Brunswick Stew
My Stewsday offering (one day late, but that seems to be a theme this week.)
PS - cobie, feel free to yank this for your food blog.
Today, I made Brunswick stew. The question was posed to me a few weeks back, "What makes Brunswick stew Brunswick-y?" My understanding was that Brunswick stew was basically beef stew, but made with chicken and chicken stock.
I decided to research this a bit. I perused my cookbooks with Brunswick stew recipes for clues. The only hint came from Desperation Dinners by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross. Alicia's note says, in part:
Maybe it's my southern heritage showing, but I crave this stew. Good Brunswick stew needs to be hearty and thick. Years ago, the meat base was squirrel. Nowadays, chicken works for most people. The choice of vegetables varies from cook to cook, but one thing is still true: the stew must be low on broth and high on vegetables and meat.
Squirrel? I was sure that there was more to this story.
A quick internet search turned up a story revealing the origins of the stew. Whether it's true or not, I cannot say. From the Brunswick County, VA website:
The original Brunswick Stew, according to Brunswick County historians, was created in 1828 by a black chef, "Uncle" Jimmy Matthews. As the story goes, Dr. Creed Haskings, of Mount Donum on the Nottoway River and a member of the Virginia State Legislature for a number of years, took several friends on a hunting expedition. While the group hunted, Jimmy Matthews, Dr. Haskin’s camp cook, hunted squirrel for the evening meal. Matthews slowly stewed the squirrels with butter, onions, stale bread and seasoning in a large iron pot. While the hunting party returned they were reluctant to try the new, thick concoction but, one taste convinced them to ask for more.
Since that time, Brunswick Stew has been prepared by many different stew masters and they continue to produce large batches of the "Virginia ambrosia" for church functions, local fund raisers, family reunions, and political rallies. While Jimmy Matthews’ recipe for Brunswick Stew has varied through the years - chicken has been substituted for squirrel and vegetables have been added - the exceptional taste and commitment to quality has never been lost.
Another story, this one from Georgia, claims the stew was named for the place it was first made, Brunswick, Georgia. This story, however, is dated quite a bit later, in 1898.(1)
The Georgia humorist Roy Blount, Jr. quipped, "Brunswick stew is what happens when small mammals carrying ears of corn fall into barbeque pits." Stews that combine meat and grain probably originated with ancient agriculturalists, in both the Old and New Worlds. According to the anthropologist Charles Hudson, Southeastern Indians made a stew from hominy and groundhog or squirrel, and also boiled bear and deer meat with fresh corn kernels and squash. Brunswick stew belongs to a family of southern stews, its closest relative perhaps being Kentucky burgoo. (1)
In any case of its origins, here's my recipe:
Brunswick Stew
2 large chicken breasts
32 oz. chicken broth or stock
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
Place ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is mostly cooked. Remove chicken from the pot, dice or shred, and then return to the pot.
While the chicken is cooking, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. When it is hot, add:
2 potatoes, peeled and diced. (the size of chunky hash browns is good)
1 small onion, chopped
Let the potatoes brown, stirring occasionally. Despite the oil, they will stick a little bit. When they are done, add them to the large pot, along with:
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper (more if you like pepper a lot)
1 teaspoon Worstishire sauce
1 tablespoon bacon bits (NOT the fake stuff. You'll regret it.)
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 envelope chicken gravy mix
Return to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until done. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
This is really good with some cornbread and a small salad. Sadly, I have no salad today.
Happy belated Stewsday!
(1) New Georgia Encyclopedia website
PS - cobie, feel free to yank this for your food blog.
Today, I made Brunswick stew. The question was posed to me a few weeks back, "What makes Brunswick stew Brunswick-y?" My understanding was that Brunswick stew was basically beef stew, but made with chicken and chicken stock.
I decided to research this a bit. I perused my cookbooks with Brunswick stew recipes for clues. The only hint came from Desperation Dinners by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross. Alicia's note says, in part:
Maybe it's my southern heritage showing, but I crave this stew. Good Brunswick stew needs to be hearty and thick. Years ago, the meat base was squirrel. Nowadays, chicken works for most people. The choice of vegetables varies from cook to cook, but one thing is still true: the stew must be low on broth and high on vegetables and meat.
Squirrel? I was sure that there was more to this story.
A quick internet search turned up a story revealing the origins of the stew. Whether it's true or not, I cannot say. From the Brunswick County, VA website:
The original Brunswick Stew, according to Brunswick County historians, was created in 1828 by a black chef, "Uncle" Jimmy Matthews. As the story goes, Dr. Creed Haskings, of Mount Donum on the Nottoway River and a member of the Virginia State Legislature for a number of years, took several friends on a hunting expedition. While the group hunted, Jimmy Matthews, Dr. Haskin’s camp cook, hunted squirrel for the evening meal. Matthews slowly stewed the squirrels with butter, onions, stale bread and seasoning in a large iron pot. While the hunting party returned they were reluctant to try the new, thick concoction but, one taste convinced them to ask for more.
Since that time, Brunswick Stew has been prepared by many different stew masters and they continue to produce large batches of the "Virginia ambrosia" for church functions, local fund raisers, family reunions, and political rallies. While Jimmy Matthews’ recipe for Brunswick Stew has varied through the years - chicken has been substituted for squirrel and vegetables have been added - the exceptional taste and commitment to quality has never been lost.
Another story, this one from Georgia, claims the stew was named for the place it was first made, Brunswick, Georgia. This story, however, is dated quite a bit later, in 1898.(1)
The Georgia humorist Roy Blount, Jr. quipped, "Brunswick stew is what happens when small mammals carrying ears of corn fall into barbeque pits." Stews that combine meat and grain probably originated with ancient agriculturalists, in both the Old and New Worlds. According to the anthropologist Charles Hudson, Southeastern Indians made a stew from hominy and groundhog or squirrel, and also boiled bear and deer meat with fresh corn kernels and squash. Brunswick stew belongs to a family of southern stews, its closest relative perhaps being Kentucky burgoo. (1)
In any case of its origins, here's my recipe:
Brunswick Stew
2 large chicken breasts
32 oz. chicken broth or stock
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
Place ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is mostly cooked. Remove chicken from the pot, dice or shred, and then return to the pot.
While the chicken is cooking, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. When it is hot, add:
2 potatoes, peeled and diced. (the size of chunky hash browns is good)
1 small onion, chopped
Let the potatoes brown, stirring occasionally. Despite the oil, they will stick a little bit. When they are done, add them to the large pot, along with:
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper (more if you like pepper a lot)
1 teaspoon Worstishire sauce
1 tablespoon bacon bits (NOT the fake stuff. You'll regret it.)
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 envelope chicken gravy mix
Return to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until done. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
This is really good with some cornbread and a small salad. Sadly, I have no salad today.
Happy belated Stewsday!
(1) New Georgia Encyclopedia website