Brunswick Stew

Stews, soups and casseroles are all “yucky weather” type dishes because they warm you up from the inside out and allow you to thumb yer nose at the cold, wet and otherwise cruddy stuff going on outside the window.

I like the traditional soups and stews….. butternut squash, potato and leek soups  along with chicken and beef stews….. but I like to try different types of stews as well and so I decided to try this one which if we went traditional would mean using things like rabbit and squirrel and since I can’t use rabbit (I would be shot if I did) and I would never use “tree rat” (that’s squirrel kids) I opted for pork and chicken as the protein.

Here’s how we do this one.

Shopping list:

• 2 pounds Pork shoulder – cubed
• 2 pounds Chicken thighs – cubed
• 3 tablespoons Canola Oil
• 1/2 cup of Butter
• 1/4 cup Flour
• 1 large White Onion – diced
• 3 Garlic cloves – chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds Baby potatoes – quartered
• 4 cups Chicken stock
• 1 19 ounce can Diced tomatoes (liquid as well)
• 3 cups frozen Corn kernels
• 3 cups cut Green Beans
• 3 teaspoons Tomato Paste
• 1/2 cup Yellow Mustard
• 1 1/2 cups Smokey BBQ sauce
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Putting it all together:

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or Stock pot and brown the pork and chicken removing to a large bowl when done.
2. Melt the butter in the same pot and saute the onions and garlic for about five minutes. Add in the flour and whisk well.
3. Pour in the Worcestershire, chicken stock, yellow mustard and BBQ sauce and stir well.
4. Add back the meat and the remaining ingredients.
5. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer until the meat and potatoes are tender, about 50 minutes.
6. Adjust the seasonings if needed
7. Ladle into a bowl and serve with some crusty bread for sopping up the juice.

There you have it another “simple but tasty recipe for the grilling season and beyond.”

Until next time…..

                          Bon Appetit