Brunswick Stew

KrisB

Ten Pointer
This is my paired down version of Hank Shaw's Brunswick stew recipe in Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail: Small Game and Upland Birds from Field to Feast. I just used fewer ingredients than all the stuff he called for. No substitutes, except carrots in place of celery (we didn't have any and I'm not a celery fan anyway) and some cherry tomatoes instead of a can of crushed tomatoes. Followed the recipe as written. Here is my version:

Ingredients:
About 5 Appalachian squirrels
Homemade chicken stock, plus water ("God's stock")
Half of a chopped up big onion
Chopped carrots
3 spoonfulls of garlic
A package of little cherry tomatoes
5 or 6 chopped golden potatoes
1 stick of unsalted butter

Directions:
I left the squirrels as whole carcasses as I cooked them: I melted the stick of butter in a Dutch oven, then browned the squirrel meat in it. Took the meat out and fried the onions and carrots in the butter until the onions were soft, stirring every now and then. Threw some garlic in and put the meat back in and let them cook a couple minutes. Then put in the tomatoes and chicken stock. Added water until the liquid covered the squirrel meat. Turned the heat down to a simmer and let it sit on the stove about 2.5 hours since the chicken stock was cold when I added it. Mr. Shaw said to simmer it for 2 hours. Then, at the end, I added the potatoes and let them cook for 35 minutes. Then it was done!

And it is delicious! I fixed it last night for supper and now I have plenty of stew for the next few days. Wish I could share it with y'all. It's great!

Brunswick stew.jpg
 
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KrisB

Ten Pointer
have spoon,,, will travel,,,, :cool:
Seriously, I'll bring you a container of it if you want some of it. It's a lot for one sportshobbit to eat alone. There's no room in our fridge for it right now, so I just left it in the Dutch overnight with the lid on and boiled it this morning so it's ok to eat. If that's cool with you, I'd be happy to bring you some at your hunt club or wherever is a good place to meet!
 

timber

Twelve Pointer
Some good fat back is what makes a stew. Some here do it different ways. They slice it and cook the grease out of it in the stew pot and take the fried meat part out. Others just make a lot of small cuts on the slab and throw in the pot and let it cook to pieces. Most here stick to same basic ingredients. Whole chickens, canned tomatoes, butter beans, corn, potatoes, salt and pepper with a little sugar. It’s usually a all day process with a bunch of stirring with a wooden paddle last couple hours. If it ever sticks it’s ruined that burnt taste will be in the whole pot.
 

specialk

Twelve Pointer
we use to do the fat back but stopped....i used dark karo syrup for sweetness and a little color....sugar too but not too sweet....i had to hold back on the pepper....lots of my family cant handle the heat....all this talk got me wanting to drag the pot out and get to stirring!
 

Newsome Road

Ten Pointer
Your soup looks delicious!! Lol. But it ain't no Brunswick stew! Brunswick stew is cooked in a very large pot and stirred with a boat paddle until its thick enough for the paddle to stand upright on its on. Then put it in a bowl, and a light spoon should stand upright in the bowl. Sorry for the soapbox lol. But your meal does look good!
 

YanceyGreenhorn

Still Not a Moderator
he sensed that I was on the way back to his AO soon!!!


(AO = area of operations for you non- Army dudes,,, and Marines,,,)
True that! Yeah I know some of the vernacular from buddies and family that have served. I don’t use it myself except in specific situations. One is abusing the privilege of saying OpSec on here but that’s cuz a lot of funny posts have evolved out of you implementing that. Only other time is using one in front of a veteran buddy that knows me, if he is accompanied by one of his veteran or active duty friends that doesn’t know me. After it’s been well established that I didn’t serve, and we have zero military related conversations beyond that … I’ll just randomly throw one out there. “Well fellers it was good to see you but I’m headed back to the SCIF.” And so on. Goofy I know. But yeah I’m all about it when you slip em in around here. Anyways, sorry for the long sitrep.
 
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