Brunswick Stew Recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword best-brunswick-stew-recipe, southern-brunswick-stew-recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 1 25

Servings servings

Calories 348kcal

Ingredients

4 Tbsp butter
1 large yellow onion diced
4 medium garlic cloves minced
1 tsp fennel seed
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs
1/2 lb smoked pulled pork butt
1/2 lb smoked beef brisket
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14 oz can petite diced tomatoes
2-3 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 1/2 cups Carolina style mustard barbecue sauce i.e. Carolina Gold or similar your favorite brand
1/2 cup Carolina style vinegar based barbecue sauce
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp allspice
2 cups frozen baby lima beans
2 cups frozen sweet corn kernels
2-3 medium sprigs fresh thyme
2 medium bay leaves
1/4 cup tomato paste for thickening additional as needed
cornbread and hot sauce for serving

Instructions

On the stove, in a large Dutch oven (6 quart) or similar size pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, cooking for 5 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown. Add garlic and fennel seed cooking for 1 minute longer.
To the onion mixture add chicken, pulled pork, brisket, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken stock, mustard barbecue sauce, vinegar barbecue sauce, Worcestershire, seasoned salt, black pepper, cayenne, lima beans, corn, thyme and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
Bring to a boil then immediately lower the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 50-60 minutes.
Uncover and check thickness. Use two forks to shred the chicken. At this point, you can add additional stock to thin the brunswick stew or add tomato paste to thicken.
Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs then serve hot with cornbread and hot sauce, garnished with additional thyme, if desired.
Crockpot Brunswick Stew:
In a skillet on the stovetop, cook the onion and garlic in butter just until softened.
Next, scrape into a 6 quart crockpot with the remaining ingredients and spices. Stir to combine.
Lock the lid in place. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
Stir and serve garnished with fresh thyme.

Notes

Barbecue Sauce - The vinegar based barbecue sauce in this recipe isn’t sweet but the mustard based sauce does have a level of sweetness. These aren’t to be confused with a classic tomato based sauce that’s super sweet and thick and most often used for basting smoked meats. Walmart carries several brands like Scott's, Duke's and Carolina Treet for the vinegar based sauce and Carolina Gold for the mustard based sauce.
Classic Barbecue Sauce - You can use your favorite classic sweet tomato-based barbecue sauce in place of either of the sauces. Should you choose to do so, you may have to adjust the amount.
Protein - You may opt to use only chicken, only pulled pork or just beef brisket or switch up the meat combination to suit your taste using leftovers. You could also use leftover turkey in place of chicken.
Frozen Veggies - I use frozen lima beans and corn in this recipe. There’s no need to thaw them prior to adding them to the pot. You could also add 1 cup of frozen okra.
Alternate Vegetables - You could add celery, carrots, green beans or bell peppers.
Spice - Vinegar based barbecue sauce usually includes crushed red pepper flakes. This may add to the spice overall depending on the brand used.
Add Potatoes - While potatoes aren’t classic to the original recipe, potatoes are commonly found in Brunswick Stew here in North Carolina. You can add 2 cups of peeled and cubed potatoes to this stew 15-20 minutes before the end of cooking, if desired.
Serving Options - Brunswick stew is best served with a side of cornbread, crackers, garlic bread or biscuits. Serve hot sauce on the side for those who’d like to add a little more spice to their serving.

Nutrition