Brunswick Stew

MAMA & AUNT AMELIA’S BRUNSWICK STEW

This was Mr. Cleve’s original recipe for South Georgia Style Brunswick Stew. On hog killing day he would put one or more heads from freshly killed hogs in the big black wash pot, cover the hogs’ head with water, light a fire under the pot, throw in one freshly killed chicken for each hog’s head, and cook for several hours until the meat was falling off the bone. He then de-boned the meat, ground it up in a meat grinder that was used to make the sausage, and put it back into the black wash pot, and added the ingredients below. He would simmer the stew for several hours, adjusting the amount of catsup and vinegar until the taste was “just right.” They didn’t get to eat much of the stew as most of it was already sold before it was made. Mama and Aunt Amelia continued his fine tradition by making several gallons of Brunswick stew once a year. It is ready when it has the same consistency as barbecue, you can’t identify any of the ingredients and you can make a sandwich from it with two pieces of light bread, without the bread getting wet from the stew.

Instead of a freshly killed hog’s head, cook, de-bone, and grind in a meat grinder a 7-8 pound fresh ham, and a 3-4 pound hen.

Put in a very large stockpot and simmer for three or four hours, after adding

6 -	#2 cans of cream-style corn (pureed in a food processor)
6 -	#2 cans of whole tomatoes (pureed in a food processor)
6 -	Large Vidalia or sweet onions (pureed in a food processor)
4 -	32 ounce bottles of Hunt’s catsup - Start with only 3 bottles of catsup and add from the 4th to correct the flavor if need be.
¼ -	Cup white vinegar
1 -	Teaspoon each of salt, ground black pepper, and
2 -	Dashes of ground cayenne or red pepper
1 -	Teaspoon sugar

Give it a taste every half hour or so. If it tastes “Catsupy” then add a ¼ cup of vinegar. If it tastes too “vinegary,” add a ¼ cup of catsup. If it is not thick enough grind up a couple of medium sized boiled potatoes, and slowly add to the stew until it is the right consistency.

Serve with barbecue or as a side dish to any meal, except liver and corned beef. Careful, the Brunswick stew sandwich made with two slices of white bread can be very addictive.

This recipe serves more people than you want to invite over at one time.

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