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Brunswick Stew – A Dish of Muddy Origins
Where was
Brunswick Stew, that venerable, spicy, delicious concoction of meat, tomato,
butterbeans and corn, created? Several places named Brunswick claim it,
including in Georgia, Virginia and North Carolina. There is general agreement,
however, that the dish began as a hunter’s stew made from boiled squirrel -- or
possum – with hot peppers and local vegetables.
Unfortunately,
another memorial pot in Brunswick claims the stew was made a in the
Brunswick-Golden Isles area in early colonial days. And a local newspaper
account in Petersburg, Virginia, in 1855 cites the origins of the stew as
Brunswick County, VA. Finally, a Georgia
newspaper ad from 1871 for one Med Henderson’s saloon in Savannah promotes a
lunch special, “Old Virginia Brunswick Stew.”
As I reviewed the evidence for an article on Brunswick Stew that I wrote
for Boom Magazine here in Athens, Georgia, it was hard to escape the conclusion
that the stew was created in Brunswick County, VA. But the claims and
counter-claims are fun.
Regardless
of its geographic or culinary origins, the stew is now a thick, fragrant and
satisfying mixture of well-cooked chicken and/or pork, hot peppers, and
colorful vegetables. The Virginia and Georgia versions vary, but locally each
cook makes his or her stew differently as well. The stew is typically sold at
barbecue restaurants, mostly as a side dish, along with the beans, mac and
cheese, and coleslaw. Unfortunately, at many of these restaurants Brunswick
Stew is just a mixture of their already-barbecued meat, tomatoes, vegetables
and their regular barbecue sauce, rather than an exciting dish in its own
right.
Here’s my
version of Brunswick Stew. The recipe makes several quarts, enough to eat with
family and friends, with perhaps some left to enjoy at a later meal. (Leftover
stew can be frozen.) Serve it in large soup bowls, accompanied by corn bread or
biscuits. Offer bottled hot sauce, which diners can add to their stew if they
wish. And a fresh salad is always nice.
2 pounds
boneless, skinless chicken breast
A little
oil for frying
1
medium-large onion
3-inch
piece of celery
2
medium-large jalapeño peppers (including seeds)
2 quarts
water or water plus part chicken broth
1 large or
2 medium potatoes (red or golden preferred over russet)
2
tablespoons Lea & Perrins’ Worcestershire sauce
1
tablespoon cider vinegar
1
tablespoon salt, plus more to taste
2 teaspoons
brown sugar
2 teaspoons
paprika
3/4
teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4
teaspoon ground cumin
1
(14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1
(12-ounce) package frozen butterbeans or “baby” lima beans, still frozen
2 medium
ears fresh yellow corn, or 1 (12-ounce) package frozen corn kernels
Trim off
excess fat and any tough parts of the chicken (save these trimmings). Cut
chicken into roughly 1-1/2-inch pieces.
In a heavy
pot, gently fry the chicken trimmings, stirring frequently and scraping the
bottom of the pot. When the scraps are fried and golden, remove them from the
pot (they make great treats for a pet). Add a little vegetable oil to the pot,
if needed, to make about 2 tablespoons of drippings. Fry the chicken pieces
together in the pot, turning and scraping frequently, until all the raw color
is gone.
Meanwhile,
prepare the onion, celery and jalapeños and chop them finely, either in a food
processor or with a chef’s knife on a cutting board.
When the
chicken has lost all its raw color, add the chopped vegetables and fry gently,
uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 10
minutes. Meanwhile peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/2-inch pieces.
Add the
water and the peeled, cubed potatoes to the chicken and vegetables and bring
back to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. With
slotted spoon remove the chicken to a bowl (it’s OK if some potato comes with
it) and break up remaining potato pieces with a big spoon against the side of
the pot or use a potato masher. Chop up the chicken in the bowl with the end of
a metal spatula, or cut it up coarsely, part at a time, on the cutting board
with a chef’s knife. Add the chicken back to the pot. Add the Worcestershire
sauce, vinegar, salt, brown sugar and spices. Simmer five minutes. Break up any
chunks of potato that appear.
Add the can
of tomatoes with its juices, plus the butterbeans or lima beans. Bring back to
a boil, and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, or until the beans are tender,
stirring occasionally. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cobs with a
sharp knife. Add either fresh or frozen corn to the soup, and simmer 5 minutes.
If the stew is too thick, add a little water. Remove pot from the heat and
taste for salt. Add a little if needed.
The stew
can be served now, or cooled and reheated later. Offer hot pepper sauce for
diners who wish their stew spicier.
