Recipe for Brunswick Stew

Until recently, I had never heard of Brunswick Stew. However, I've made some new friends that relocated to Texas from Alabama. The other day they had friends from home come to visit. As usual, I talked about food, and one of them mentioned they make a fantastic Brunswick Stew Recipe. I was taken aback when told that squirrel, opossum, and rabbit were common ingredients in the old-fashioned stew.

Thankfully he quickly explained that it's now most commonly made with pulled Pork and shredded chicken.

Here's the thing, though, I don't want to offend anybody. If someone else made me the real deal, including opossum and squirrel...not only would I try it, but I'm sure I'd enjoy it just the same.

I can't personally see myself out here bustin' caps in the neighborhood squirrels to make a stew. I try NOT to kill them every day when they dart back and forth across the streets.

I luckily had some pulled pork vacuum sealed in the freezer from a previous smoke. Now the rodents around here can rest easy knowing they'll live to see another day.

What is Brunswick Stew?

That's an excellent question and the first one I asked. This is followed by why it's called Brunswick stew, where it comes from, what's in it, etc.

So let's talk a little about its origin and what it is.

Like almost every recipe I've covered on Chicken Fried Kitchen, the origin story isn't as cut and dry as something like Runza.

It's not even close to cut and dry; it's more like whole and super soggy! I had to say that cause I don't even really know why cut and dry is a saying. I'll have to look that up!

Anyway, Brunswick Stew dates back to the 1800s.

Some folks'll tell you that it was created in Brunswick, GA. That immediately sounds like a believable story, right? Wait, though, they also have two kettles mounted on cement pillars on opposite sides of the town. Both claim to be the pot that cooked the first batch of Brunswick Stew. We could say that maybe they made so much of it that they needed two pots. It's a plausible story until you realize that one of the plaques claims that the stew was created in 1898...uh oh!

Now we have a real problem on our hands.

You see, the first reported mention of the stew I've read about was 1871. An ad for Med Henderson's Saloon in Savannah, Ga, was printed in the newspaper and features "Old Virginia Brunswick Stew" as one of the lunch offerings.

So, possibly Virginia? Yup...Brunswick County, Virginia, of all places!

There were also mentions of the stew in 1849 and 1855 in other publications. One of them even mentioned Brunswick County. It seems to me that Virginia is the birthplace of this great southern classic!

Brunswick Stew Ingredients

As I mentioned, the local wild rodents were used as the protein. However, there's more than just the meat.

Actually...A LOT MORE!

Back in the day, it seemed like a meal created to use up whatever you had available, including Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. Oh wait, they were chipmunks...my bad!

Tomatoes, corn, potatoes, okra, beans, peas, you name it, and I think it's probably been simmered in a pot of this stew. Of course, you have your water or chicken stock, and as far as liquids are concerned...here's the real kicker for me, BBQ Sauce.

I used a bottle of Jim Beam Maple Bourbon Sauce in my recipe, which worked out well and gave the stew some great flavor. In the future, though, I'll use my secret recipe for Texas-style vinegar-based bbq sauce. I will be releasing the recipe for this sauce in due time. Just not quite yet!

The other BBQ Sauce option I think would be a great fit is Lillie Q's Carolina Sauce. It's Tangy and vinegary, just like you would want for this type of stew.

How to Make Brunswick Stew

Pulled Pork

For this recipe, I used pulled Pork that I had already smoked, pulled, vacuum sealed, and froze.

If you haven't already pulled Pork on hand, check out my recipe here!

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

For the chicken, I made shredded chicken in the Instant pot. I used fresh chicken breasts, but frozen will work fine as well. Pour chicken stock/broth into the instant pot and place the breasts in the pool. The breasts don't need to be covered by the broth; fill it to cover about half the breasts.

If you're using fresh chicken, set the Instant Pot to pressure cook, high, for 12 minutes with a natural release for 10 minutes. Then do a manual release and shred the chicken.

If using frozen chicken breast, set the Instant Pot to pressure cook, high, for 15 minutes with a 10-minute natural release. Then again, manual release and shred.

Brunswick Stew Recipe

Now, while the chicken is cooking, let's get the stew going!

Add a stick of butter to a large Dutch Oven over medium heat. Let the butter melt, and then add the minced garlic, sautéing until fragrant for about 2 minutes. Next, add the onions and potatoes and stir to be sure they are fully covered in the garlic butter mixture. Sauté the potato and onion mixture until the onions become translucent.

Now, pour in the kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne to cover the veggies fully.

Next, pour in the tomato sauce and fire-roasted tomatoes. If you have fresh available, I'd highly recommend using them, but canned is equally as delicious and saves time. I used canned tomatoes for this recipe.

Stir the mixture to combine, and then stir the brown sugar thoroughly.

Once the brown sugar has been mixed in, add the frozen corn, lima beans, and okra and continue stirring. Once you have it all mixed in, pour in the chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Simmer the stew for about 25 minutes.

Now add the Worcestershire and BBQ sauce, stir to thoroughly combine, cover the dutch oven and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Lastly, add the shredded chicken and pulled Pork, stir it up to combine, cover, and simmer until ready to serve.

When serving Brunswick Stew, I highly recommend pairing it with cornbread. Some like putting saltines in it as well. But I think it's plenty thick enough without the crackers.

Whatever gets your squirrel squeakin', I suppose!

In Conclusion

Come to find out, Brunswick Stew is genuinely a Southern American classic. Folks from Virginia to Mississippi aren't just familiar with this hot and comforting stew; it's a part of their history and culture.

I hope you try this recipe, and let me know in the comments if I've missed any part of the history.

Thank you so much for reading, and as usual...

Happy Cooking,

-Jeremy