October Team Cook - Brunswick Stew

[DavidNorcross]

October 1st so here is this months team cook. It is fall and time for comfort food!

Brunswick Stew

Brunswick stew is a Southern classic with a bit of friendly rivalry over its beginnings: both Brunswick County, Virginia, and Brunswick, Georgia, claim it. Early versions often used game such as squirrel; today, cooks make it with all kinds of meat. It is a family favorite for us and many local churches and volunteer first responders make it in large batches and sell for fundraisers.

One of the best things about Brunswick stew is its flexibility. I’ve made it with rabbit, quail, pork, beef, and chicken; this version combines grilled chicken thighs, smoked pulled pork, and brisket. You can adapt the meat, vegetables, and seasonings to suit your taste or use what you have on hand.

It’s just as flexible to cook. Make it indoors on the stovetop or outdoors over an open flame, in a Dutch oven or a cast-iron pot. Keep it at a gentle simmer, stir it now and then, and let it cook until it reaches the thickness you like. Serve with crackers, cornbread or the bread of your choice. Since the 31st is Halloween day lets make the reveal the weekend of October 24th.

Course: Main dish
Cuisine: Barbecue, comfort food
Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 pound grilled chicken thighs, diced
• ½ pound smoked pulled pork
• ½ pound smoked brisket, chopped
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 3 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes, with liquid
• 1½ cups frozen corn
• 1 cup ketchup
• ½ cup barbecue sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Hot sauce, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or cast-iron pot over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery; sauté until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 3–4 minutes.
2. Add the chicken, pulled pork, and brisket. Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, corn, ketchup, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the stew thickens to your liking. If cooking over an open flame, adjust the pot’s position as needed to maintain a steady simmer.
4. Serve warm with crusty bread.

Hope everyone enjoys!

[Donw]

Wonderful.
Only changes I’m going to make is there will be no ketchup and the BBQ sauce will be Eastern Carolina style.

[OC Sandy]

I like this idea because most recipes I've seen for Brunswick stew always seemed like they would be sweet with the ketchup and typical BBQ sauce.

[Hulagn1971]

Donw Eastern NC style with the vinegar is the way for sure. I usually do equal parts ketchup and Eastern NC bbq sauce though.

[Donw]

Hulagn1971 Sounds like Western NC style sauce to me but since both sides of the State have vinegar as the base I think we can agree that any NC style works pretty damn well for Brunswick Stew. Heck, I’d even extend that ‘works well’ group to Tennessee Red sauce because I’ve used that before too.😋

[gcdmd]

There appear to be some beans in the photos, but I don't see any listed in the recipe. What kind did you use and how much?

[DavidNorcross]

You are correct and I should have mentioned that. You will see where the recipe calls for 1½ cups frozen corn. I used a bag of frozen mixed vegetables instead which is why you see lima's. It really is up to you and your preference. Hope this helps.

[Donw]

Where I grew up Lima beans were traditional, as well as potatoes. Great thing about Brunswick Stew is that little additions and subtractions aren’t going to prevent you from ending up with a tasty stew.
(Well, slight correction. Making it super sweet with brown sugar, or overly sweet BBQ sauce, at least from my experience, certainly can make it less appealing. Just my 2¢.)

[jfmorris]

I also am used to seeing Lima beans and potato chunks in Brunswick stew most places in Alabama and Georgia.

[captainlee]

Looks great, we've got our frozen Olathe corn from the summer, smoked pulled pork and chopped brisket in the freezer. This works out perfect.

[Skip]

Thanks DavidNorcross I'm looking forward to giving this a try as I've never made this and can't remember ever having it either.

[Hulagn1971]

This recipe looks similar to the one I make every fall and winter. I don't use brisket though, since I only smoke one of those a year and there are never any leftovers. I too use lima beans which is traditional Virginia style, along with cubed potatoes. The potatoes add a nice starch factor which help thicken the stew and make it a filling dish. Cook time is longer for me, as it takes longer to get it nice and thick with the potato edition. That pot of stew looks like a great one!

[WI Bubba]

I've never made this but it's long been on my list of things to try. Looking forward to it!

[BKYDBBQ]

Looking forward to this one...I make B-Stew a couple of times a year.

[TripleB]

Love stews/soups in the fall. LA is getting a heat wave this weekend, but after that it's stew/soup time. And October is dedicated to Chili. Will have to give this a try later in the year.

[Alan Brice]

I have never made this and I do not know if I have ever tasted it. I am game to try.

[SheilaAnn]

Ditto!

[CaptainMike]

Double-ditto!

[bbq_esq]

This looks perfect! I've got pulled pork and brisket leftovers waiting to be used.

[fzxdoc]

Wonderful recipe, David. Not too sweet. I'm copying it to Paprika, and will most likely make the changes that Donw recommends, because I'm a sucker for Eastern Carolina sauce.

Thanks, David!

Kathryn

[dpearce]

I really like that tripod setup. Can you tell me where you got it from?

[DavidNorcross]

I really cannot remember but I am almost certain I got it off Amazon.

[DavidNorcross]

Found it! Made by Camp Chef.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MSA8M0?lv=shuf&rsd=lXZ2sniwotdrFALks5QPSIxw3LuzslG0CVskESB1GQR0yqgfrgi9vypULFrrwEehtwH5slXaErJXBVl1M%2B4aGnb2PibWkZyXjXdCy7tn%2FJxgjVXF&edk=AQIDAHi1lw%2FM8UbbSMD9ScOOFEmBMHMthHeEhqDaQYPJUAX3jQG2ZuF%2BgQkl%2BJQ7d3VV%2Fj7JAAAAfjB8BgkqhkiG9w0BBwagbzBtAgEAMGgGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQM%2BsS7Dh8caOsljusFAgEQgDvP6Au6sYfKQQL5im3UbnQ3nj1%2BVjLF%2F6PgiWhqZZGjilmrIbZmmZXj9302fUM1xPBfw6WYscDS4egnyA%3D%3D&social_share=cm_sw_r_cso_sms_ap

[dpearce]

DavidNorcross. Thank you!

[Oak Smoke]

I thought I was reading a good Cajun recipe at first. It has the trinity from good Cajun food right up front. Heck add a good roux and see how it tastes.

[HawkerXP]

Our lake house is in Brunswick VA, the birthplace of Brunswick Stew!

We usually get some from our local Fire and Rescue (Gasburg) and Littleton NC,Chamber of Commerce.