I have made Brunswick stew for years. Dozens of recipes, hundreds of different suggestions, and many pots of good Brunswick stew. Good, but not great. It was not until I made this Brunswick stew that I had the flavor that I have been looking for all of these years.
In the past, I have added this and added that and never created the perfect Brunswick stew. This time I left out the potatoes and ketchup that I usually use. I started with one of Greg’s Smoked Boston Butts and chicken that I roasted in the oven. I used a not too sweet homemade barbecue sauce, but only a little bit. I added two cans of cream-style corn and a little over one can of baby lima beans. It was PERFECT!! My family and friends loved this stew! This is the recipe I will follow for Brunswick stew from now on.
I believe the key to getting this stew exactly like I wanted it was leaving the ketchup out. I’m pretty sure that every Brunswick stew recipe in every cookbook I own has ketchup. I left cubed potatoes out because I knew that part of my stew would go in the freezer for later. Cubed potatoes end up a little mealy if frozen, so I try to avoid them in soups and stews that I know will go in the freezer. I suggest that you add the corn and beans to your liking. Your stew should be rather thick but if it’s too thick add a little water after 1 hour.
- 4 c. finely chopped barbecued Boston Butt
- 2 c. finely chopped cooked chicken breast
- ¼ c. unsalted butter
- 2 lg. onions, chopped
- 1 (28-oz.) can whole tomatoes or diced tomatoes
- 1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
- 1 to 2 (14.75-oz.) can creamed corn
- 1 to 2 (15.25-oz.) can baby limas, drained
- ¼ tsp. hot sauce, or to taste
- ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ c. barbecue sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Melt butter in a large Dutch oven. Add onions and sauce until soft. Add tomatoes, breaking up with hands as you add them if you are using whole, tomato sauce, corn, lima beans, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce, salt, and pepper and mix, tasting for seasoning. Add Boston butt and chicken and combine. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour.