Georgia’s Date of Statehood – January 2, 1788
One might think that taking a trip into Georgia is going to be all about peaches and peanuts. Instead, we are going to court a little controversy and take on Brunswick Stew. Where did this delicious mix of meats, corn, and BBQ come from? Well, that depends on who you ask. Folks in both Brunswick, Georgia, and Brunswick County, Virginia claims to be the home of the ORIGINAL Brunswick Stew. Brunswick, Georgia, mounted a 25-gallon iron pot atop a town monument with an inscription that declares the pot to be the very one in which the very first Brunswick stew was made on July 2, 1898. In 1988, the Virginia General Assembly issued a decree naming Brunswick County the home of Brunswick stew, claiming they can trace their stew back to 1828.
So, who is right? Who knows. But what I DO know is a bowl of Brunswick Stew with some cornmeal biscuits on the side is a perfect meal on a cold day!
Tips and Tricks
- Biscuit recipes often call for the use of COLD butter. Put the butter in the freezer for the best, chilly result!
- Don’t worry about using a knife to cut up the butter for the biscuits. Use your box grater and grate the butter like you would cheese. This gives you small, thin curls of butter that are uniform in size.
- When cutting your biscuits, make sure that you press the biscuit cutter or glass mouth straight down and then up. Don’t twist the cutter, as it seals the sides of the biscuits, making it more difficult for them to rise.
- Handle the dough as little as possible. Unlike bread, you don’t want to knead the dough to make it uniform.
- Mix the butter in with a metal spoon so the butter doesn’t warm up from your hands.
- Brunswick stew is not made in a hurry. The stew is tasty after about an hour or so of simmering, but if you can let it bubble away for 2-3 hours, that is even better.
Georgia-Style Brunswick Stew
Serves 6
- 1 Tbs Olive Oil
- 1 Large Sweet Onion, peeled and diced
- 2 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and minced
- 3 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp Ground Allspice
- 1 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 1/4 tsp Liquid Smoke
- 3/4 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 3/4 Cup Carolina Vinegar Style Tangy BBQ Sauce (Heinz)
- 3/4 Cup Carolina Mustard Style BBQ Sauce (Heinz)
- 1/2 lb. Pulled Chicken, no sauce
- 1/2 lb. Pulled Pork, no sauce
- 4 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock
- 1 large (28 oz.) Can Crushed Tomatoes
- 3 Medium Fresh Tomatoes, diced
- 2 Cups Yellow Corn, frozen
- 2 Cups Baby Lima Beans, frozen
Step 1: Place a large stock pot on medium heat. Once the pot is hot, add the olive oil. When the oil has heated and starts to shimmer, add the diced onion. Cook, the onion for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and translucent.
Step 2: Add the minced garlic to the onions and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
Step 3: Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the Worcestershire sauce, ground allspice, salt, liquid smoke, and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Step 4: Add the vinegar based and mustard based BBQ sauce to the pot and stir to combine.
Step 5: Add the pulled chicken and pulled pork to the pot and stir to coat the meat in the sauce. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 6: Add the chicken stock to the pot and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, corn, and baby lima beans to the pot. Bring the pot to a boil, stirring frequently.
Step 7: Once bubbling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncover, for at least 1 hour.
Step 8: Serve hot with cornbread or cornmeal biscuits.
Cornmeal Biscuits
Makes 12 Biscuits
- 1 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup Yellow Cornmeal
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 Tbs Sugar
- 6 Tbs Very Cold Butter, grated
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
- 2 Tbs Butter, melted
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
Step 3: Add the cold, grated butter to the dry ingredients and mix with a metal spoon until it is well combined. It is ok if you can still see flakes of butter in the mixture, you are only trying to distribute the butter throughout.
Step 4: Pour in the buttermilk and mix with a metal spoon until the dry ingredients are wet and the mixture comes together into a sticky dough. Do not over mix.
Step 5: Flour your hands and turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Pat the dough out to about 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or the mouth a drinking glass to cut out 12 biscuits. Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet.
Step 6: Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter. Place the baking sheet in the hot oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Step 7: Once the biscuits are golden brown on the bottom, remove from the oven and serve warm.
Fun Facts about Georgia: 1. Georgia was named for King George II of England. 2. Georgia is the nations number one producer of the three Ps–peanuts, pecans, and peaches. 3. Known as the sweetest onion in the world, the Vidalia onion can only be grown in the fields around Vidalia and Glennville. 4. Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi River. 5. Coca-Cola was invented in May 1886 by Dr. John S. Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia. The name “Coca-Cola” was suggested by Dr. Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank Robinson. He penned the name Coca-Cola in the flowing script that is famous today. Coca-Cola was first sold at a soda fountain in Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta by Willis Venable.
Edible U.S. 