Virginia Brunswick Stew Wagon Build

[Boshizzle]

Very cool Bo! This will be a super cool thread!

Thanks, bro!

 

[LYU370]

I assume you won't be making an authentic 1863 recipe. :becky:

 

[Boshizzle]

I assume you won't be making an authentic 1863 recipe. :becky:

No, I will pass on that one. :-D

During the Civil War, Virginia was pretty poor. In fact, by 1863, there were huge bread riots in Richmond.

My Father told me about a lady that lived near him when he was a kid. Her name was, believe it or not, Elizabeth Taylor. She was a young enslaved child during the war. She told him about how the Union Army came through Caroline County and Partlow in Spotsylvania County. They robbed everyone of every morsel of food that they could find. Ms. Taylor said she and her family believed that the Union was evil and wanted to starve them to death.

She told my Dad of the smoked pork that her family tried to hide under the wood planks of their cabin. The Union Army found it and burned it in their front yard with every other bit of food they could find.

So, a delicacy like Brunswick stew in Richmond of 1863 should have caused some kind of red flag on the part of customers. There just wasn't any food around to make such things.

 

[ShencoSmoke]

^^makes me think twice before complaining about high brisket pricing

 

[jacob]

Cool!!

 

[Thingfish]

That is a magnificent kettle and I appreciate the care you're taking to prepare it. I also hope you have an army of help when you get ready to cook stew! Great job!

 

[Boshizzle]

Because of the rain, I decided to go ahead and start grinding the inside of the pot in my shop. I'd rather not do that simply because of the mess that it makes. But, I'm running out of time if I am going to meet the deadline for the upcoming cook on Nov. 7.

If you don't know, a difference between modern cast iron cookware and the old school stuff like Griswold and Wagner is the fact that old timers used to grind the surface of the cookware until it was smooth. If you look at the cooking surface of a new Lodge cast iron pan, it is rough. I call it a "rash." The old stuff didn't have that. It was almost as smooth as glass.

All that means is, if you take the time to grind down the cooking surface of a new cast iron pan, wash it until it is impeccably clean and properly season it, you can have a cast iron pan that is as good as any from any era.

Here is an old Griswold popover pan that I picked up recently. The surface that touches the food as it cooks is pretty smooth.

To achieve the same level of quality from modern cast iron cookware, all of the pitting and rough surface must be smoothed.

Take a look at these glorious stew pots in stock at the Agri-supply down in Petersburg, Virginia. The have pots from 3 gallons all the way to 90 gallons.

Unfortunately, they are all made using the modern technique. That means, in my opinion, to get the best results they need to be smoothed out. The smoother the surface of the cast iron the more non-stick it becomes.

So, the new pots that I am working with need to have the surface conditioned. I am grinding, sanding, and smoothing the interior. That not only reduces the chances of scorching the ingredients in the Brunswick stew as it cooks, it also eliminates the abrasive effects of the rough surface on the wooden stir paddles that must be used to make authentic, old school Brunswick stew.

So, stay tuned for more pics and details on the seasoning process. Whenever this long period of rain ends, I should be ready to start the seasoning process that will probably take about 16 hours.

 

[Trailer Trash]

Boshizzle, question... I do a little hobby metal work (very amateur). What do you use for grinding interior circumfrances? I have HD metal grinders but too stiff to follow an interior pot contour... Have you found something pliable to the curves or are you just trying to do the best you can to make even grinds?

 

[Boshizzle]

I use 2" sanding pads on a pneumatic grinder for the concave surfaces. The flatter surfaces are done with a 4.5" grinder and flap discs.

If you don't have a pneumatic grinder, Northern Tool sells a 2" attachment with 80 to 120 grit pads for drill motors that works well too for small jobs.

 

[Trailer Trash]

Got it. Thank you!!!

 

[Smokesome]

Brunswick stew lovers should attend this www.tasteofbrunswickfestival.com A good way to try different takes on a southern favorite and, if she is there this year,the most amazing sourdough donut I have ever tasted.

 

[Boshizzle]

I have reached white metal. It's time to give it one more good cleaning and then on to seasoning.

 

[landarc]

so shiny

 

[chicagokp]

It's like a mirror in there! Nice!

 

[Boshizzle]

Brunswick stew lovers should attend this www.tasteofbrunswickfestival.com A good way to try different takes on a southern favorite and, if she is there this year,the most amazing sourdough donut I have ever tasted.

Lot's a delicious old school style Brunswick stew there.

 

[Boshizzle]

I had some daylight left after the chicken BBQ today. So, I decided to go ahead and trim the 55 gallon drum I am using as a base for my Brunswick stew pot. Here is a pic. Tomorrow, I will make some adjustments. Once they are made, I will be ready to season the pot!

The barrel base is very stable. I tried to tip it over with quite a bit of force with no success. The top of the pot is about 30" high which is a perfect height.

 

[ShadowDriver]

Bo, that's going to be a badazz cart when you're done with it.

I'm a HUGE fan of Brunswick Stew... (though I've honestly never had the Virginia variety to my recollection).

Progress is lookin' good, man.
op2:

 

[viking72]

Bo, I hope you went to King's when you went to Agri supply! Should remind you of Alma's of old.

Later,
Doug

 

[Boshizzle]

The seasoning process has begun! Because heat rises, I will be firing it in quarters. Otherwise, most of the heat will just collect in the center of the pot.

This is the result of the first seasoning. The surface inside the pot is as smooth as glass!

Details of the seasoning process will follow in a later post.

 

[Boshizzle]

Got a couple of seasonings in tonight. The kettle is turning nice and black and shiny!

Next up is adding a couple of seasonings to the center.