A wonderful country cook once made vats of Brunswick Stew and gave it away to friends and family, and a son and granddaughter wanted to preserve the family matriarch's heirloom recipe. Since the stew was always made for large crowds and shared with love, the younger generations thought it would be the perfect thing to serve up on Super Bowl Sunday.
Full disclosure: Not long ago, my niece, probably feeling a little nostalgic for her grandmother’s famous Brunswick Stew, suggested we try to make some. No doubt she was thinking about the times her Granny Brock (my mother) would stay up all night boiling and grinding meat, and then stewing it the next day with tomatoes, corn and English peas in a blue-speckle enamel pot big enough to hold a small child. Mama would then pack the coveted, long-simmered stew in gallon-size freezer bags and present it to people who appreciated it.
Like the Packers and the Steelers, mama's Brunswick Stew acquired many fans, evoked many squeals of delight, helped create many memories. Relatives from North Georgia to Norway still recall it fondly.
“The stew was one of the things that I always looked forward to when visiting granny, and it seems she always had a frozen bag to send home with me,” my niece, Renee Brock, said. However, mama has been in a nursing home for the last four years, and our freezers have been empty of that treasured concoction, a regional classic with a rich, flavorful and complicated history.
Foodie sleuths believe Brunswick Stew was invented by Native Americans long before the founding of the Georgia, Virginia and North Carolina towns that claim it. And though the South’s love of barbecue means the long-cooked, hash-like dish often begins with pig, you can throw just about anything in -- beef, chicken, turkey or venison.
Early Brunswick Stew cooks did just that.
"It seems safe to say that Indians were making stews with wild game long before any Europeans arrived, and in that sense there was Brunswick Stew before there was a Brunswick," author John Egerton wrote in his book "Southern Food."
In olden days, “wild game” meant deer, rabbit and squirrel.
"Most all Brunswick Stew that I've heard of began with the use of squirrels as the basic meat, but it has evolved over the years," said Atlanta author Joseph E. Dabney, who devotes a chapter to the classic camp victual in his James Beard Award-winning book, "Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, & Scuppernong Wine."
My mama learned the art of Brunswick Stew from a fine source: my dad's cousin, Willie Mae Bell, a soft-spoken Southern farm wife who used to appear in our kitchen from time to time with a fresh batch to share. One time, "Miss" Willie Mae looked a little disappointed. As I eavesdropped, I heard her tell mama her dirty little secret. "I don't know if it's any good or not," she said, practically wringing her hands. "I didn't have a hog's head."
Whoa. For a little boy who used to run inside and hide while the grown men rounded up a hog to kill, that made a horrific impression. But Miss Willie Mae’s Brunswick Stew was flavorful. Mama tried to emulate it. She said her one attempt to cook a hog’s head was not a success. She found it hairy and harrowing.
Not to worry, folks. You can make a truly delicious Super Bowl stew without hog's head, squirrel or rabbit. You'll get an excellent dish from a cheap, fatty cut of pork like Boston butt or picnic shoulder, which is the preferred main ingredient for most barbecue joints around the South. While you can add Lima beans or potatoes, mama's recipe is fairly simple: meat, tomatoes, corn, English peas and her "special" barbecue sauce. (Wink, wink.)
If you decide to stir up a game-day stew, don’t wait until the last minute. Unless you elect to score some good smoked ’cue from your favorite barbecue restaurant, you may want to allow yourself two days for the process. A smart game plan is to cook the meat, store it in the fridge and assemble the stew the next day. Like many hashes, soups and stews, its flavor improves with age. So if you make it a day or two in advance, it will only taste better.
Just be sure to freeze a bag to share on a cold day. Mama would be so proud.
Game plan: Keep reading for recipes for mama's Brunswick Stew, Buttermilk Cole Slaw and Jalapeno and Cheddar Cornbread.
RECIPE INTRO:
We’ve got your Super Bowl game plan ready. Mama’s Brunswick Stew, Buttermilk Cole Slaw and Jalapeno and Cheddar Cornbread can all be prepared a day in advance. The stew is spicy sweet. Buttermilk gives the slaw a surprising tang. And the cake-like cornbread soaks up the juices. A portable picnic that transfers well to the TV room, this trio of casual classics is guaranteed to fortify your spirits -- no matter what transpires on the field.
My Mama’s Brunswick Stew
Hands on: 1 hour
Total time: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Serves: 18-20 (large portions)
I worried that I would never be able to recreate the exact flavor of my mom’s popular stew. Turns out that her secret ingredient comes out of bottle; it’s Kraft Hickory Smoke Barbecue Sauce. You can use any kind of sauce you like, but your stew won’t taste like Virginia Brock’s.
1 Boston butt or small picnic shoulder (6-8 pounds)
1½ pounds ground beef
1½ pounds ground turkey
2 large cans (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
2 large cans (28 ounces) chopped tomatoes
1 40-ounce bottle of Kraft Hickory Smoke Barbecue Sauce (or other barbecue sauce of your choice)
1 can (15 ounces) cream-style corn
1 can (15 ounces) whole-kernel corn
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons hot sauce (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
2 cans (15 ounces) English peas
Place the Boston butt or picnic shoulder in a large soup kettle or stock pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off foam, turn heat down to low and allow to simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the meat is cooked all the way through. (To determine if it's done, you can pierce with a fork or carefully remove meat from pot, place on a platter, and cut into it with a knife.) Don't overcook, or the meat will dry out. When done, remove meat from the pot, and place on a large platter or cutting board and allow to cool. (You may also store in refrigerator overnight.) Trim the meat of excess fat and chop or grind into small pieces.
While the pork is cooking, place ground hamburger and ground turkey into a large skillet or pot over medium high heat and saute until well brown. Drain fat.
When ready to assemble the stew, place the pork, hamburger and turkey in a very large heavy-bottomed pot (12-quart size recommended) over medium heat. Add tomatoes, barbecue sauce, corn, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, black pepper and salt. Stir well and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium low and allow to simmer for at least one hour, stirring frequently so that the stew doesn’t stick. Taste and adjust seasonings. For a thicker stew, you may want to cook longer. Serve piping hot.
Per serving, based on 15: 630 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 44 grams protein, 42 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 33 grams fat (11 grams saturated), 151 milligrams cholesterol, 1,748 milligrams sodium.
Buttermilk Cole Slaw
Hands on: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes (includes one-hour chill time)
Serves: 12-15
My cousin Stacy Brock Stepler and her husband, Ryan, are big cole slaw and 'cue fans, even in Norway, where they currently live. Stacy's suggestion to use buttermilk for a "little tang" is a wonderful idea. Substituting fat-free plain yogurt for some of the mayo is another one.
For the dressing
2 cups plain yogurt (may use non-fat yogurt or sour cream of choice)
1½ cups mayonnaise (may use low-fat)
1/3 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons rice vinegar (may use cider or other vinegar)
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
juice of one lemon
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons celery seed
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
For the slaw
6 cups green cabbage, shredded
4 cups red cabbage, shredded
2 or 3 large carrots, shredded
2 or 3 scallions, chopped (green part included)
1 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 large apple, cored and chopped (no need to peel)
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (may also used parsley or a combination of favorite fresh herbs)
In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, mayonnaise, buttermilk, rice vinegar, sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, sugar, celery seed, salt and pepper. Mix well, and set aside while preparing slaw. (Note: You may prepare this dressing ahead of time and refrigerate overnight.)
In a large bowl, place green cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, scallions, red onion and apple. Toss. Stir in dressing, taking care to mix in all the shredded vegetables from the bottom of the bowl, and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Stir in chopped cilantro or other herbs just before serving.
Per serving, based on 12: 289 calories (percent of calories from fat, 71), 4 grams protein, 18 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 25 grams fat (4 grams saturated), 12 milligrams cholesterol, 556 milligrams sodium.
Jalapeno and Cheddar Cornbread
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Serves: 12-15
Atlanta cookbook author Virginia Willis bakes this wonderful bread in small iron skillets and serves it with honey butter. (Pulse three sticks of soft butter and half cup of honey in a food processor until completely smooth. Pack into a ramekin and chill). If you make the butter, you can probably skip on dessert. And while we prefer to leave the sugar out of the cornbread, you might feel otherwise. You can also make this into muffins, which are good for buffets and game-time snarfing.
1¾ cups medium-grind yellow cornmeal
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¹⁄³ cup granulated sugar (optional)
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
1¾ cups buttermilk
3 large eggs, beaten
1 (15-ounce) can creamed corn
½ cup canned diced jalapenos, drained
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon bacon fat or melted butter for greasing skillet
Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar (if using), baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, combine the buttermilk and eggs. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring just to blend. Fold in the creamed corn, jalapenos and cheese. Stir in the melted butter.
Grease a large cast iron skillet (at least 12-inch) with butter or bacon fat. Place in the oven until hot, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour batter in. Bake until the cornbread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
-- Adapted from "Bon Appetit, Y'all: Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking" by Virginia Willis (Ten Speed Press, $32.50)
Per serving, based on 12: 259 calories (percent of calories from fat, 36), 8 grams protein, 34 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 10 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 70 milligrams cholesterol, 625 milligrams sodium.
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