Brunswick Stew

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Brunswick stew. Those two words transport me back to childhood. Conrad had longish grey hair and his wife Lucille was on the thin side with brown hair. I think of Conrad dressed in white, and for some reason, I believe his trade was a painter. They were friends of my parents from when we lived in North Carolina. I don’t remember how they happened to be in Florida. For some reason, I think they moved about.

What I remember vividly is that when Conrad was in town, we would be having some Brunswick stew. I know there was a bit of prep work involved. I think Conrad would cook a hen and take the meat off the bone. There was pork also, but I am not sure if it was barbecued , smokes or simply boiled. Then there were the vegetables, corn freshly scraped from the cob along with butter beans, onion and potatoes.

Conrad brought a huge pot to cook it in. For some reason, I think it was cooked outside, possibly on our Coleman camp stove. It cooked for a long time, so heating up the kitchen could have been a factor. The aroma was divine and mom’s buttermilk biscuits, sweet tea and/or cornbread were the perfect accompaniment.

Conrad’s making Brunswick stew was music to my tummy.  I’m not sure why my mother didn’t make it, she was a great cook.

I have often wanted to make it but felt the task too daunting. There are so many recipes , I felt overwhelmed. Until yesterday. I had been mentally pulling together meal meats this past week with the idea “stewing” (had to use the pun) of attempting Brunswick stew. My Keto cookbook had a recipe that looked doable. It wouldn’t have the same vegetables as they are too carby, but the meats and seasonings felt familiar.

The stew was delicious and my husband had seconds. I made low carb cornbread to go with it and crumbled some in my bowl. Better than the flavor though, are the memories stirred up as I cooked. Simpler times. Family and friends time. Love.

Here is the video I watched before making Brunswick stew.

Tags: Brunswick stew, Childhood Memories, Cooking, Cooking Keto