Cracker Barrel's Brunswick Stew: A Southern Comfort

Brunswick Stew is a traditional Southern dish, often served as a side dish in barbecue restaurants. It is a thick, tomato-based stew that typically contains meat and vegetables. While there are many variations of the recipe, it is usually made with chicken, pork BBQ, and vegetables such as lima beans, corn, and potatoes. It is often served with saltine crackers or bread on the side.

Cracker Barrel, a popular restaurant chain in the United States, serves Brunswick Stew as one of their side dishes. However, there are no specific reviews mentioning this dish, so it is unclear how it compares to other versions of the stew.

Brunswick Stew Recipe

Brunswick stew is a traditional Southern dish that combines meat and vegetables in a tomato-based sauce. It is typically served as a side dish with barbecue meats, but can also be enjoyed as a hearty meal on its own. Here is a recipe for Brunswick stew that serves 12-14 people and takes about 2 hours to prepare and cook.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pork barbecue, fully cooked
• 1 lb baby lima beans
• 4 medium potatoes, diced
• 1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)
• 2 cans tomato paste (4 oz)
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup hot sauce (adjust to taste)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 fryer chicken
• Water

Method:

• Rinse the chicken and place it in a large stock pot. Cover with water about 6 inches over the chicken and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium and let the chicken cook for about an hour, or until done.
• Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool.
• Place the frozen baby lima beans and corn in a colander and rinse well.
• Add the beans, corn, and diced potatoes to a large stock pot.
• Cook the vegetables over medium heat, stirring often, until tender (about an hour).
• While the vegetables are cooking, shred the chicken into small pieces, removing and discarding the skin and bones.
• When the vegetables are done, remove any excess liquid, leaving just enough to cover the vegetables.
• Add the apple cider vinegar, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chicken, and pork barbecue to the pot.
• Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and brown sugar.
• Simmer the stew over medium heat, stirring often, until the chicken and barbecue meats are warmed through. If the stew becomes too dry, add some water, chicken broth, or cooking water from the chicken.
• Serve warm with saltine crackers or bread.

Brunswick Stew Origins

Brunswick stew is a tomato-based dish that is often served as a side with barbecue. The exact origin of the stew is disputed, with both Brunswick County in Virginia and the city of Brunswick in Georgia claiming it was developed there. However, it may have originated earlier in some form in the city of Braunschweig in the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in what is now northern Germany.

Brunswick stew is believed to have originated with the Southeastern Native Americans, who first started making stew from squirrels, groundhogs, and hominy. They would also boil game meat such as bear and deer with fresh corn and squash. It was common for African-American slaves to adapt some of the cooking techniques of Native American Indians.

The first published recipe for “Virginia Stew” appeared in the Southern Recorder of Milledgeville, Georgia, in 1862. In 1898, Brunswick, Georgia, displayed a 25-gallon cast-iron pot with a plaque declaring it the original cooking vessel of the Brunswick stew on St. Simon Isle.

In 1988, the Virginia General Assembly proclaimed Brunswick County, Virginia, as the originator of the Brunswick Stew. A crew of Stewmasters were brought out to prepare the Brunswick stew at the State Capital for this special event. They called themselves the “Proclamation Stew Crew”.

Virginia's Brunswick Stew

In 1849, the Alexandria Gazette described Brunswick stew as "a genuine South-side dish, composed of squirrels, chicken, a little bacon, and corn and tomatoes."

In 1855, the Petersburg Intelligencer explained the stew's origin, noting that "in the good old county of Brunswick" it was popular during the hot summers "to repair almost every Saturday to some spring, to spend half the day." For entertainment, the men would shoot squirrels and stew them "in a pot with a sufficient quantity of water . . . . over a slow fire. In due time were added tomatoes, corn, butter-beans, potatoes, with the requisite condiments of salt and Cayenne pepper."

In 1946, the Brunswick News reported that "Stew's Origin Puzzles Local Officials." Over the years, many people had written to the Brunswick Board of Trade asking for a recipe for Brunswick stew, assuming from the town's name that the dish must have originated there. The organization's managing secretary, Mrs. K. G. Berrie, would dutifully send them a mimeographed copy of a recipe she had found in a cookbook.

Georgia's Brunswick Stew

A Georgia homemaker also had a recipe published before the Civil War for what she called “camp stew,” which has similar ingredients. These days, the dish is found in restaurants all over the Golden Isles and at the annual Brunswick Rockin' Stewbilee, an annual event with a stew cooking competition, live music and an antique car show.

One of the best places to try it is at Southern Soul Barbeque on St. Simons Island, one of the top-rated barbecue restaurants in the region. Its version uses both North Carolina vinegar-style sauce and South Carolina-style mustard sauce with chicken, pork, brisket and turkey.

"What makes our Brunswick stew so delicious is that we fire all the pork and chicken that goes into the stew pot in our smokehouse daily over hardwood pits," says owner Griffin Bufkin. "One of the most important steps is letting it simmer and cook down over low heat for hours. It's a process of adding layers slowly to develop the characteristic flavors. We prefer the texture to be a bit more defined and do not over-process ours like some joints."

Brunswick Stew Ingredients

Brunswick Stew is a traditional Southern dish that is typically made with a variety of vegetables and meat in a tomato base. The ingredients for Brunswick Stew can vary depending on the recipe and the availability of ingredients, but here is a list of commonly used ingredients:

• Meat: Traditionally, Brunswick Stew was made with small game meats such as squirrel, rabbit, and opossum. Nowadays, it is more commonly made with chicken, pork, and/or beef.
• Vegetables: Common vegetables used in Brunswick Stew include potatoes, corn, lima beans or butter beans, onions, celery, and tomatoes.
• Seasonings and Condiments: Barbecue sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar or hot sauce are often added to enhance the flavour of the stew.
• Liquid: Chicken stock or broth, and water are typically used as the liquid base for Brunswick Stew.

How to Make Brunswick Stew

Brunswick Stew is a traditional Southern dish that combines meat and vegetables in a tomato base. The recipe varies depending on the cook, but it is typically thick, smoky, and sweet. Here is a recipe for how to make Brunswick Stew:

Ingredients:

• 1 large Dutch oven or heavy stock pot
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-2 cups of frozen lima beans
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (14.5-15 oz)
• 1-2 cups of barbecue sauce
• 1-2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar (optional)
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1-2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
• 1-2 cups of frozen corn
• 1-2 pounds of shredded cooked chicken or pulled pork
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Butter or oil, for cooking

Method:

• Melt butter or heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy stock pot over medium heat.
• Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
• Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar (if using), cayenne pepper, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir well.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
• Add the frozen vegetables (lima beans and corn) and the shredded meat.
• Simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the stew has thickened and the vegetables are tender.
• Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
• Serve with hot sauce and saltine crackers, or with cornbread or biscuits on the side.

Tips:

• For a smokier flavour, use smoked versions of cooked chicken or pork, or add smoked paprika.
• For a thinner consistency, add more chicken or vegetable stock.
• For a sweeter stew, add more brown sugar or barbecue sauce.
• For a spicier kick, add more cayenne pepper or hot sauce.
• This recipe can be made with all chicken, all pork, or a combination of the two.
• Other vegetables that can be added include potatoes, celery, okra, and butter beans.
• Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Enjoy your Brunswick Stew!

How to Serve Brunswick Stew

Brunswick stew is a hearty, comforting dish known for its rich flavours and thick consistency. It is often served as a side dish with barbecued chicken or pork, along with baked beans and potato salad. It is usually served with hot sauce and saltine crackers, but there are many other ways to serve it. Here are some suggestions:

• Mashed potatoes
• Cornbread
• Green beans
• Quinoa
• Basmati rice
• Potato wedges
• Coleslaw
• Garlic bread
• Zucchini fritters
• Farro
• Cucumber salad
• Gluten-free bread
• Brown rice and vegetables
• Boneless pork ribs
• Garden salad
• Bread rolls
• Honey whole wheat bread
• Crackers
• Salad
• Sourdough bread
• Honeycomb bread
• Hush puppies

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