Virginia or Georgia?
Brunswick Stew. The story is told that it was invented right here in Virginia. Brunswick County, to be exact. So most folks here in Virginia lay claim to this hearty stew. And they are serious about it. Deadly serious. Although, I’ve had the discussion with some friends in Georgia who believe wholeheartedly it was invented there. Both sides have very precise stories on exactly how it was first made so I guess we’ll never know the truth. And does it matter? We all got this delicious stew outta the deal. It’s a great, hearty, rib-sticking stew. Like any good, old recipe with lots of history, it has many, many variations. Kinda like barbecue. This here is just my version.
Basic Brunswick Stew
So basically, Brunswick Stew is a tomato-based soup that contains different types of vegetables and beans. It usually has a smoky flavor and contains one or more types of meat. It’s kinda like a vegetable soup with meat- only thicker. Back in the the day, this stew was probably made with whatever hunters could get their hands on; rabbit or deer. I’ve had many versions that included chicken and pork.
When it comes to the veggies in this, I’ll say that I really love it with okra. However, I still haven’t quite gotten my hubby to enjoy okra as much as I do. So, the recipe I’m sharing today is one I created to appeal to a broader range of tastes. But if your family loves okra, please feel free to add that in here since it is traditional in this recipe.
Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (18 oz.) bottle barbecue sauce
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cans corn, drained well
1 can northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, undrained
5 cups beef broth (or stock)
Directions:
In a large pot, brown and crumble ground beef along with diced onions over medium heat.
While the meat is browning, peel and cube the potatoes.
And drain and rinse the northern beans.
I don’t drain and rinse my pinto beans. I like to get the kind that is seasoned with pork.
So I want to keep that yummy pork flavor and not rinse it away.
Make sure to drain the corn too.
When the ground beef is cooked, drain excess grease. Put ground beef back into large pot and start adding all the other ingredients. Add in can of crushed tomatoes.
Add in can of pinto beans along with drained northern beans and corn.
Now add 5 cups of beef broth.
Add in diced potatoes and bottle of barbecue sauce.
Give it all a good stir. It looks and smells so good at this point. Now, all you really need to do is get it all warmed up and make sure the potatoes are cooked.
This is why you need a large pot because it will be full. Cover pot and simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes (until your potatoes are fork tender). Or, you can put all of it in the crock pot to finish cooking and keep warm until you are ready to eat (about 4 hours on the low setting).
Serve with crackers.
Cook’s Note: If you want to use chicken or other white meat with this, just substitute the beef broth with chicken broth.
Enjoy!
Brunswick Stew
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Brunswick Stew is a thick stew made with either beef, pork or chicken with added veggies you have on hand all sweetened just slightly with BBQ sauce!
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: brunswick stew
Servings: 10
Calories: 437 kcal
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 18 oz bottle barbecue sauce
- 2 potatoes peeled and cubed
- 2 15 oz cans corn drained well
- 1 15 oz can northern beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz can pinto beans undrained
- 5 cups beef broth or stock
Instructions
- In a large pot, brown and crumble ground beef along with diced onions over medium heat.
- While the meat is browning, peel and cube the potatoes.
- Drain and rinse the northern beans.
- Also, drain cans of corn.
- When the ground beef is cooked, drain excess grease.
- Put ground beef back into large pot and start adding all the other ingredients.
- Add in can of crushed tomatoes, pinto beans, drained northern beans and corn.
- Now add 5 cups of beef broth along with diced potatoes and bottle of barbecue sauce.
- Give it all a good stir.
- Now, all you really need to do is get it all warmed up and make sure the potatoes are cooked.
- Cover pot and simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes (until your potatoes are fork tender).
- Or, you can put all of it in the crock pot to finish cooking and keep warm until you are ready to eat (about 4 hours on the low setting).
Recipe Notes
Serve with crackers. If you want to use chicken or other white meat with this, just substitute the beef broth with chicken broth.
Nutrition Facts
Brunswick Stew
Amount Per Serving
Calories 437 Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g 31%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 64mg 21%
Sodium 1037mg 43%
Potassium 805mg 23%
Total Carbohydrates 45g 15%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars 21g
Protein 21g 42%
Vitamin A 6.8%
Vitamin C 12.9%
Calcium 5.8%
Iron 22.6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Oh yummy! This was amazing! It makes a lot so we had plenty for leftovers. A huge hit – I wouldn’t change a thing!
Such a warm and comforting dish. Perfect for this cold weather!
Oh YUMMM! Comfort food at its finest. I love every one of these flavors…mixed together would make it awesome.
Hot damn, this is delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I have never been a fan of Brunswick Stew, but I will be trying this one1 Yummy!!
I would make a gianormous batch of this to serve for a game day party!
was delicious! only change i did was used 2 drained cans of diced potatoes to save time.
I found your website by searching for potato soup then couldn't stop looking at all the poke cake recipes! 😀 I needed a recipe for ground beef for dinner tonight cause I know my family was getting tired of spaghetti! I knew this was the recipe for me when I saw the Sweet Baby Ray's!! I've got it in the crockpot now and it looks, smells and tastes delicious!
I used baby ray's honey BBQ sauce and it is goood, taste like a slow cooked BBQ stew. My sister liked it, but my brother could only taste the BBQ sauce. I see original was used here. So is honey BBQ too strong or is it suppose to be that way?
I need to try it with a steak or roast for shredded instead of ground beef now. ^_^
Yummy!
I really love the recipes in your blog. They look delicious and easy to follow.
This stew stuns me. I will do it tonight.
This looks so yummy – going on my Sunday Soup Supper list STAT. Can't wait to try it this weekend.
I never heard of it – maybe it's a southern (like you said Virginia) thing? Def. not a Minnesota thing – though a hearty warm soup is just what we need in the winter! 🙂
as you stated early on , we used Rabbit ( taste like sweet chicken ) , an Squirrel ( sweet pork ) ,,, an homemade biscuits , an Granny was from Georgia…… my my it was good we would eat till we felt like we would be sick ,,, She would just laugh ….
This looks like a great quick and easy recipe. I am from Georgia and Brunswick Stew is definitely a southern thing. I LOVE it and am therefore VERY snobby about my Brunswick Stew. I use cooked chopped chicken, smoked pork butt, ground pork, and ground chuck. I use baby lima's in mine but would never add okra.
Yeah, We are from Georgia. It’s a Brunswick, Ga dish. I cook mine like yours but add corn and Lima’s. No beans or okra in our stew. Even though I love okra and beans! A little liquid smoke if not smoked flavor not in the dish!
We made this tonight and I thought it was scrumptious!! The potatoes needed a little extra boiling time because they were not done after 30 minutes. My husband has been eating this for years from a restaurant in GA and he said it is supposed to look like hash…? Mine wasn't too "hashy." I love your site and your recipes are so great and easy to follow. Thank you for sharing your gift!! <3
YOU know what I like about your recipes? they are MEGA EASY – my Brunswick stew recipes take ALL DAY LONG to make and are expensive to make – this is the time of year when I live off soups and stews – that with some cornbread or homemade biscuits & honey – this is PERFECT when I don't have one planned and want something to just throw together (and Sweet Baby Rays is the ONLY bbq sauce served in this house) another of my winter favorites is baked potato soup OMG – artery hardening and delicious on a cold winter day … I use milk, butter sour cream, cream cheese, grated cheddar, chives sauteed onions vegan bacon flavored bits and potatoes chunked and lightly smashed (meat eaters can use real bacon) a loaf of homemade cheddar onion bread – seriously to die for
this is on the stove right now:)
I made this and it was very good. The only changes I made was I added lima beans and used chicken instead of ground beef.
I made this for supper tonight. Slow cooked it all day in my crock pot. It was sooo warm and comforting on a cold day as today. I agree it definitely has a smokey flavor. The only difference I made was added a green pepper. My husband and I loved it. A super stew recipe for a cold Winter day. Thanks 🙂
This looks so good but my husband is picky about tomatoes. Could. Use tomato paste or sauce as a substitute?
I made this tonight and it was beyond amazing. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe. My husband is a picky eater and he had two huge bowls of this!!!
I made this and messed up by putting too much BBQ sauce it says on the recipe list to use 28 oz BBQ sauce and I used a little more than that (oops) when it really means to say 18oz!
Made this tonight with a few changes, used tomato paste, only half of the BBQ sauce, Bushes baked beans and a dash of hot sauce. I left out the northern/pinto beans my hubby doesn't like them. It was yummy! Thanks for the wonderful meal ideas.
I made this and everyone loved it! I had extra shredded chicken in the fridge and added that in addition to the ground meat. It made so much I got to freeze half of it 🙂 thanks for posting!!!
This turned out perfect and is great for a make ahead freezer meal!
How much okra? And how and when would I add this, please? Brad.Littlefield@gmail.com
Hi Bradley! However much you like! I would say about a cop or a cup and a half (sliced) and you’ll want to add it in when it can have at least 30 minutes to simmer and soften. Hope that helps!
Oh my! Another delicious recipe from you! Made this today and it is sooooo good! I wasn’t so sure at first about this recipe but my hubby requested I make Brunswick stew and I’m so glad I did!
Thank you so much for coming back to let me know Meredith!! It is definitely one of my favorites too! 🙂
Thanks Brandie for a delicious recipe! Made this tonight for Sunday dinner and ate it while we all watched football. Big hit, made it exactly as you wrote it, will be having this again.
That is wonderful Maralee! Glad everyone enjoyed it 🙂
Loved, loved, love this soup. It was a huge hit with Everyone! Thank you for a wonderful recipe. I’m anxious to try more of them!
Just made this using all canned ingredients (except onions), as i was in a rush. Absolutely delicious!
Woo hoo! Thanks Sally!!
Dumb question maybe but what could you use instead of great northern beans
Not a dumb question at all. You could double up on the pinto beans or replace with a bean that your family enjoys. Hope that helps and enjoy!
I live in NC and we have been making Brunswick Stew all my life I am now 62. The last batch I made came out to be I qt shy of 6 gallons!! I have Mother’s large pot which is what I always use to be this stew. I make what I call a deluxe version, I cook a roast with potatoes, onions and baby carrots, a rotisserie chicken and a quart of chopped bbq. I add canned corn, creamed corn, baby Lima’s, sweet early peas, veg all, string beans, fire roasted tomatoes, stick of butter and condensed tomato soup. Once the roast is done I shred the meat and dumb everything in the stew pot. Deboned the chicken and shred the meat. Stir which help blend everything and shreds the meat more. I use at least 2 cans on each vegetable. I then add Boar and Castle sauce (the Boar and Castle was a local drive in located in Greensboro NC which closed in the 70’s but they still make the sauce which you can purchase in local stores or on line). I have a connection with the manufacturer so I purchase it by the case. I usually use 2 bottles on the stew. Cook until good and hot and everything has had time to get flavored. Once it has cooled some I put in quart freezer containers and freeze. Great for those cold rainy or snowy nights!!
Really good! The only type of beans I had on hand was a can of BBQ beans. So I put in 1 can of corn and 1 can of the BBQ beans with the tomatoes and the BBQ sauce. Really good! Everyone liked it. Will be making it again!