Brunswick Stew is a classic southern dish full of delicious smoked pork, veggies, and a savory barbecue broth. It’s the perfect way to warm up on a chilly fall day, or just when you’re craving a taste of the south!
Have you ever had Brunswick Stew before? If not, I promise, you are in for a treat! It’s a perfect one pot meal that uses smoked pork (or chicken), and combines it with a savory barbecue sauce broth and plenty of veggies. It’s the perfect way to warm up as the leaves start changing and the colder days and nights start to sweep in.
I know I’ve mentioned to y’all before about how I get pretty homesick out here in Hawaii. Of course we have beautiful surroundings and perfect weather, but when you haven’t seen your family in a year and a half…well, sometimes sunshine and palm trees just aren’t enough.
I really start to miss home this time of year, when the weather is changing (at least on the mainland, it is!) and all of the fun holidays are coming up. Sometimes you need just a little taste of home, and this Brunswick Stew is all that and a bag of chips, y’all. With every bite, it just fills me with warmth and makes me feel like I’m back home in sweet Georgia. 🙂
My husband made our smoked pork on his Big Green Egg, which I swear he loves more than me. 😉 He smoked a ten pound pork butt for our daughter’s first birthday party, and we had plenty left over. I love when that happens because then I get to make this Brunswick Stew! I made cornbread muffins to go along with our stew, and a big pitcher of sweet tea. The perfect southern meal to kick those homesick blues.
Give it a try if you’ve never had it before! I bet you’ll love it. 🙂
Brunswick Stew
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoon butter
- 3 cloves garlic,, minced
- 1 large yellow onion,, finely chopped
- 1 (15 oz) can fire roasted tomatoes (undrained)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce, (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
- 2 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds smoked pulled pork, (or chicken)
- 8 oz. frozen corn
- 8 oz. frozen lima beans
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the garlic and onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, chicken stock, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire, brown sugar, cayenne, smoked pork, lima beans, corn and salt and pepper.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Houston Long says
Excellent – made this with some leftover pulled pork I’d smoked. My wife LOVES Brunswick stew, but is extremely particular about it – she only likes 2 local versions – a local BBQ place & our butcher shop here in Cartersville, GA (on that note hello from GA!) Anyway, I figured I’d try making her some, but I had no clue how to put it together.. thankfully I found this recipe & it was a hit! She dipped into it twice before it even finished. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Rebecca says
Omg this is SOOO good. Tried it tonight. About to sneak another helping.
Teresa Barber says
I used this recipe and it turned out great.. My boyfriend has been wanting this for a while.. Thank you for sharing your recipe!!
KarenTheCondimentQueen says
I’ve used a similar recipe for years and no matter what meat you use (I use chicken & pork) from an old bbq restaurant in Atlanta. They used their leftovers & scraps of bbq meats and it was always perfect! BTW, I’d be arrested here in TN if I used ANY beans!! It’s the “Brunswick Tri-fecta”…Onions, tomatoes & corn, as the old cook used to say. 😋
Rachel says
My husband is OBSESSED with brunswick stew, but I’ve only ever seen it in restaurants. Can’t wait to try making this for him!
Sarah Althouse says
Oooh this might be the first soup I can get my husband to eat!
Monica says
This sounds delicious! I’m definitely saving this recipe to make. I would make it any time of the year too.
Lisa Favre says
I had never heard of Brunswick Stew before but it definitely looks up my husband’s alley! I will have to make this for the fam sometime soon.
Cassie says
Ohhhh this looks good! I wish I could eat it for dinner right now.
Stacey says
Great recipe..have made a couple of times with chicken and pork and also do 1/2 sweet baby rays and 1/2 carolina. My husband told e when they ise to make stew, secret ingredient was adding instant potatoes to thicken it up some..have done so and definitely thickens up some for a great consistency. Would suggest 1/2 of a package and give some time as it does thicken up.
Dan Hopkins says
Grew up in GA making this in huge batches (we would freeze) in a 35gal cast iron pot on open fire/coals (stirred with a large hickory paddle). Very similar recipe, though we used less sugar based BBQ sauce & used tomato paste/sauce/cider vinegar for the balance. As for meats, this was a Fall ‘clean out the freezer’ effort, so rabbit, venison, quail, chicken, smoked pork, beef, etc… made its way in. The best batches had the most variety of meats!
Gail says
My husband and I loved it!
Nancy Thomas says
This was really good. The only change I made was to add some leftover sliced beef sausage links. I would have given it 5 stars, but it was a little too sweet for me. Next time, I may do half of your sauce and half of another type. My husband loved it! I do too!
Marcus Barnes says
I followed your recipe and it was wonderful. Don’t listen to everyone that says don’t use pork. This is good! Marc
April Pickett says
I use chicken. I like to use rotisserie chicken best because it’s very moist, seasoned and inexpensive in time and money. I do mine in a crockpot. Six/eight hours on low, adding more chicken, lima beans, canned diced tomatoes and creamed corn as needed. It allows the flavors to blend. I do not use BBQ sauce, but I might try it with Scotts, a vinegar-based BBQ sauce (NC style). As always, the next day is best for flavor. Oh yeah, if you’re not going to freeze the leftovers, add diced/cut-up potatoes. Yum.
Tracy says
This looked like a great recipe. I followed it exactly. Even using Sweet Baby Rays. In the end, it was entirely too sweet. I did everything I could to tone down the sweetness, but nothing worked. The BBQ sauce is too overpowering.
Judi says
I use this recipe but do 1/2 sweet and 1/2 Carolina to cut the sweetness! I also use pork, chicken and beef in mine. It is delicious!
Ethel says
Can you find the canned pork and chicken to use in this? I can’t seem to find it anymore and it was real goo!
Troy Hunt says
Bought local Smoked pulled pork, and used their sauce (vinegar based) so sweeteness overload was not present.
Lori says
Hi Tracy,
I have a similar recipe I use but I do put potatoes in mine and I used Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce once because that’s my favorite bbq sauce on other things but not in this. Like you said, it was way too sweet. I added a cup & half of White Vinegar and a little more salt to take away some of that sweetness and then it was perfect.
Amanda says
I too am a Georgia girl and this recipe is on point with what my Granny makes! Now living in NC, this stew is perfect for the cooler fall evenings! Added a few dashes of hot sauce and served with corn bread sticks. Hubby approved.
BR says
Great recipe! I lived in Georgia (Macon and Savannah) so I get the sweet, especially if your using a gamey meat. However, I was born a Texas fellow, so I added about half the sugar and bbq sauce (used a NC 50% vinegar style) and added a little more heat (chili peppers). I tossed in some leftover potatoes and some homemade creamed corn just because why not? Perfect for leftover smoked pork butt!
Thanks for sharing Ashlyn!
Carolyn says
Great flavor. My husband and I think this is one of the best Brunswick stews we’ve ever tasted
Ginger says
I am from SC (Beaufort…. right above Savannah) and I just moved to Hawaii. Aloha!! Just smoked some pork so making this recipe soon!
Ashlyn says
Awesome! Enjoy your time in Hawaii! We’ve moved and miss it so much!
Jabre says
I’ll be trying this recipe as well, I’m from Savannah born and raised. And I recently moved to Atlanta. So I hope that it’s as good as the Brunswick stew I grew up eating!!
Jabre says
Ms. Ashlyn how do you think it’ll be if I tried using frozen mixed veggies instead? I love veggies, so I’m just wondering!!
Ashlyn says
Hi! I think that would be just fine!
Brian says
Don’t put all the pulled pork in at the beginning or it turns into a mass of stringy mush. Perhaps put a little in at the start to flavor, but put it in at the end just long enough to heat through.
Lizzy says
I’ve never made Brunswick Stew – but it looks so simple and flavorful. Thanks for sharing!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy says
Unfortunately the cooler weather is on the way. The only good thing is that we will be turning to comfort food. This sounds delicious.
Romina says
I have never heard of this in the UK, but it looks very tasty. I might try it with beef, as I don’t eat pork.
Kay says
I always made it and had it with chicken. That’s what we use in eastern NC.
Meghan says
Yes! Chicken is delicious in this recipe. Skip all the pork, use butter to sautee everything. I’ve never had it with pork so I never use it. From what I understand, the original Brunswick Stew was made with squirrel meat. So if you’re feeling adventurous, that’s an alternative to pork as well! ????
Cameron says
Cameron
Made it with chicken and added potatoes. The best I’ve ever had was made with pork and chicken, but we will see how this compares.
Phillip Jones says
Doesn’t make much difference other the flavor difference. What call brunswick Stew has its roots in that celebration of the colonists from England and the native Indians. Each brought a component for the stew. The colonist pro vide a lot of vegetables and small animals such as rabbit squirrel. The Indians provided deer and a wild Turkey. The Indians taught how to hunt big game and fish. The tradition has turned into thanksgiving Brunswick stew been turn into cold weather dish starting be served about this time of year and all the wild game such as deer and wild turkey has been deleted and chicken and cuts beef have beeb substituted. I’am70 so i have eat both types in which deer meat squirrel and Rabbit in it. And todays common version that might all wild game removed or may have deer roast or two
Larry Williams says
Growing up in Indiana; I’d go hunting with my dad, and,
we would use squirrel and/or rabbit for the stew.
Glenna Tolliday says
I am a American living in the UK. I grew up on foods like this. I made this today with some changes. I can’t find baby limas here so I used 3 cans of Napolina butter beans. I also used a lot less BBQ sauce but I did use Sweet Baby Ray’s, with a little ketchup added as well as 2 cans of chopped tomatoes. As this stew was traditionally cooked over a wood fire, the BBQ sauce adds that smoky flavor. The meats I used were a combination of shredded pork tenderloin, chicken breasts and ham hock…and lots of it! It tasted just like home.