Daring Cooks - Brunswick Stew

This month's challenge REALLY surprised me. I mean, I like a good stew, but the ingredients list was just so... normal, especially since I decided not to try tracking down a rabbit. Besides, rabbit is not a novelty in my dining repertoire, and definitely not worth the premium they fetch here in the city.


The hardest part of this was skinning the quartered chicken, which was more time consuming than anything. Instead of the rabbit, I used pork loin. It also gave me a great excuse to use some of the broth I've been stockpiling in the freezer, much to Kat's delight.

This is pork jowl bacon. I'm now convinced that ALL stews should start with frying this stuff. It's cheap, fatty and flavorful. Now that I have my gravy separator, I defatted the stew at the end so this really just added a ton of flavor. (I LOVE my gravy separator. How did it take me this long to get such a simple tool??) Anyway... pork jowl = heaven.

After searing all the meats, deglazing the pan and then getting everything onto a simmer for a couple of hours, things really came together. The red wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice rounded everything out perfectly. We each got a few bites - this recipe makes a full pot of stew and it's all tucked away into the freezer for a gathering next week.

Killer recipe.

The 2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club.