Steve?s Brunswick Stew

Steve said this is really great on a cold day in the winter.  Wait a minute---a cold day---he lives in Jacksonville, FL!  I think, they think, down Jax way, that anything below 50 degrees is cold, right Steve?  When it reaches 50 degrees here in the frigid Midwest, people are out in shorts washing their cars. Guess this means that we would think his Brunswick stew is doubly great, and it is!

Steve and Bill worked for the same company for many years before Bill retired and shared some business trips, of which I am still waiting for the details of!

Neither Bill nor I have ever eaten Brunswick stew and I was intrigued when Steve said he has a great recipe for it.  I knew I had to try it!  And he is right on spot ~ it?s excellent!

Evidently, there is a ?stew? war over the origin of Brunswick stew!  Here are two opposing stories:

One account traces the creation of the dish back to 1828 in Brunswick County in southern Virginia and the other attributes its origins to the stew being first cooked in 1898 in Brunswick, Georgia.

The Virginia story goes that a Virginia State Legislator was on a hunting trip with some friends and his chef, ?Uncle? Jimmy Matthews.  ?Uncle? Jimmy was the designated camp cook, and while the others hunted, he shot and dressed some squirrels.  As he waited for the hunters to return to camp, he put the squirrels into a large cast iron pot with some butter, onion, stale bread, herbs and spices and let the mixture stew for hours.  The hunters heartily approved of it.

Georgia history states that the first batch of Brunswick stew was cooked by a soldier working in the mess hall at a fort on St. Simons Island, on the coast, near Brunswick. 

Who knows, maybe both stories are accurate?

Brunswick stew is now usually made with chicken or a mix of meats, which may include beef, pork or even rabbit or squirrel.  Corn, tomatoes and onions are added and maybe peas, lima beans or okra.  I think the ingredients Steve added are perfect and I?m just glad he didn?t include rabbit or squirrel!

Steve says if you can?t find the BBQ meats in cans, look for tubs of it the refrigerated meat section and that is where I found them; with 2 brands being Lloyds and Curly?s.

This would be a perfect dish for your Super Bowl party!

Steve?s Brunswick Stew

Ingredients:

1 can Castlebury BBQ Pork

1 can Castlebury BBQ Beef

1 can Castlebury BBQ Chicken

2 cans Rotel tomatoes and chilies (I used regular)

1 can whole kernel corn

1 can cream-style corn

1 can English peas

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

In a large pot, combine it all well.

Let it simmer for several hours, the longer the better.

Stir occasionally.

8-10 servings

Pam?s note:  I cooked this in my slow cooker for 5 hours on low. 

FYI Steve ~ I still have ?Steve? the parrot from Missouri hanging in the kitchen; the ?impulse buy,? remember him?

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda?s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes and cookbook giveaway!