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Brunswick Stew

Brunswick Stew with Pork and Chicken

Brunswick stew with pulled pork, shredded chicken, corn, lima beans, and potatoes in a smoky barbecue tomato broth.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Southern
Servings: 8 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes undrained
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 cup barbecue sauce
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups frozen corn kernels
  • 2 cups frozen lima beans
  • 2 cups pulled cooked pork
  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken

Instructions

  • Soften the onion: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until it turns translucent.
  • Bloom the paste and spices: Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Cook 1 minute, until the tomato paste darkens a shade and smells sweet instead of tinny.
  • Build the base: Add the diced tomatoes with their juice, the chicken broth, potatoes, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Stir and bring it up to a boil, about 4 minutes.
  • Simmer the potatoes: Turn the heat to low, set the lid on askew, and simmer 20 minutes, until a potato cube slides off a fork with no resistance.
  • Add the corn and lima beans: Stir in the frozen corn and lima beans and simmer uncovered 8 minutes. Leaving the lid off from here on is what turns this from soup into stew.
  • Add the meat: Stir in the pulled pork and shredded chicken. Simmer uncovered 8 minutes more, until the stew is thick enough to mound on a spoon and the meat reads 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
  • Taste and serve: Taste for salt and heat. Ladle into bowls and serve hot.

Notes

Simmer the potatoes 20 minutes with the lid ajar, then finish the stew uncovered so it thickens instead of staying soupy. The pork and chicken are already cooked, so they only need the last 8 minutes; heat them through to an internal temperature of 165°F. Use a vinegar-forward or smoky barbecue sauce rather than a thick sweet one, since a full cup goes into the pot.