Authentic Delicious 19th Century Virginia Brunswick (Barbecue) Stew! Pron & Recipe

---k--- said:
Thanks for posting that. I was just suggesting to my wife earlier that some of the left over beef chuckie would make good Brunswick stew. I was thinking about your other recipe that I got saved. Now I got something else to consider.
Click to expand...

If you make it using the chuckie, post some pics!
 
Here is a letter to the Editor of the Richmond Dispatch, Richmond, VA from June 14, 1891. This fellow was serious about his Brunswick Stew. It's also interesting that the newspaper seemed to be a forum for he and others to discuss cooking much like the Brethren site is for us.

picture.php
 
Great post. I love the history.

Now, shall we do as the article suggests and debate the merits of chicken versus beef? I just don't see how chicken could be better than beef. And i much prefer our modern method of smoking the meat first and then adding it to the stew. Surely if the author had tried that he would be a wealthy man from the increased revenues a superior stew would bring.



Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2
 
The author of that letter was serious about his Brunswick stew and was a strong proponent of using squirrel with chicken a distant second. He was disappointed in the stuff he was finding at restaurants in town, apparently.

To me, a big part of Brunswick stew is letting the meat cook in the stew while all of the meat and bone flavors meld into it. Adding meat at the end doesn't give the same results. Not necessarily bad results just different. That said, as far as squirrel or chicken or beef or whatever kind of meat, I think that a good Brunswick stew can be made with any of them.

I wonder how it would be if it was cooked using a beef bone like a shank or a couple of ox tails and then add the BBQ beef? Hmmm, may have to give that a try.
 
I'm gonna have to give this a try. I was turned off of Brunswick stew for a long because my mom's was just not very good...at all. I have tried other recipes but always found that they were missing something.
This looks really good.
 
Bo, i grew up in Ga but admit the Ga version is a transplant from Va. I also remember all the versions I had at home were sweeter and had a thicker tomato sauce.

My ex grew up in South Hill, Va. not too far from Brunswick. I got one of her mom's old recipes and have been using it for years. Best I've had. I'll dig it up and post it. Not too different from what you used, she always had country ribs and rabbit (fresh only, please) in hers.

Possum is another critter that was used, too.
 
seadad9903 said:
Bo, i grew up in Ga but admit the Ga version is a transplant from Va. I also remember all the versions I had at home were sweeter and had a thicker tomato sauce.

My ex grew up in South Hill, Va. not too far from Brunswick. I got one of her mom's old recipes and have been using it for years. Best I've had. I'll dig it up and post it. Not too different from what you used, she always had country ribs and rabbit (fresh only, please) in hers.

Possum is another critter that was used, too.
Click to expand...

Wow! Please post the recipe and some pron!
 
That looks delicious, thanks for the recipe and tutorial. Gonna give 'er a whirl!!!
 
Boshizzle said:
The author of that letter was serious about his Brunswick stew and was a strong proponent of using squirrel with chicken a distant second. He was disappointed in the stuff he was finding at restaurants in town, apparently.

To me, a big part of Brunswick stew is letting the meat cook in the stew while all of the meat and bone flavors meld into it. Adding meat at the end doesn't give the same results. Not necessarily bad results just different. That said, as far as squirrel or chicken or beef or whatever kind of meat, I think that a good Brunswick stew can be made with any of them.

I wonder how it would be if it was cooked using a beef bone like a shank or a couple of ox tails and then add the BBQ beef? Hmmm, may have to give that a try.
Click to expand...

Bo , I have have a recipe calling for 3 lbs cooked chuck roast and one chicken per 5 gal stew . Never have tried beef in brunswick stew .
Google Caswell county Bethel church , brunswick stew
 
Boshizzle said:
That looks good! Care to share the recipe?
Click to expand...

its just some recipe i found online. I modified it a little bit though. Here is my version.

First the sauce:
In a 2 quart sauce pan, over low heat, melt ¼ cup of butter then add:
1¾ cups Catsup
¼ cup French's Yellow Mustard
¼ cup white vinegar

Blend until smooth, then add:
½ tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ oz. Liquid Smoke
1 oz. Worcestershire Sauce
1 oz. Crystal Hot Sauce or ½ oz. Tabasco
½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Blend until smooth, then add:
¼ cup dark brown sugar
Stir constantly, increase heat to simmer (DO NOT BOIL) for approx. 10 minutes.
Makes approx. 3½ cups of sauce (set aside - to be added later).


Then The Stew:
In a 2 gallon pot, over low heat melt ¼ lb of butter then add:
3 cups small diced potatoes
1 cup small diced onion
2 *14½ oz. cans of chicken broth
1.5 lb Pulled Pork
Bring to a rolling boil, stirring until potatoes are near done, then add:
Whole can can early peas
2 * 14½ oz. cans stewed tomatoes - (chop tomatoes, add liquid to the stew pot)
The prepared sauce
12oz frozen baby lima beans
¼ cup Liquid Smoke
1 *14½*oz. can creamed corn
Slow simmer for 2 hours

I got about 1.5 gallons of it using this recipe.
 
the long awaited official seadad9903 version

sorry it took so long to get this posted, all my recipes were in the garage that hasn't been unpacked from moving 6 weeks ago and I've had a hard time finding squirrels for it. And apparently there is some silly rule that a person can't discharge a firearm in built up neighborhoods :crazy:

Anyway, i had the day off due to having windows installed in the new house (yay), so i planned ahead so i could have something to do to keep me busy. besides this, i made some ribs and pulled pork on the WSM, but thats another thread.
the recipe I got from the ex-MIL is as follows, with my notes/explanations in parentheses and italicized:

(1) 5-7 lb chicken (with giblets, usually the oldest hen in the yard)
2 caught meat (this was whatever small game they had on hand; squirrel, rabbit, possum, etc. I used rabbit)
4 quarts water
salt and pepper
bay leaves
1 lb country ribs
1 lb side meat or salt pork
3 medium onions
5-6 large tomatoes
4-5 medium potatoes (red potatoes, but not specified because that is the only kind they grew.)

1lb carrots
1 lb double cut corn (i use shoepeg, i'll explain why below)
1 lb baby butter beans (lima beans for you northerners)
1 lb okra
red pepper
salt
pepper


DIRECTIONS (again, my notes are in parentheses and italicized)


quarter chicken and game and place in pot with water, salt and pepper (to taste). bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until all meat is cooked. remove meat, let cool, remove from bone and cut into 1 inch pieces. save broth. (takes about an hour and a half for the chicken, check the game at 60 min and pull if cooked)
cook country ribs in a 350 deg oven for 1 hour. remove and chop into 1 inch pieces
chop side meat and cook until fat is rendered (i use salt pork, easier to find and already has salt in it, lazy mod).
dice onions and add to pot, cook until well browned. 30-ish minutes
dice tomatoes, reserving juice, and add to pot (i have used both fresh tomatoes and canned. doesn't really make a difference.)
add half of reserved broth to pot. bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 min.
dice potatoes and add to pot. return to simmer until almost tender. simmer for about 20 minutes
chop carrots, add to pot, return to simmer until almost tender. again, about 20 min
add butter beans and corn, return to simmer for 10 min and remove from heat.
let sit, covered for 20 minutes off heat. i use shoepeg, but she calls for double cut. to get double cut, take an ear, slice down each row of kernels so they are halved, and then cut the kernels off the cob. i ain't got that much time or patience, so i use shoepeg which is roughly the same size as double cut regular corn

serve in bowls with a hearty bread.


like i noted above, she would throw in whatever small game was on hand, and it all tastes good. if you have been paying attention, this takes a good bit of time to make. normally in the area of 5-6 hours. it took me closer to 9 hours today, because i went to get the can of tomatoes and there weren't any. ruh-roh, shaggy. i did have 4 medium tomatoes and a can of tomato puree, so i added a healthy splash of apple cider vinegar to counter the tomato-yness and simmered the heck out of it to so it didn't taste like spaghetti sauce. normally i have 4 or 5 cups of broth left over to use on other stuff. today i had 2 cups left over, that's how much i simmered it.

i did not use the okra, The Woman does not like okra and The Giant (her 6'1' 13 year old son) probably would not as well. so it got left on the counter.

here is the finished pot. as you can see, it makes a lot. that is roughly a gallon, the pot is an 8 quart (i think). anywhoo, it is usually enough to last the family a while. in the past i have put it in canning jars while hot and it will "can" itself if you put on the lid and ring and put it in the fridge. yes, i know it's not true canning where you can store it in the closet, but the lid collapses and i freeze it afterwards anyway. but it's cool it does that. so there.

main.php


and here is the critical spoon test, and as you can see you could put a battleship on it's nose and it would stand up in there

:bow:

main.php


THAT IS ALL
 
I've always enjoyed brunswick stew and enjoy it this time of year. Around my area, schools, fire depts, churchs,etc use it for fund raising in the fall. Easy to get a quick fix on the weekends. Though some are better than others.

There use to be a great local company that made a pretty good canned brunswick stew. Mrs Fearnow's Brunswick Stew. Was made in Hanover County, Va near me for years. That was pretty good. They got sold and moved years ago.

I've made one Brunswick Stew and was disappointed a couple years ago. Haven't made it since. Your recipe and story makes me want to try it again. Good weekend project.
 
I see a Brunswick Stew throw down in the near future :biggrin1:

2 to 2 1/2 lb. chicken, boiled and de-boned (save broth)
1 lb. leftover Pork Butt
1 lb. leftover Brisket
3 cans stewed tomatoes
2 cans baby lima beans
2 cans whole corn
4 lg. potatoes, diced
1 lg. onion, diced
2 - 4 cloves garlic
1 - 2 cups Rose's BBQ sauce
2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
Salt, pepper to taste (or your favorite rub)


Saute the onions and garlic in some butter until the onions are transparent. Add the remaining ingredients. Cook on low heat for approximately 2 hours. Add chicken broth as required. Add spices to taste. Yield: about 2 gallons.
 
seadad9903 said:
sorry it took so long to get this posted, all my recipes were in the garage that hasn't been unpacked from moving 6 weeks ago and I've had a hard time finding squirrels for it. And apparently there is some silly rule that a person can't discharge a firearm in built up neighborhoods :crazy:

Anyway, i had the day off due to having windows installed in the new house (yay), so i planned ahead so i could have something to do to keep me busy. besides this, i made some ribs and pulled pork on the WSM, but thats another thread.
the recipe I got from the ex-MIL is as follows, with my notes/explanations in parentheses and italicized:

(1) 5-7 lb chicken (with giblets, usually the oldest hen in the yard)
2 caught meat (this was whatever small game they had on hand; squirrel, rabbit, possum, etc. I used rabbit)
4 quarts water
salt and pepper
bay leaves
1 lb country ribs
1 lb side meat or salt pork
3 medium onions
5-6 large tomatoes
4-5 medium potatoes (red potatoes, but not specified because that is the only kind they grew.)

1lb carrots
1 lb double cut corn (i use shoepeg, i'll explain why below)
1 lb baby butter beans (lima beans for you northerners)
1 lb okra
red pepper
salt
pepper


DIRECTIONS (again, my notes are in parentheses and italicized)


quarter chicken and game and place in pot with water, salt and pepper (to taste). bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until all meat is cooked. remove meat, let cool, remove from bone and cut into 1 inch pieces. save broth. (takes about an hour and a half for the chicken, check the game at 60 min and pull if cooked)
cook country ribs in a 350 deg oven for 1 hour. remove and chop into 1 inch pieces
chop side meat and cook until fat is rendered (i use salt pork, easier to find and already has salt in it, lazy mod).
dice onions and add to pot, cook until well browned. 30-ish minutes
dice tomatoes, reserving juice, and add to pot (i have used both fresh tomatoes and canned. doesn't really make a difference.)
add half of reserved broth to pot. bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 min.
dice potatoes and add to pot. return to simmer until almost tender. simmer for about 20 minutes
chop carrots, add to pot, return to simmer until almost tender. again, about 20 min
add butter beans and corn, return to simmer for 10 min and remove from heat.
let sit, covered for 20 minutes off heat. i use shoepeg, but she calls for double cut. to get double cut, take an ear, slice down each row of kernels so they are halved, and then cut the kernels off the cob. i ain't got that much time or patience, so i use shoepeg which is roughly the same size as double cut regular corn

serve in bowls with a hearty bread.


like i noted above, she would throw in whatever small game was on hand, and it all tastes good. if you have been paying attention, this takes a good bit of time to make. normally in the area of 5-6 hours. it took me closer to 9 hours today, because i went to get the can of tomatoes and there weren't any. ruh-roh, shaggy. i did have 4 medium tomatoes and a can of tomato puree, so i added a healthy splash of apple cider vinegar to counter the tomato-yness and simmered the heck out of it to so it didn't taste like spaghetti sauce. normally i have 4 or 5 cups of broth left over to use on other stuff. today i had 2 cups left over, that's how much i simmered it.

i did not use the okra, The Woman does not like okra and The Giant (her 6'1' 13 year old son) probably would not as well. so it got left on the counter.

here is the finished pot. as you can see, it makes a lot. that is roughly a gallon, the pot is an 8 quart (i think). anywhoo, it is usually enough to last the family a while. in the past i have put it in canning jars while hot and it will "can" itself if you put on the lid and ring and put it in the fridge. yes, i know it's not true canning where you can store it in the closet, but the lid collapses and i freeze it afterwards anyway. but it's cool it does that. so there.

main.php


and here is the critical spoon test, and as you can see you could put a battleship on it's nose and it would stand up in there

:bow:

main.php


THAT IS ALL
Click to expand...

Looks delicious! :thumb: Thanks for the recipe, too!
 
I just made a big pot full. I freeze it in vacuum bags for the cold winter days ahead. My recipe varies a little each time that I make it; but it is basically very similar to the recipe in the OP. For this batch, I used a whole chicken and a chuck roast. The chicken was only boiled before pulling. The chuck roast was smoked and pulled before going into the pot.

P1010862.jpg



P1010859.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

16Adams
Rudy's Barbecue
Replies
8
Views
800
PaPaQ
PaPaQ
16Adams
Green Chile Stew, leftovers and MSU
Replies
13
Views
477
food4thot
food4thot
M
Brunswick Stew
Replies
7
Views
578
Big Andy
B
DarkStar11
Fired up the Bronco
Replies
4
Views
434
Big George's BBQ
Big George's BBQ
L
Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew
Replies
14
Views
769
ModelMaker
ModelMaker
Back
Top