Breeanna's North Carolina Brunswick Stew (RECIPE)

If you are from North Carolina and now live in Indiana like I do. You know that it is tough for a woman from Chapel Hill, North Carolina as a fan of the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets, a 2006 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2002 graduate of (Lafayette, Indiana) Jefferson High School being married to a transgender woman born a boy in Chicago, yet originally from Van Buren, Indiana being a fan of the Indianapolis Colts, a 2023 graduate of Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne, a student at Purdue University Fort Wayne, a 2001 Mississinewa High School Graduate.

I also know it is tough as I am not a good cook yet do make really great soups and stews. Though I do well with a crock pot or slow cooker.

The North Carolina Brunswick Stew has been a staple since I was a kid living with my parents and brother in Chapel Hill; and Ava recently tried it for the first time back in 2023 after Ava and I placed a wager on the Indianapolis Colts-Carolina Panthers game. The Colts won and I made Ava's Chili recipe and Ava made my North Carolina Brunswick Stew recipe and Ava didn't do well on the first try last year as she used butternut squash instead of okra.

Brunswick Stew is a thick and hearty mix of pulled pork, chicken, vegetables, seasonings, tomato sauce, and Worcestershire sauce

This time around in 2024, my stepdaughter Tabitha placed a wager between her Bishop Luers Knights in Fort Wayne against the Mighty Mississinewa. Bishop Luers ended up winning the sectional championship game on November 8, 2024, and Ava is paying up in addition to my high school alma matter of Lafayette Jefferson also won their sectional championship game over Kokomo. Ava is once again making my North Carolina Brunswick stew recipe on a slow cooker.

This recipe can be adjusted for those who are vegetarians or food allergies or intolerance to the ingredients in this recipe.

Breeanna's North Carolina Brunswick Stew

• 4 pounds of Chicken, cooked and shredded

• 2 pounds of pork, cooked and shredded

• 4 tablespoons of butter (or vegan butter for vegans)

• 2 cups of chopped onions (or celery for those with an onion allergy since Ava knows someone who has an onion allergy)

• 4 cups of diced potatoes

• 2 cups of corn kernels

• 2 cups of Lima beans

• 2 cups of okra (or zucchini, green beans, broccoli florets, asparagus, or eggplant for those with an okra allergy since I had a classmate in elementary school who was allergic to okra)

• 1-2 cups of sweet peas

• 1-2 cups of carrots

• 3 cloves of minced garlic (or 3/4 teaspoon of garlic powder; or asafetida (hing), chives, ginger, cumin, oregano, or basil for those with a garlic allergy)

• 2 cans of crushed fire-roasted tomatoes (28 ounces)

• 6-8 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)

• 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

• 2 tablespoons of salt

• 2 tablespoons of ground black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin

In a large Dutch oven or pot, combine the chicken, pork and chicken broth to a simmer.

Add the chopped onion, diced potatoes corn, lima beans, okra, sweet peas, carrots, and tomatoes. Stir well.

Mix in the sauces and seasonings to combine with the ingredients.

Reduce heat to low and let the stew simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally.

For those of you who have a crockpot, set the slow cooker to low temperature for 5 hours or high for two to three hours.

For those of you who are vegetarians and/or vegans, here is the plant-based version of Breeanna's North Carolina Brunswick Stew that was seen in Caprice & Ella

• 4 pounds of vegetarian chicken (two 12-ounce packages of Morningstar Farms Chick'n strips or Quorn Meatless Chicken Pieces)

• 2 pounds of tempeh or tofu (one package of tofu)

• 4 tablespoons of butter (or vegan butter for vegans)

• 2 cups of chopped onions (or celery for those with an onion allergy since Ava knows someone who has an onion allergy)

• 4 cups of diced potatoes

• 2 cups of corn kernels

• 2 cups of Lima beans

• 2 cups of okra (or zucchini, green beans, broccoli florets, asparagus, or eggplant for those with an okra allergy since I had a classmate in elementary school who was allergic to okra)

• 1-2 cups of sweet peas

• 1-2 cups of carrots

• 3 cloves of minced garlic (or 3/4 teaspoon of garlic powder; or asafetida (hing), chives, ginger, cumin, oregano, or basil for those with a garlic allergy)

• 2 cans of crushed fire-roasted tomatoes (28 ounces)

• 6-8 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)

• 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tablespoon of tobacco sauce (optional)

• 1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper

• 2 tablespoons of salt

• 2 tablespoons of ground black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin

• 1 tablespoon of paprika

• 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning

Nutrional value for one serving of the regular version of Breeanna's North Carolina Brunswick Stew:

350 calories, 30g Carbohydrates, 25g protein, 15g fat, 5g saturated fat, 80mg cholesterol, 900mg sodium, 700mg potassium, 5g fiber, 8g sugar, 500IU Vitamin A, 20mg Vitamin C, 60mg calcium, 3mg iron