at half price. I can usually get some nice fillets out of the center section, then towards the edges it tends to be less uniform in size. I will use these parts, cube them up and use them for stews and such. After a good sear before hand and then in the stew, they literally melt in your mouth. I have also just got some chuck and cubed them up and cook in the same way. They just need more time than the tenderloin.

[Bkhuna]

Take a drive down to Brunswick and attend the annual Brunswick Stewbilee.

[HawkerXP]

Squirrel. That's it. I've got some if you need it.

[BradNorthGA]

We got plenty of squirrel around here as well but I think I'm going to go with the beef and pork for this one...

[wu7y]

Shouldn't have to go far for squirrel. Seems like there's plenty of 'em right here in this website.

[HawkerXP]

More like plenty of squirrel food here. wu7y

[BradNorthGA]

Thanks for the responses everyone. So if I'm understanding y'all right, I should consider searing the surface of the beef, then cutting it into cubes, then putting it into the stew to cook. Is that correct?

[Mr. Bones]

Me? I'd cube, sear, then continue on...

More surface area with Maillard Effect will=more flavour.

Anyway ya do it, it oughtta be fine...

In response to yer OP...

1> ain't no limit on how many questions ya can ask, per day, or otherwise, an ain't nobody gonna yike at ya fer askin; we're all here to learn, share, an help each other out.

2> Never worry bout askin ya no dumb questions, neither...reckon I already done asked up alla th dumb ones, afore ya even got here, Brother!

[Dewesq55]

You better listen to him. He's
Pre-med

[smokin fool]

I sear my stewing meats FWIW....personal preference.
I made a stew today with leftover smoke sirloin and pork tenderloin cubed....ka-boom.

[bbqLuv]

[BradNorthGA]

Oh there we go, even easier

[Mr. Bones]

Nee-Ice...

BUT: Does they also offer it up with 'Squirrel'???

[Hulagn1971]

Not sure about beef. I have always used smoked chicken thigh meat and smoked pork butt. Call me a traditionalist
When I assemble a Brunswick stew, I use meats that I have already cooked/smoked. I usually smoke them on Saturday, then make the stew on Sunday. I don't sear anything, just smoke it like you would just to eat. I think if it were me and I HAD to use beef I would use chuck roast and smoke it until you develop a good bark. Then fridge overnight and cube the next day for your stew. You have to use cubed potatoes and lima beans/butterbeans or it is not a traditional stew (Born and raised in Virginia). I also add a little brown sugar for the sweet and savory and hot sauce for the spicy bite. Let us know how it comes out!
Once you use the recipe on the site, try this one to see how it compares. I don't use 1.5 cups of bbq sauce but use .75 cup bbq sauce and .75 ketchup.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/brunswick-stew-with-pork-and-chicken-3052066

[Mr. Bones]

Highly agree, regardless of protein used, if it was already smoked, no sear...

Sounded to me like he was mighta gonna toss raw chuck into a pot of water / boullion...

As previous stated: in that case, me?

I would sear it.

Thanks fer sharin yer experience in th proper selection of th proper ingredients with us; it'll definitely help me start out much closer to regionally correct Brunswick Stew...

Much appreciated, Brother!

[BradNorthGA]

Great info, thanks a ton

[Bkhuna]

Brunswick GA claims the title of the home of Brunswick Stew. They got a marker and everything to prove it

[BradNorthGA]

So today I went to the butcher to get my pork butt, and I took the advice of Alabama Smoke -- told the butcher what I was planning and asked what they recommend. She told me that she uses beef chuck for brunswick stew, grabbed me some and gave me some tips on how she makes her brunswick stew. So I definitely went with that!

[Mr. Bones]

A most excellent start, Sir!

Lookin forward to followin along, on yer stew cook, if I might!

[Hulagn1971]

Bkhuna as a Virginian, I disagree. It was made prior to the Civil War in Brunswick County, VA. Here is an interesting article.
This has been a friendly debate for many, many decades.
https://www.southernliving.com/bbq/b...k-stew-history

[Washblue]

I’ll bump this older post about an old stew…
I have fond memories of Brunswick Stew…
My Mom cooked a lot of it!
When I say a lot, I mean a lot…
She would cook two big wash pots on the ground over live oak coals… for community fundraisers…
Dad and other men would barbecue two 4’x 8’ sheets of expanded metal full of Boston butts over live oak coals…
It was the job of kids to swap turns continuously stirring the pots with wooden paddles you could paddle a canoe with…
That was an annual thing 50 - 55 years ago…
Merit badges should have been awarded for not letting the stew stick to the pots…
Mom expected no credit for cooking those huge vessels of stew… as accolades go to the true originator meat stews…

The Cavewoman…

Looking at Meathead’s recipe… it should be a good one!
Onion, garlic, tomato and fresh corn are the only vegetables…
I use smoked and pulled pork and chicken for my meats…
and readily available sauces and spices… things not found in an average cave-wife’s pantry…