Georgia Brunswick stew is so popular that in our coastal town of Brunswick, Georgia, the locals hold a Brunswick stew festival known as the Brunswick Rocking Stewbilee.
At the festival, local businesses and non-profits compete in a friendly competition to find out who has the best Brunswick stew recipe. Most competitors also serve their favorite cornbread as the preferred side.
Questions
What is Georgia Brunswick stew?
It's a thick tomato-based stew that features smoked pork and chicken with corn and butter beans.
Each family and restaurant makes it a little bit different by adding their own unique twist. Some is sweeter, some is tangier, and some is spicier. You'll find our version is mild/medium spiciness, tangy, and full of meat and veggies.
What kind of meat do you use in a modern version?
The hardest thing to decide is what kind of meat you will use. You can choose to make your own pulled pork and pulled chicken, or purchase smoked pork and smoked chicken from a local BBQ place--it's up to you. If you're cooking your own meat, buy a Boston butt (pork shoulder) and a whole chicken.
Can you freeze this?
Yes, you most definitely can; in fact, Brunswick stew freezes really well! Just make sure to let it cool completely before freezing in airtight containers or zip-top freezer bags.
Serve
If you're in my area of coastal Georgia, you'll find that the locals eat it with fresh cornbread. Other Southern states are known to serve it with hush puppies, coleslaw, or pickles; the choice is yours. If you're really in a pinch, serve it with a thick slice of bread.
How to Make
First, gather the ingredients for the aromatics and the spices. Chop the onion and mince the garlic.
Next, gather the rest of the ingredients: chicken drippings and broth, plus the pulled meat and the veggies.
Chop up the fresh vine ripened tomatoes, and weigh the pulled chicken and pulled pork.
Heat up the oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat until shimmering. Sauté the onion until soft, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Reduce the heat to medium low and add the spices, liquid smoke, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauce. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the two kinds of BBQ sauce (one mustard style and the other a vinegar style).
Add the pulled chicken and the pulled pork.
Stir well to coat the meat. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium low heat, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the drippings from the roasted chicken. If you don't have any, use chicken broth or chicken stock.
Pour in the chicken stock.
Stir with a large wooden spoon before adding the canned and fresh tomatoes.
Finish by mixing in the yellow corn and butter beans. Cover and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring every so often to prevent it from burning.
Once it starts to boil, lower the heat to medium low. Uncover the pot and let it simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes.
Once it's done cooking, transfer most of the soup to a Dutch oven so it can fit in the fridge easier.
If you have never tried a hot bowl of Georgia-style Brunswick stew, I encourage you to make it soon. It's so good, you'll want seconds!
Variations
- Want it thicker? Cut back on the chicken stock or let it simmer with the lid off until the excess liquid has evaporated.
- Need it sweeter? Add a bit of sugar. If you accidentally added too much sugar, add some vinegar to correct it.
- Want other vegetables? Add sliced okra or diced potatoes.
- Need to lower the sodium? Use unsalted chicken broth and low sodium BBQ sauce.
- Need it spicier? Increase the Tabasco sauce to a tablespoon and add some crushed red pepper flakes.
Pro Tips
- Modern meat choices? Use fresh or frozen pulled pork and chicken, or smoked pulled pork and chicken from a BBQ place.
- Traditional meat choices? Use squirrel, rabbit, possum, or hog head; just let the meat simmer longer.
- Need to freeze it? Put in an airtight container or zip top freezer bag for up to two months.
Recommended Tools
- Emeril Lagasse Dutch Oven: we have used and loved this heavy-bottomed pot for years.
- Pyrex Glass Measuring Cups: these handy measuring cups with pouring spouts are sturdy.
- Pyrex Glass Prep Bowls: prep ingredients ahead of time and store them in these pretty bowls.
Your family will love these other Southern recipes.
The pleasure of a 5-star review would be greatly appreciated.
Recipe
Georgia Brunswick Stew
Ingredients
For the Aromatics
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups yellow onion, diced
- 4 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
For the Spices
- 5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon ground allspice
- 2 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 ½ teaspoons liquid smoke
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce, like Tabasco
- 1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cup Carolina vinegar style tangy BBQ sauce, like Heinz
- 1 ½ cup Carolina mustard style BBQ sauce, like Heinz
For the Meat
- 1 pound pulled chicken, fresh or frozen
- 1 pound pulled pork, fresh or frozen
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 3 cups chicken drippings from two roasted chickens, fat removed (or substitute with additional chicken stock)
For the Veggies
- 48 ounces canned crushed tomatoes, no salt added
- 4 cups vine ripe tomatoes, 6 medium
- 4 cups yellow corn kernels, fresh or frozen (optional)
- 4 cups baby butter beans, fresh or frozen
Instructions
Preparing the Aromatics
- Chop the onions and mince the garlic.
- Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat until shimmering. Saute the onions for a few minutes until soft, stirring occasionally, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly.
Seasoning the Brunswick Stew
- Lower the heat to medium-low and stir in the first 6 spices. Let cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, then add the two BBQ sauces.
Adding in the Meat & Stock
- Add in all the meat, and stir well to coat the meat in the spices and BBQ sauce. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. This step makes the meat more flavorful.
- Pour in the chicken stock and drippings from the roasted chicken. (If you don't have any chicken drippings, just use additional chicken stock.)
Mixing in the Veggies
- While the meat is simmering, dice the fresh tomatoes.
- Increase the heat to medium high, then add the canned and fresh tomatoes, corn, and butter beans to the stew. Cover and bring to a boil, stirring every few minutes to prevent the bottom from burning. This should take about 15 minutes. Once it starts to boil, stir and lower the heat to medium-low, uncover, and simmer for at least an hour. I let mine simmer for 3 hours so the flavors could meld and the butter beans could soften.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Just note that this recipe is on the upper end of the mild range.
- Serve immediately with cornbread and sweet tea or let it cool and refrigerate.
Notes
- Have leftovers that need freezing? Allow it to cool then place in an airtight container or zip top freezer bag for up to two months.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Jim Fletcher
No Georgian would ever use any whole products in Brunswick stew, especially lima beans, so this recipe is for some kind of stew but not Brunswick stew.
Emma
We live in Brunswick, GA, and every Brunswick stew (even those entered at the Stewbilee) we have eaten locally has contained butter beans. Have you tried a Brunswick-made Brunswick stew?
Joe M.
I am a Georgia native and I disagree with your statement, this recipe is 100% authentic Brunswick Stew, maybe just not the way you like yours, but to each their own.
Emma
Joe, Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. We live in Brunswick, GA and we realize people like to make Brunswick stew with their own spin. Would you like to share how your recipe differs?
Byron Williams
I am from Bowman Ga and have made this stew pretty often and use my hands own recipe and it’s good with cornbread, Soda crackers, or loaf bread.
Emma
We love Brunswick stew with cornbread especially!
Carolyn McCollough
Can you pressure can this recipe, if so at what pounds of pressure & how long
Emma
We've never made Brunswick stew in a pressure cooker, so we can't recommend specific settings, but we're sure that you can! Feel free to try it and let us know.
Joyce Stewart
I made this recipe exactly as given. It was just wonderful! It has a little kick to it but that's the way Brunswick Stew should be. I bought my pulled pork and pulled chicken at a local bbq restaurant. I had to order the two bbq sauces on Amazon because I could not find them locally. It makes a very large pot of stew so I will be able to freeze some of it. Great flavor, easy to make and so very good! So glad I found this recipe. I'll be making it again and again. My family is a a great fan of Brunswick Stew
Emma
That's so wonderful, Joyce! We're absolutely delighted to hear that you and your family enjoyed this so much.
Mary
This was delicious. The only variation was that I blended it with an immersion blender after simmering it. This thickens it a bit and I just like it that way. My husband really loves this stew as well. This is great served with sliced white bread.
Emma
So glad that you and your hubby enjoyed this stew so much, Mary! Thanks for leaving a review!
Laura
How many does this recipe serve?
Emma
With a serving size of 1 1/4 cups, you'll be able to serve about 14 people.
Hilary
I am so happy I found this recipe! I grew up just over the Georgia/Alabama line and LOVE this kind of Brunswick Stew. I now live near Birmingham and no one has stew like this. Thank you so much!!!
Emma
You're very welcome, Hilary! It's our pleasure. 😊 Hi from a fellow Georgian!
Teri
Can this be canned? I have limited freezer space, but lots of shelf space.
Emma
We've never tried canning Brunswick stew, so we can't give you a hard and fast answer. You can always give away some of the stew or make a half batch if you have limited freezer space.
Beth
I love this stew! It tasted more vinegary the next day. I love the smoky flavor and enjoy eating this with cornbread.🌽 It tastes good with the pulled pork and chicken. The photos are great too!
Emma
I agree, Beth! The smokey-vinegary flavor is really nice.
Sean T Drake
Squirrel is the genuine meat down here in Collins, GA...the season starts in December and runs through February. Overall, a very nice recipe.
Emma
We've heard of many people adding squirrel to Brunswick stew, although we've never tried it! Thanks for making the recipe!
Irene Hass
It's now 2/25/19 and I found in my freezer an already cooked Hormel ham so I decided it's time for more of this wonderful "stew/soup". I made my own BBQ sauce, since I didn't plan ahead for this, but I have frozen corn and cans and cans of butter beans, so off and running. Last time I used Smoked Pork Butt but this time have the ham, so I added lots of liquid smoke to make up the difference. I wanted my ham to be very soft, so put it into a slow cooker and cooked until soft; then I ground it. I also put a hand wand (immersion blender) in my soup/stew at the end, leaving some pieces so I don't make it pure liquid. I have two large pots this time so when my neighbor comes over, they get their share and the freezer gets lots. For anyone that has never had it, think Pork BBQ sandwich - that's what this tastes like.
Emma
Glad to hear that you made it a second time and that your variation was successful! Enjoy!
Irene Hass
Quite a few years ago my son brought up to me in NJ from Georgia a container of Brunswick Stew. I started mixing things together after tasting this wonderful elixir and matched it fairly well. Oh, that was so many years ago. All of a sudden I have this desire for it so started looking up recipes - I since learned what it was called - and your recipe seemed to be the closest to what I remember. I just finished a jumbo pot full - Guess I have about 12 quarts now. In NJ we can purchase a special "Pork Shoulder Butt" which is smoked and it has the flavor for those of us who don't have smokers. Anyway, I'm waiting for this delicious recipe of yours to cool so I can put up in containers in the freezer. Naturally as soon as my neighbor comes over, she gets to take home about 3 quarts for her freezer. Your recipe is excellent - I just made to taste as far as measuring since we don't have the exact ingredients out here in rural Illinois where I now live - but since I order my Pork Butt from NJ I have the correct meat. Freidrich Pork Butt is the correct one in case you are interested. You can't get it here in the mid-west.
Brooke
I'm glad this recipe was close to what you remember from the Brunswick Stew your son brought to you from GA.
I hope you and your neighbor enjoys it as much as my family does. Thanks for the tip of the smoked pork butt.