Brunswick Stew, a Southern Classic | Hacker News Reader

Brunswick Stew, a Southern Classic

nytimes.com

27 pointsThevet34 comments

As a kid in South Florida (Lake Worth), there was an old barbecue place down the road from us that had Brunswick Stew. I only tried it once or twice, but liked it. And I didn't see it on another menu for decades, and that only when we moved to North Carolina. Even here, it seems to be only the old barbecue places that have it. I'd wager there's a grain of truth in the article's Roy Blount joke “Brunswick stew is what happens when small mammals carrying ears of corn fall into barbecue pits.”

The only place I recall noticing it on a menu is The Pit in Raleigh which, as you say, is an old barbecue place in North Carolina.

The Pit is fairly new by my standards. And if you like the food there, I'd suggest trying Stephenson's out in Willow Spring, they still use wood to cook, it's really good and they offer Brunswick stew.

Also if you're willing to drive out to Wilson, Parker's and Cobb's are good. (I'd have suggested Bill Ellis but they closed when Ellis died. Sadly it seems no one wanted to keep up the traditions.) Really there's a whole world of tiny Mom and Pop BBQ places in various small towns in NC that are great.

Unfortunately (well, not really) I pretty much never need a car when I visit Raleigh. Convention Center (and office) are just a walk from the hotel. Which is nice but I rarely have a car any longer. But I'll make note of the recommendations! (I also happen to be a fan of North Carolina style sauce.)

For the amount of time I've spent in the Raleigh and Triangle area over the years, I've done way too little exploration of the area--which is very unusual for me. Unfortunately my upcoming trip would have been a great opportunity. But of course it was sandwiched in between other travel so I didn't really have the time.

> (I also happen to be a fan of North Carolina style sauce.)

Eastern or Western?

I think Eastern is the only one I’m familiar with and sounds like I’d prefer it over Western

Growing up around Charlotte my mom would always meet up with friends for the Mallard Creek Barbecue for Brunswick stew. And she would always pick up a couple of quarts to freeze for later. It's still the best Brunswick stew I've had.

I grew up in Miami, which was much more culturally similar to a northern city than a southern one. I’ve lived in Atlanta and now live in the Raleigh area. I saw this article the other day and mentioned it to my wife. Neither of us had ever heard of Brunswick stew before.

Edit: huh, it's on the menu at Danny's. Never noticed:

https://www.dannysbarbque.com/

The older style BBQ places would have had it in Atlanta. There’s a few places inside Atlanta that have it like Fox Brothers but it’s not the original.

Danny’s looks legit and it will likely have the original kind. I would recommend it.

I'm not from NC so what do I know, but the best pulled-pork sandwich I've had in NC is at Ole Time:

https://oletimebarbecue.com/

They also have Brunswick Stew. Clearly I just haven't looked for it.

Big fan of Ole Time. And it's the exception to my rule that any place called 'Ole Time' probably isn't.

The pulled-pork sandwich at Clyde Cooper's in downtown Raleigh is worth checking out. It's worth taking a trip out to the Skylight Inn for the experience and street cred, but, to me, the pulled-pork sandwich there isn't really any better than the above-mentioned places.

Disclaimer: FL native, only been in NC about a decade, I've got no business judging pulled-pork sandwiches. I think I can say that the classic Eastern North Carolina pulled-pork sandwich dressed in vinegar, red pepper flakes, and cole slaw is easily one of the US's great sandwiches.

> I think I can say that the classic Eastern North Carolina pulled-pork sandwich dressed in vinegar, red pepper flakes, and cole slaw is easily one of the US's great sandwiches.

God damn, yes, but the U.S. has a lot of great sandwiches:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/04/14/dining/field-...

Some other favorites of mine are the Reuben, the Oyster Po Boy, and of course, being from Miami, a Cuban. Or just a humble grilled cheese, but made with caramelized onions:

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020107-french-onion-gri...

My great-grandmother's folks used to make this. The "family recipe" dates back over a hundred years. Back in those days they would use the meat from the head, snout, feet of the hogs. The "store-bought" Brunswick stew that we find nowadays is so full of sugar and artificial sweetness, and doesn't really do the old recipe justice. Our family's recipe would cater more to the folks that enjoy a vinegar/mustard based stew.

Only problem is, the original recipe makes something like five gallons of stew, maybe suited more for family reunions or large gatherings. Efforts to size down the recipe doesn't seem to yield the same flavor. Definitely a staple of my childhood and to think that the recipe has been passed down for multiple generations is just amazing!

EDIT: Grew up about 40 miles from Brunswick, Georgia USA. I'm assuming this is where the name originates from.

"The exact origin of the stew is disputed. The states of Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia all claim its birth, with Brunswick County in Virginia and the city of Brunswick in Georgia both claiming it was developed there. It may have originated earlier in some form in the city of Braunschweig (English: Brunswick) in the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in today's northern Germany."

Also a Brunswick County in coastal NC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunswick_stew

The origin is disputed but I can confidently say this: I have seen Brunswick Stew on restaurant menus a lot more in Georgia than in Virginia or the Carolines. That's anecdata at its finest.

I’m from Georgia and my grandmother used to get the best Brunswick stew from the local bbq place when I would visit. I’ve heard people used to make it with squirrel.

Is it possible to share the recipe? Is the meat chopped finely or in chunks?

Meat is a combination of finely chopped with few chunks, more shredded really than anything. When I get home I'll see if I can find that recipe. I certainly don't mind sharing. :)

When I first learned of this stew, I was pretty excited to learn that not only did my home state Virginia have a famous recipe (that wasn't just ham or peanuts) but that I also could use up left over pulled pork for something that was a sandwich or tacos.

But when I made it, it was just overly sweet. I prefer my barbecue sauce sweet and smoky, but it just wasn't enjoyable in a stew. The version I made was far superior to any of the versions I subsequently bought, so I'm guessing it just isn't for me.

I had it once, and was unimpressed. It seemed like the purpose of the stew was to create the most unremarkable flavors possible, so as to avoid offending anyone. And with the texture, it looks like a few cafeteria ladies threw the week's leftovers together and served up the result.

Brunswick stew basically IS the leftovers from a BBQ put in a stew yeah.

The flavor can vary widely though based on what the leftovers were and if vinegar or more sweet BBQ based.

The article is free. The recipe is paywalled. You can tease the recipe out by curling the url:

curl https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023587-brunswick-stew

-or-

https://gist.github.com/fuzzygroup/9496c22cb3c429ae3cf3aea19...

There are a few things wrong with this recipe. Notably:

* It should be butter beans, not lima beans.

* Potatoes are optional and usually undesired because it's already so thick.

* Where's the hot sauce? Cayenne and hot sauce have different flavor profiles.

* Pork is superior to chicken for this stew. Leftover smoked bbq pork is best.

* The tomatoes should be peeled

* A splash of vinegar will brighten up the tomato.

Extra credit: serve over macaroni and cheese (the real stuff, not blue box stuff).

There's nothing quite like a big bowl of brunswick stew paired with half a sleeve of buttery club crackers.

Pierce's Pitt in Williamsburg, VA has it on the menu in the Fall and Winter. The recipe is a "family" recipe and Doc Pierce was from Tennessee; so, it maybe be Tennessee or Virginia.

I've tried numerous people's recipes and couldn't stomach it. Further evidence that there's great diversity down here.

Yeah, I've always hated it. The texture is just really hard for me to deal with.

The cat food fine chopped meat style is the original and best IMHO but that’s probably because I grew up eating it.

Newer BBQ places have a version of it I think you will like better. Chunks of meat and tomatoes versus cat food style meat. It’s usually not as thick and has more of a broth.

I'm from NC, and I'm definitely familiar with what you're talking about. I always liked pulled better than chopped.

What weird thing did they say you have to try adding to brunswick stew? (Cf peas and guacamole)

I've put english peas in when I didn't have butter beans handy. It was good but not great.

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