Though there is not complete consensus as to where New Brunswick Stew originated from, one thing for certain is that it is a classic Americana recipe. Both Virginia and Georgia claim the creation of this dish though similar soups, like Burgoo, can be found in different regions in the US. This is a version of the Virginia style, which normally means a touch more barbecue sauce. Frequently this soup is made with rabbit or squirrel, but for this particular recipe I stuck with chicken and pork.
As with most of my recipes, really most recipes in general, you can adjust the ingredients to your liking. I would suggest to keep two distinct proteins, as they compliment the texture well, and a nice variety of vegetables. Three of the vegetables I used; corn, potatoes, and okra, help act as a thickening agent in addition to giving the soup a variety of both flavor and texture.
When making the pork for this dish I roasted it with barbecue sauce prior to the soup, to help ensure that it was tender. For the chicken, I seared and braised it, then added the broth to enhance the flavor.
And lastly, as with most of the soups I do as well, cook it low and slow for a long period of time so that you blend the flavors and make sure it is reduced properly.
Ingredients
Pork shoulder, roasted and diced* 2 1/2 lbs
Chicken Thighs, marinated 4-5 ea
Barbecue Sauce 2 cups
Garlic, diced 4 ea
Lima Beans, frozen 2 cups
Corn Kernels 2 cups
Carrots, peeled and diced 4 ea medium
Potatoes, diced 6 ea medium
Celery, diced 4 ea stalks
Onion, diced 2 ea
Hot sauce, Tapatio (or other) 2 T
Tomato Juice 3 cups
Okra, sliced (fresh or frozen) 1 lb
Thyme 2 sprigs
Lemon Zest and Juice 2 ea
Chicken Stock 4 qt
Avenue Spice 1 T
Salt and Pepper to taste
Garnish
Chopped or whole parsley, cracked black pepper
Method of Procedure
Marinate your chicken thighs overnight.
Preheat your oven to 425 and cook your pork*. Once cooked, cool down, and dice.
The next day sear your chicken thighs and add 2 cups of chicken stock then braise until cooked (around 30 minutes). Once cooled dice and reserve stock
Saute your your garlic, carrots, onions, and celery. Add your hot sauce, thyme, lemon juice and zest.
Add your diced pork, and chicken then continue to cook while stirring for another 10 minutes.
Put your stock, barbecue sauce, and tomato juice in your soup pot and bring to a simmer for 1 hour.
Add your potatoes and avenue spice, then simmer for another 30 minutes.
Season to taste then add your okra, corn, and lima beans. Simmer for an additional 1 hour until the soup begins to tighten up.
To serve, ladle into a soup and garnish with cracked black pepper and parsley.
*For the pork shoulder, season it liberally with your choice of seasonings, I used Avenue Spice and extra salt and pepper, then roasted it for about 6 hours starting at 425 for 30 minutes and dropping the temperature to 225 for the remaining 5 1/2 hours. Midway through I basted it with barbecue sauce to get that crust
Comments