When’s the last time you enjoyed a great bowl of hearty Brunswick stew? My good friend, Shearin, posted a recipe for it on FB the other day, and I immediately realized it had been way, way, way too long since I had made this awesome dish – one of my favorite stews, especially in the fall. I’m not going to get into the history of Brunswick stew in this post, but if you’re interested, please check out Wikipedia’s article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunswick_stew

My recipe has seen various iterations throughout the years as far as the meats and veggies used, but I always include vinegar, which is what I think makes it stand apart from the rest. Also, corn is a must!

For this batch, I cheated and bought one of those precooked whole chickens (garlic and herb) from Harris Teeter ($4.99 on Sundays.) As far as the pork, you may cheat on this as well – just go to your favorite BBQ place and get some with good old vinegar-based (no mustard, no tomato) sauce. Or do what I did and take three country-style boneless pork ribs, cover them with Scott’s Carolina BBQ sauce and several shakes of Liquid Smoke, and “braise” them at 400 degrees F for about 2 hours. I know, that’s excessive heat for braising, but the pork was tender and had an awesome flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 cups roasted chicken, shredded (yes, you can buy the grocery store prepared chicken)
• 1 ½ cups cooked pork, shredded
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 1 can (28oz.) diced tomatoes (I used Tuttorosso)
• 1 can (28 oz.) tomato sauce (I used Tuttorosso)
• 6 cups frozen vegetables, your choice (I used 2 cups baby limas, 2 cups mixed corn and 2 cups mixed vegetables)
• 16 oz. chicken broth (homemade is the best!)
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• Worcestershire sauce, to taste (I probably used ¼ cup)
• Salt to taste (I used Penzeys’ smoky 4S salt)
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• Hot sauce to taste

Preparation

Mix everything together (How easy is that!)

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer for 3 hours or so, stirring a lot during the first half-hour of cooking. Or, prepare in a slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours.

I love this with some nice crusty bread and a big glass of iced tea.

Or serve it as a side with N.C. eastern-styled barbecue (vinegar-sauce based), slaw, boiled potatoes and hushpuppies.

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

Follow Kel’s Café on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kelscafe