Although residents of Brunswick, Georgia, and Brunswick County, Virginia, both claim to this recipe as their own, we can probably all agree that it is the quintessential recipe for lean times. It's a one-pot meal designed to make use of whatever ingredients find their way into the kitchen...
Regional Specialty: Brunswick Stew
Historically speaking, Brunswick stew is basically a hunter's stew made with the odds and ends of whatever was brought home the day before, a dish that has been made for centuries with various regional flairs and additions. In the south, the meat was often rabbit, squirrel, or venison - though you're more likely to see chicken, pork, or beef these days!
While this is definitely a "kitchen-sink" type recipe and is adapted to whatever is on hand, a true Brunswick stew usually makes sure to include tomatoes and lima beans. Okra is also sometimes used, which helps to thicken the stew.
Simmered slowly all day long, the result is a thick, nutritious stew that will feed a crowd. Depending on the region, the stew then is served with biscuits, cornbread, or hush puppies.
Here are a few recipes from around the web!
• Virginia Brunswick Stew from Chow.com
• Brunswick Stew from Epicurious
• Brunswick Stew from Taste of Home
Have you had Brunswick stew? What's your favorite version?
Related: Desserts for a Crowd: Planning Quantities
(Image: Romulo Yanes via Epicurious)
Comments (5)
Weekly Email
Top Posts
Top Recipes
- Appetizer Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites with Spicy Sour Cream Dipping Sauce
- Two Cocktails for Thanksgiving
- Vegetarian Thanksgiving: Nutloaf! And Leftover Nutloaf!
- Recipe: Ginger Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
- DIY Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Latte (Just Like Starbucks!)
Top Tours
- Joe and Kristin's Warm and Cozy Craftsman Kitchen
- Before & After: Kelly Moseley's Calming Austin Kitchen
- Rachel's Busy Single Girl's Kitchen
- Kitchen Gallery: White, Bright, and Clean
- Karen's White and Green Urban Cottage Kitchen
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
The epicurious version closely matches the Brunswick stew (the GA variety) of my childhood--just add potatoes and ditch the peppers. I made a pot with wild pheasant a few months ago plus a few turnips, which held up better than potatoes in the long cooking process.
view clh's profile
Sounds like Burgoo--a traditional Kentucky stew famously served at the traditional racetracks and around Derby Day.
view lotusmoss's profile
Stews, soups, hotpots, all good, all fairly cheap and all yummy. Must be my French blood showing but I prefer a stew or soup most of the time, and like an good thrifty, I tend towards these items that my grandmother called "messes".
view Jaie's profile
Lotusmoss - I almost ended up doing a double-post on Brunswick Stew and Burgoo Stew, but decided to save the Burgoo for a later post! From what I can tell, they're essentially the same, but burgoo doesn't necessarily have tomatoes. Is that your recollection, too?!
I just love that name: "Burgoo"...
view EmmaC's profile
Some say this stew originated in Brunswick County, N.C., and in fact it's served at pretty much every barbecue joint in Eastern N.C.
*Just thought my state should be included, too!*
view Confabulation's profile