Brunswick Stew

Brunswick stew is a traditional Southern dish full of rustic soulful flavors. A meaty comforting one pot meal with smoked pork, chicken, tender vegetables, and a savory barbecue broth. This hearty recipe is great for cool fall days and chilly winter months. The tangy barbecue broth has just a hint of heat, this thick stew is big on flavor.

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What is Brunswick Stew?

Brunswick stew is a traditional stew from the South full of meaty smoked pork, chicken, beans, and a savory spiced barbeque gravy. This slow cooked comfort food originates from Brunswick City, Georgia and has deep roots in its culture. Originally made with game meat and local ingredients, this hearty stew will warm you right to the soul.

Why You Should Make this Recipe

• An easy one pot stew that has very few steps to make.
• Warming comfort food for cool fall days that is full of rustic flavors.
• Brunswick stew is freezer friendly and can be made in large batches for easy weeknight dinners and meal prep.
• A generous serving of protein and veggies in every bite of this stew.
• A great way to use up leftover pulled pork and chicken.

Try my Easy Beef Stew!

What is in Brunswick Stew?

While local recipes may vary, the base of this stew is beans, smoked meats, and veggies in a tomato and barbecue based gravy. For this recipe you’ll need the following ingredients.

• Canola oil
• Onion
• Garlic
• Chicken broth
• Tomato paste
• Fire roasted diced tomatoes
• Corn
• Lima beans
• Barbecue sauce
• Brown sugar
• Worcestershire sauce
• Hot sauce
• Black pepper
• Crushed red pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• Pulled smoked pork
• Cooked diced chicken breast or chicken thighs (smoked or roasted)

Variations to try

This recipe is traditionally made with wild game meat from rabbit to venison, even squirrel meat! The idea is to use locally found ingredients that are easy to find. You can do the same by swapping any of the ingredients in this recipe to whatever you have on hand.

Many different kinds of meat and beans can be used to make Brunswick stew. Feel free to add in some extra veggies like potatoes, okra, or celery.

Try my Guinness Beef Stew!

Pro Tips

• This recipe is a great way to use up large amounts of leftover pulled pork, pork butt, or rotisserie chicken.
• Reserve some of the BBQ sauce for drizzling over each bowl as you serve it.
• Use a heavy bottom pot like a dutch oven for best results.

What to Serve with Brunswick Stew

Brunswick stew is hearty enough to be served as a meal in itself. If you are looking for a side dish try some homemade biscuits, cornbread, coleslaw or roasted potato.

Make Ahead Storage and Leftovers

Brunswick stew can be made ahead of time and served as a simple meal prep, or frozen for a quick thaw-and-heat meal.

Make ahead and leftovers –  Allow the stew to cool to room temperature and place in an airtight container with a tight fitting lid. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezing Instructions – The beauty of this stew is that it’s freezer friendly. You can make this in a double or triple batch and freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months.

Allow the stew to cool to room temperature and spoon the stew into a large freezer bag. Lay them flat in the freezer and thaw in the fridge as needed.

Reheating – Leftover stew can be reheated on the stove in a large pot until warmed through. For quicker reheating use the microwave.

Try my Slow Cooker Poor Mans Stew!

Brunswick Stew

Brunswick stew is a traditional Southern dish full of rustic soulful flavors. A meaty comforting one pot meal with smoked pork, chicken, tender vegetables, and a savory barbecue broth. This hearty recipe is great for cool fall days and chilly winter months.

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Ingredients 

• 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 ¼ cup chicken broth, divided
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 14.5 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes, 1 can of 14.5 ounce
• 1 ½ cups frozen corn
• 1 ½ cups frozen lima beans
• ¾ cup barbecue sauce plus more for drizzling
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 ½ teaspoons hot sauce
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 pinches of cayenne pepper
• 2 ½ cups pulled smoked pork
• 1 ½ cups cooked diced chicken breast or chicken thighs, smoked or roasted

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Instructions

• Heat oil in a heavy bottom pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot add the onion and cook for 5 – 6 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 1 minute while stirring.
  
• Combine the tomato paste and ¼ cup chicken broth in a small bowl and add it to the pot. Add the rest of the chicken broth to the pot along with the diced tomatoes, corn, lima beans, barbeque sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, ground black pepper, crushed red pepper, and cayenne. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes.
  
• Add the pork and chicken to the pot and let it simmer for 5-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with additional barbeque sauce.
  
• Enjoy!