Brunswick stew gets its name from Brunswick County, Virginia, where it was allegedly invented in 1838.
Despite the apocryphal tales of its invention on a certain date by a certain cook on a wilderness hunt, this stew is clearly in the tradition of the native cooking. All the oldest and most traditional sources agree that game—usually squirrel—simmered over an open fire with corn is the essence or Brunswick stew, reminiscent of various early descriptions of the native dishes…
Bill Neal, Bill Neal’s Southern Cooking
Many years ago, I cooked a recipe found in Cooking Light magazine. It’s not bad and easy to make, but in Kathleen’s words, “that’s not really Brunswick stew.” Challenge accepted. I set out to find a ‘real’ Brunswick stew recipe.
Jump to RecipeI dove into several references and cookbooks I have. No entry in Larousse Gastronomique. The New Food Lover’s Companion called it a “hearty squirrel-meat and onion stew.” Squirrel is very gamey and unavailable in butcher shops, given the meat is not USDA inspected.
The Williamsburg Art of Cookery or Accomplished Gentlewoman’s Companion: Being a Collection of upwards of Five Hundred of the most Ancient & Approved Recipes in Virginia Cookery (1938), written 100 years after the apocryphal creation date, includes three recipes for Brunswick stew. One, said to serve twenty, calls for two pounds of beef, two veal shanks, one chicken, half a pound of bacon, and “one squirrel if obtainable.” Another recipe requires “two squirrels or one chicken.”
The cookbooks Virginia Hospitality (1975) and The Best of Virginia Farms Cookbook and Tour Book (2003) eschew squirrel. They also both add ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce to the stock.
Lastly, Bill Neal’s Southern Cooking (1985)—where the earlier quote was pulled—swaps in rabbit for the squirrel, adding a hint of gamey flavor. This flavor is nowhere near the sometimes offensively pungent squirrel. It’s also a USDA inspected and regulated meat. This means it is available at (most) butcher shops. Missing from Neal’s recipe: ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, and Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces. My question is, why the difference? The answer might be found in the lack of availability of some of those ingredients, at least in 1838.
About Ingredients
In the preface of The Williamsburg Art of Cookery, Helen Bullock writes, “The first American Book on the Art of Cookery, or Accomplished Gentlewoman’s Companion, was printed in the Year 1742, by William Parks in Williamsburg in Virginia. Mr. Parks in his Preface, begged leave to inform his Readers that he had collected the Volume from one much larger, by Mrs. E. Smith, printed in England. He omitted Recipes containing ingredients or Materials not to be had in Virginia, printing only those useful or practicable here” (emphasis mine). Further along in the preface, the author explains she, following Mr. Parks’ efforts, has selected “only such Recipes as are useful and practicable here.” Note that neither of the three recipes for Brunswick stew herein (p.37-8 “Old recipe from Richmond, VA,” p.38 “Market Square Tavern Kitchen, 1937,” and p.38-9 “Traditional VA Recipe, proved 1937”) contain ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, or marjoram.
Ketchup
Ke-tsiap—a spicy pickled-fish condiment popular in 17th-century China—is said to be the origin of the name “ketchup.” British seamen brought ke-tsiap home and throughout the years the formula was changed to contain anything from nuts to mushrooms. It wasn’t until the late 1700s that canny New Englanders added tomatoes to the blend and it became what we know today as ketchup.
The New Food Lover’s Companion
James Mease is credited with trying out the first tomato-based ketchup in 1812. It took another 25 years (1837) for the first bottled ketchup to be available. Preservation, however, was a problem until Heinz figured it out in 1876. This means it is unlikely our wilderness hunting party had a bottle of ketchup along in 1838. But they could have had some basic ingredients of ketchup—sugar, tomatoes, and vinegar.
Worcestershire Sauce
An English condiment whose recipe was apparently discovered in the East Indies by Sir Marcus Sandys, a native of Worcestershire. On returning home, he asked the English grocers Lea & Perrins to make up a sauce that resembled his favorite condiment. It was launched commercially in 1838.
Larousse Gastronomique
Lea & Perrins first sold the sauce in America, New York, in 1842, so it too would not have been available to 1838 Virginians. But like ketchup, some basic ingredients would have been: malt vinegar, molasses, anchovies, onions, and garlic.
Paprika
Paprika is crushed powder of the dried Capsicum annuum species of peppers, first cultivated in Central and South America over 6,000 years ago. It was introduced to Europe in the 16th century, becoming particularly significant in Hungarian and Spanish cuisines. In Europe it evolved into various types and flavors, including “sweet paprika,” most commonly found in grocery stores today. Chances are good that some form of dried and crushed or powdered peppers—sweet, spicy or otherwise—would have been available to 1838 Virginians. The Cooking Light recipe includes sweet paprika. I like the flavor of a smoked (and spicier) paprika and wanted this flavor in my stew.
I find the ketchup and sugar too sweet in combination. When these are removed, the acidity and salt of the vinegar—a balance to the sweetness—is less necessary (more on this later). Ketchup (a substitute for a slow-cooked tomato base) and Worcestershire sauce (a substitute for a slow-cooked stock and the umami of pork fat and giblets) are cheating. It’s the ‘easy button’ of home cooking. A well-cooked meal doesn’t need condiments.
The Cooking Light recipe tastes, um, ‘fair to middlin’. It is designed for someone that doesn’t have time to poach a chicken and a rabbit, and to taste the stock and stew as it cooks on the stove. If this is you, you don’t have time to make ‘real’ Brunswick stew. Or save it for a weekend and make it a family affair. Pop on some music or read a good book while you stir, taste, add ingredients, over and over again for the next two hours (not including the time to prep, “bring to a boil,” render the side-meat, strip the chicken and rabbit meat off the bone, … see below).
Putting It All Together
Since I’m committed to cooking this stew all day, I omit the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar, and reduce the vinegar. I use malt vinegar if I have it, otherwise apple cider vinegar. I use crushed red pepper flakes, salt, fresh ground pepper, and smoked paprika to taste. Let me reiterate, the amounts I give in the recipe are to my liking. You should taste as you cook and adjust the spices accordingly. The Tabasco sauce is best as a garnish in bowls of those who want more punchy heat.
Have fun cooking and feel free to contact me to let me know what you think.
Brunswick Stew
Equipment
- 2 Stockpot or Dutch Oven One 8qt and one 16qt saves time, but you can manage with one large pot.
Ingredients
Stock
- 1 whole Chicken approximately 4 pounds
- 1 whole Rabbit approximately 2 pounds, quartered
- All Giblets chicken heart, gizzard, and liver, and rabbit liver and kidney
- 1 medium Yellow Onion peeled and quartered
- 3 ribs Celery cut into 2-4inch lengths
- ⅛ tsp Red pepper flakes more to taste
- 2 whole Bay leaves
- 1 tsp Thyme dried, crushed, more to taste
- 2 tsp Salt more to taste
- 12 whole Black peppercorns
- 2 quarts Water
Stew
- 4 ounces Pork side-meat chopped, bacon is good, pancetta is better
- 1 ½ cups Yellow onion finely chopped (2 medium to small onions)
- 1 cup Celery finely chopped
- 1 cup Carrots quartered and cut into 3/4" lengths (or sliced into bite-sized rounds)
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- ¾ tsp Thyme, dried dry, crushed, more to taste
- 1 whole Bay leaf
- ¼ – ½ tsp Red pepper flakes more to taste
- ½ – 1 tsp Smoked paprika more to taste
- 1 tbsp Malt or apple cider vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 14.4oz cans Chopped tomatoes with juice
- 1 ¼ cups "Baby" Lima beans fresh or frozen, small immature beans
- 2 cups Russet potatoes peeled, cubed'ish (small yellow potatoes work well too if quartered)
- 2 cups "Shoepeg" (white sweet) corn Fresh "double cut" or frozen kernels
- 7 cups stock and all the fat from poached chicken and rabbit
- Additional vegetables in season as you like (peas, okra*)
Instructions
Make the Stock by Poaching the Chicken and Rabbit
- Wash the chicken and rabbit under cold water and allow them to drain in a colander. Quarter the rabbit. You can poach the chicken whole, but I find it fits the pot better if quartered.
- Combined the onion, celery, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, thyme, salt, peppercorns, and water in the 8-quart stock pot. Bring rapidly to a boil over high heat.
- Carefully add the chicken and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to a slightest of simmer and poach for about 35 minutes.
- Carefully add the rabbit and enough water to cover. Return to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for another 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and rabbit from the stock. Reserve the stock and resist the urge to skim off any fat as it cools. When the chicken and rabbit are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone (you can start the stew prep while the meat cools).
The Rest of the Story, I Mean Stew
- While waiting for the meat to cool, return the stock and fat to a boil. Reduce to approximately 7 cups.
- Bone the chicken and rabbit. Chop the meat into 1 inch cubes. Dice the giblets and reserve all meats in a bowl
- Render the finely chopped side-meat in the Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and smoked paprika. Toss to combine. Stir in the tomatoes and all their juices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring as needed.
- Add the lima beans, potatoes, and corn. Return to a boil and stir in the meats and giblets with the stock and fat. Bring to a boil again, and then simmer until the stew thickens–about 1 hour. Stir often to prevent sticking.
- As you proceed through the steps above, season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Want more heat? Add some red pepper flakes or paprika. Let it simmer a few minutes and taste again before seasoning further.
Notes
