RECIPES
First catch your chickens, clean and cut them. And in an iron pot you put them;
And water nearly to the top and in it salt and pepper drop;
Boil slowly. Your tomatoes peel; Put in a shin or so of veal;
And for a flavor bear in mind, a chuck of middling with the rind.
Next, some onions you throw in, the young and tender skin,
And butter beans do not forget; And what is more important yet,
The corn, but do not be too fast, this you must cut and add it last;
For better than the flour you’ll find it’ll do. To give a thickness to the stew.
Some lemon peel cut very thin may now be added and stirred in,
And ere it is taken from the fire give it a dash of Worcestershire.
And soon you will its praises ring, this is a dish fit for a king.
—“Old Brunswick County Brunswick Stew Recipe,” by Virginia S. Woodruff, Recipes from Old Virginia, 1946 (courtesy Virginia Tech Libraries)
The first responsibility of a stew master is the safety and wellbeing of her or his stew crew and guests. Therefore, before one sets out to become a stew master, he or she must be prepared to keep every guest safe. Consider the tragic fate of Nat Gist of Lexington, Kentucky. Gist was up early cooking a huge kettle of burgoo that his employer was going to serve at the Blue Grass Fair in August 1913. While tending the fire, he slipped and fell headlong into the boiling stew. With the exception of part of one leg, the boiling liquid scalded his entire body. He died of his injuries the next evening.
Gist and his employer could have prevented the tragic accident if they had not failed to take even the most basic safety precautions. The kettle in which the burgoo was cooking was set in a hole over a fire. This resulted in the open top of the huge iron kettle being almost level with the surface of the ground. Obviously, that is not a safe situation.1
Barbecue stews are about enjoying good food with the company of family and friends. The first step to having a happy and safe occasion is to observe and practice all safety precautions and safe food handling rules and guidelines. The second responsibility of the stew master is to cook and serve delicious barbecue stews. Here are some tried-and-true recipes.
Old-Fashioned Virginia-Style Brunswick Stew
INGREDIENTS
4 slices of bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes (chopped)
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1½ cups diced potatoes
16 ounces butterbeans (fresh or frozen; canned and drained)
1 teaspoon of sugar (the stew isn’t sweet but isn’t acidic either; adjust amount as needed)
1 14-ounce can of sweet corn, drained
⅓ stick of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper (or to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
water as needed
PREPARATION (REQUIRES FREQUENT STIRRING)
In an 8-quart pot on medium heat, cook the bacon until the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon from the pot and chop it. Return the bacon to the pot, add the onions and let them cook over medium heat until they are translucent. While the onions are cooking, drain the tomatoes reserving the juice and give them a coarse chop. Move the bacon and onion to one side of the pot and add the chicken thighs skin side down. As you add each thigh, move the onion and bacon out of the way, making sure the skin of each thigh makes contact with the bottom of the pot. When the chicken skin has browned, turn the thighs over and add the potatoes and tomatoes with their juice. Scrape up any of the brown bits from the chicken thighs that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. The liquid from the tomatoes will make this easier to accomplish. There is a lot of flavor in it, and you want to incorporate it into the stew. At this point, the contents of the pot should be just covered with liquid. If not, add just enough water to cover. Put the lid on the pot and adjust the heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken meat can be easily removed from the bones. When the chicken is tender, remove it from the pot. Let it cool to a safe-to-handle temperature. Remove the meat from the bones and shred it. Discard the skin, cartilage and bones. If any solid pieces of potato remain, let them cool to a safe temperature before mashing them with a potato masher. Return the shredded chicken and potatoes to the pot. Add the beans and sugar. Let the stew continue to simmer, stirring as needed until the beans soften. Add the corn. Let it continue to simmer until the stew is almost thick enough to eat with a fork. When the stew is rich and thick, remove the pot from the heat source and add the butter, stirring as it melts into the stew. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve with hoecakes, biscuits, Virginia-style cornbread made with unsweetened, white cornmeal or crackers. Serves 4 to 6 people.
Kentucky Colonel Burgoo
James Looney’s famous burgoo is the inspiration for this recipe.2
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds of beef, cubed (or any meat that you prefer)
2 medium-sized potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 cup of water (approximately)
1½ teaspoons curry powder or to taste
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
1 pound of mixed veggies (corn, carrots, green beans, butterbeans, peas, celery, okra or whatever you like)
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 medium onion, diced
salt and black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
PREPARATION (REQUIRES FREQUENT STIRRING)
Add the meat, potatoes and just enough water to cover them in an 8-quart pot. Simmer them over medium heat for about 2 hours until the meat is pull-tender. Add water during the cook if needed to ensure that the meat stays covered. When the meat is pull-tender, remove it and the potatoes from the pot and let them cool to a safe-to-handle temperature. Shred the meat and remove any bones, gristle and so on and chop it coarsely. Mash the potatoes. Transfer the broth to a degreasing pitcher and let it continue to cool as the fat rises to the top.
Add the meat, the de-fatted broth, curry powder and the remaining vegetables to the pot. Add water to cover, if needed. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are tender and the broth has reduced to a “soupy stew” consistency. Burgoo kings let their burgoo cook so long that very little in the pot is identifiable. It could take as long as 6 hours of constant stirring and simmering for that result, so get ready for a long cook if you choose that level of doneness. After the burgoo has cooked for about 4 hours total (or 6 hours, if you prefer), add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce and sugar to taste. Remove from heat and serve. Serves 6 to 10 people.
SOUTH CAROLINA–STYLE BARBECUE HASH
In 1959, hash master John Butler shared his recipe for making barbecue hash. The recipe included 810 pounds of beef, 1,200 pounds of pork and 400 pounds of potatoes.3 That’s a handy recipe if you are planning to feed a thousand people. However, for those occasions when you just have to cook for family and friends, here is a recipe for a smaller-sized pot of South Carolina–style barbecue hash. The inspiration for this recipe comes from a recipe shared by a native South Carolinian friend. He received it from his wife’s grandfather. For best results, use cheap cuts of meat like chuck and pork shoulder. Serves 4 to 8 people.
South Carolina–Style Barbecue Sauce
INGREDIENTS
2 cups yellow mustard
1 cup of sugar
½ cup white distilled vinegar
salt, pepper and ground cayenne to taste
PREPARATION
Thoroughly mix all of the sauce ingredients together except the seasonings. Add the salt, pepper and cayenne to suit your taste. Makes about 20 ounces.
South Carolina–Style Barbecue Hash
INGREDIENTS
3 pounds of cubed beef
2 pounds of cubed pork
water, as needed
4 pounds chopped onions
1 stick of butter
salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper to taste
8 hours of moonlight (optional)
PREPARATION (REQUIRES FREQUENT STIRRING)
Cut the meat into ½- to ¾-inch chunks and add them to an 8-quart pot with a heavy-duty bottom. Add just enough water to cover the meat and place over medium heat. As soon as the water begins to simmer, remove the meat from the pot and drain it. Repeat this process two times.
Return the meat to the pot along with the chopped onions and fill with just enough water to cover. Simmer until the meat and onions are very tender. Stir often and add water as needed. Remove meat and onion from the pot and let them cool enough to handle. Put the broth into a bowl or grease separator and let it cool. Reserve the broth and discard the fat.
Once the meat and onions have cooled, chop them using a cleaver or a good knife. Make sure that no onion pieces remain recognizable. The texture of the meat should not be too chunky. Put the cooled meat and onions back into the pot with the broth. If needed, add just enough water to cover. While the meat and broth are cool enough to touch, use a potato masher or an electric hand mixer (my preferred tool for the job) to soften the meat. The idea is to stir many times in a few minutes rather than over a period of several hours. This will puree the onions while separating the individual meat fibers, giving the meat the proper texture.
Return the pot to a simmer and let the liquid in the stew reduce to reach a thick consistency with only a very little broth remaining, stirring often. Remove it from the heat source, add the butter and stir until it melts into the stew. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne.
Without the barbecue sauce, this is a South Carolina Upcountry-style barbecue hash. For a Lowcountry-style hash, before serving, add barbecue sauce to suit your taste. The hash can be eaten alone or served over rice, grits, biscuits or barbecue. Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Central Virginia Barbecue Sauce
This barbecue sauce is inspired by the sauce
my father used to make when I was a youngster.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup tomato puree
1 cup distilled white vinegar
½ cup white or brown sugar
2 teaspoons curry powder (adjust to taste)
1½ teaspoons granulated onion (adjust to taste)
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon fine ground black pepper
ground cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to taste
PREPARATION
Thoroughly mix all ingredients and refrigerate for 1 hour. Put sauce in a saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring as needed. Remove from heat, cool and serve. Makes about 20 ounces of sauce.
In times past, Virginians barbecued pork directly over coals. The process takes many hours and lots of hard work to complete. This recipe is for the home cook who doesn’t want to dig a pit in their backyard or spend hours tending a barbecue pit. The results are still delicious.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper
1 tablespoon mild paprika
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 pats of unsalted butter
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 8-pound pork butt
PREPARATION
Make the barbecue rub by thoroughly mixing the salt, pepper, paprika and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Apply a light coat of unsalted butter along with a few sprinkles of vinegar to the entire meat side surface of the pork butt. Follow that with a medium coat of rub. Barbecue the pork uncovered in an enclosed barbecue smoker at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 hours. Use three to four hickory chunks for smoke. After 3 hours, tightly wrap the pork butt in two layers of aluminum foil and return it to the smoker. When the pork is tender, after about 3 to 4 hours, remove it from the smoker and let it rest for 30 minutes. The internal temperature of the pork butt should be at least 200 degrees Fahrenheit. However, don’t go by temperature alone; tenderness is the true guide. Use the barbecue to make sandwiches topped with coleslaw and a little Virginia-style barbecue sauce. It is also delicious served with Indian hoecake. Serves 12 to 15 people.
Virginia-Style Hashed Barbecue
My father’s barbecue hash inspired this recipe. It contains ingredients typical of the Virginia-style barbecue that I remember eating as a youngster. This recipe calls for pork; however, my father made it with beef on some occasions. Pull-tender roast pork or roast beef works well, too. Another option is to cook 1½ pounds of pork or beef as described in the South Carolina–style barbecue hash recipe without the onions and butter before adding the Virginia-style barbecue sauce.
1 pound Virginia-style barbecued pork, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1½ cups central Virginia–style barbecue sauce
PREPARATION
Simmer one pound of leftover barbecued pork over medium heat in just enough water to cover it. Stir often until most fibers in the meat are separated. Let the meat continue to simmer until most of the excess liquid has boiled away. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add 1½ cups of central Virginia–style barbecue sauce and continue to simmer for ten minutes. Serve the hash with Indian hoecake or on heated hamburger buns. Serves 4 people.
Virginia Hoecakes
My mother made two styles of hoecakes. One consisted of wheat flour and the other (called “Indian hoecake”) a mixture of wheat flour and unsweetened white cornmeal.
INGREDIENTS
1½ tablespoons shortening (or lard)
1 cup self-rising flour
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon of milk
PREPARATION
Add the shortening to the flour in a large mixing bowl. Using your fingers, cut in the shortening until you have small pea-sized pieces of it coated with flour. Add the milk to make a thick, moderately wet dough similar to pizza dough. If it’s too sticky to handle in your hands, add a little more flour. If it’s too dry, add a little more milk. Pinch off a golf ball–size piece of dough. Using your hands, flatten it into a ⅛- to ¼-inch-thick round cake. You should be able to make at least four 5-inch round hoecakes. Cook on a lightly greased pan or griddle over medium heat, flipping once. The hoecakes should be golden brown on both sides and fluffy in the center. Serve hot. For Indian hoecake, replace the flour with a mixture of ⅓ cup white, unsweetened cornmeal and ⅔ cup self-rising flour. Makes 4 hoecakes.
VIRGINIA-STYLE BRUNSWICK STEW RECIPES FOR
LARGE BATCHES
Stew master Chiles Cridlin of the Proclamation Stew Crew shares the following recipes for large batches of Virginia-style Brunswick stew. The Proclamation Stew Crew cooks thousands of gallons of Brunswick stew every year all around the Old Dominion in support of worthy causes.
Virginia-Style Brunswick Stew Large Batch Recipes
| yield in gallons | 25 | 55 | 65 | 95 | |
| Ingredients | Quantity | ||||
| boneless, skinless chicken thighs (pounds) | 60 | 120 | 160 | 200 | |
| fat back, aka “white meat” (pounds) | 4 | 9 | 11 | 15 | |
| potatoes (pounds) | 50 | 100 | 125 | 150 | |
| potatoes if pre-chopped (pounds) | 40 | 80 | 100 | 140 | |
| onions (pounds) | 25 | 50 | 60 | 100 | |
| onions if pre-chopped (pounds) | 20 | 40 | 40 | 60 | |
| crushed tomatoes (no. 10 cans) | 4 | 8 | 11 | 15 | |
| butter beans (no. 10 cans) | 6 | 12 | 15 | 21 | |
| white shoepeg corn (no. 10 cans) | 4 | 8 | 11 | 15 | |
| margarine or butter (pounds) | 3 | 6 | 7 | 9 | |
| sugar (pounds) | 2 | 4 | 4.5 | 6 | |
| salt (ounces) | 10 | 26 | 29.5 | 36 | |
| black pepper (ounces) | 2 | 4.5 | 5 | 7 | |
| cayenne pepper (ounces) | 2 | 4.5 | 5 | 7 |
PREPARATION
These large batch recipes require constant stirring from beginning to end. The stew must be constantly stirred while it simmers. Moreover, the cook must constantly tend the cooking fire. When using propane to fuel the fire, it is common to have to turn the heat up or down or off at certain times throughout the cook. Keep an eye on the amount of heat. You shouldn’t rapidly boil the stew. A slow simmer is best.
Finely chop the white meat and add it to the pot with the chicken. Add just enough water to cover and bring to a simmer. Let the meats simmer until the chicken easily falls apart. Add the potatoes, onions and ¼ of the seasonings. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are very soft. Add the tomatoes and ¼ of the seasonings and bring back to a simmer for thirty more minutes. If the stew becomes too thick during the cook, add a little water. Add the drained butterbeans and ¼ of the seasonings. Bring back to a simmer and cook until the beans are soft. Add the drained corn, butter and remaining seasonings. Cook for about 15 minutes longer. The stew is ready when the stirring paddle can stand up on its own in the pot. Like a good stew master, above all, make sure that you and your stew crew observe all safety precautions at all times.