Farm Journal says: "You are sure to be in the South when you find this tempting and famous stew, but there's no reason why it can't be made in other areas. If squirrels are scarce or your hunters have no time to go after them, chicken makes a good substitute. The Brunswick Stew goes by different names. Squirrel Stew is one, and in some Carolina communities, it is called Squirrel Muddle. For a large crowd the stew is cooked outdoors over coals in a big iron kettle. A southern woman says that Brunswick Stew is the perfect way to serve a lot of people without a lot of fuss."
Ingredients
- "It makes a one-dish meal for the entire neighborhood."
- About 70 squirrels, cut up
- 2 large stewing chickens, cut up
- 6 gals. water
- 2 1/2 lbs. salt pork, chopped
- 2 1/2 gals. butter beans(lima beans)
- 3 1/2 gals. cubed peeled potatoes
- 4 gals. chopped peeled tomatoes
- 1 gal. cubed peeled carrots
- 2 1/2 gals. freshly cut corn
- 1 gal. shredded cabbage(optional)
- 1 pod red pepper, chopped
- 3/4 c. black pepper
- 1 3/4 c. salt
- 2 1/4 c. sugar
Directions
Clean, dress and cut up squirrels and chickens. If your folks are not ardent squirrel hunters, increase the number of chickens. If you use all chickens, this recipe will take 24 stewing chickens.
Bring 4 gals. water to boil in 30-gal. iron kettle. Add squirrel and chicken pieces. Cook, stirring often, until meat comes off the bone. (Take out pieces of bone before serving to small children.) Add remainder of water, as needed.
Chop salt pork, fry out and add pork and drippings to boiling mixture. Add beans, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and corn in order as each is prepared. Continue cooking and stirring until vegetables are tender.
Add cabbage and seasonings, and cook, stirring, 1 hour, until stew is thick and flavors well blended. Remove kettle from coals to serving area by hooking handle over a heavy pole, several helpers carrying each end. Makes 15 gallons.
Print this recipe
Submitted 6/13/05.
Source: The Farm Journal's Country Cookbook
Submitted By: Linda Wilson
lwilson@gatecom.com
Brunswick Stew (Squirrel Stew) For A Crowd