I posted this recipe originally on my old blog on Thursday, January 3, 2013. It has gotten so much attention through the years, I even received a message from Mrs. Fearnow’s grandson (see below), so I thought I would share it with you all.
…
Original post:
I love to eat Mrs. Fearnow's Brunswick stew, in the yellow can, which is surprising because I despised lima beans when I was growing up. I would take every lima bean that I was forced to eat, stick them all in my mouth and drink my water until I had swallowed them all whole! But I love this stew and I really start to crave it when the weather turns cold.
A few weeks ago, I had a can of the stew for dinner but since then our local grocery store has been sold out. I started looking at recipes online and was surprised to see recipes made with V8 Juice or 3 sticks of butter. I know that V8 juice was NOT around at the time that Brunswick Stew was invented!!
I wanted to get as close to the original recipe as possible but with the modern conveniences of already cooked chicken, frozen vegetables, and canned tomatoes! This is what I came up with, with the help of my mom who's family has made Brunswick Stew for as long as she can remember.
From Mrs. Fearnow’s grandson George Fearnow, "We sold the business in 1999, and I retired after 30 years of making Brunswick Stew. My Grandmother, my mother & father, and my aunt & uncle made the stew from about 1929. Comment on history. Brunswick stew origin lies with the spices used. Williamsburg was most likely the start of Brunswick Stew but Brunswick County, VA and Brunswick, Georgia will protest that. Recipe suggestions: 1.) Use white shoe-peg corn 2.) Use a whole chicken to get the best broth. 3.) Save the lesser fatty pieces of skin to be minced and added back in. 4.) Use salt & sugar in equal amounts but maybe less if you use sea salt. 5.) Use red pepper & black pepper. 6.) Use whole tomatoes but crush and dice in a 50/50 mix. 7.) Use russet potatoes (thickness increases directly by stirring). 8.) Onions & carrots should minced. 9.) Okra can be used but it can be bitter sometimes. 9.) Oregano & poultry seasoning were never in Brunswick Stew of colonial times. 10.) Yes – The original recipe calls for squirrel or wild game."
My adaption of Mrs. Fearnow's Brunswick Stew recipe:
2.5 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut in cubes
3 small yellow onions, diced
24 oz. bag frozen shoe peg white corn kernels
24 oz. bag frozen baby lima beans
28 oz. canned crushed tomatoes
28 oz. canned diced tomatoes
1 large cooked chicken, shred white and dark meat
1/2 stick salted butter
1 can chicken stock
sea salt
sugar
black peppercorn
crushed red pepper flakes
Worcestershire sauce
Boil potatoes and onions until almost tender, then drain. Melt butter in large (8 quart pot) and add corn, lima beans, cooked potatoes, and onions. Stir vegetables in butter, then add 1/2 can chicken stock. Add both cans of crushed and diced tomatoes. The seasonings get a little complicated to break down because I literally added 1/2 tsp. and 1 tsp. increments of salt, sugar, black peppercorn, and crushed red pepper flakes until it tasted right. I added 2 splashes of Worcestershire sauce at the end because it seemed like something was missing. ** I add the seasonings until it tastes how I want it to.**
I heated on medium/high heat until boiling, then reduced heat to a simmer. The longer it simmers the better it tastes!
*I added the rest of the chicken stock as the stew cooked down and became thicker. Ours cooked all morning and afternoon.
Everyone who ate is said is was great, so I feel like I hit pretty close to what the original tastes like.
If you try this recipe I would love to hear what you think!
xx,
Kim