“My easy, traditional Brunswick stew ( aka campfire stew!) made in the slow cooker is a crowd pleaser. I make it with with tender bbq pork, shredded chicken, a variety of frozen vegetables. It’s a bowl full of comfort!”
An Easy and Tasty Recipe for Slow Cooker Brunswick Stew!
I love old fashioned Brunswick stew. You know the kind that’s loaded with BBQ pork, chicken, potatoes, and okra? OMG, I kid you not, If I could eat it every day I would! Right along with some homemade southern cornbread, and a big tall glass of sweet tea! Honey, I tell you, I would be in heaven!
Unlike many people, I actually make my easy Brunswick year round. That’s right, I don’t just make this stew during the colder months. I actually make it during the summer too! Why? Well because I seem to always have some leftover BBQ pork. Okay, okay- I make too much BBQ pulled pork ON PURPOSE! Just so that I have an excuse to make this traditional Brunswick stew recipe!
I just know that someone’s going to ask me the big question.. So let’s clear the air!
“Rosie.. Do you make Georgia Brunswick stew, or do you make North Carolina Brunswick stew?!“
Good question! I actually don’t know y’all! Every time that I make my Brunswick Stew my North Carolina friends say it’s their way, and my Georgia friends say it’s THEIR way.. LOL!! I’m just caught up in a tug of war y’all! I really can’t tell you! All I know is that my Brunswick stew is the bomb..
However, since we are on the subject. Tell me..
Where do you think Brunswick stew originated from???
North Carolina OR Georgia?
(Let me know down below in the comment section y’all!)
When I make Brunswick stew, I make in the slow cooker. I simply toss all the ingredients into the slow cooker, stir, and let it cook on low for 4 hours!
I start off with my infamous slow cooked BBQ Pulled pork, and cooked chicken. The chicken that I use is usually leftovers as well. If I don’t have any leftover chicken on hand, I simply use store bought rotisserie chicken( shhhh, don’t tell anyone!).
I toss the chicken and bbq pulled pork into my slow cooker, then I gather up my other ingredients such as my potatoes, onions, okra, pea & carrots, and etc.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention the Lima Beans! Now when it comes to adding limas to my Brunswick stew I either use frozen limas or dry limas. When using frozen limas, I just toss them into the slow cooker. However, when I use dry limas I soak them overnight prior to making the Brunswick stew!
Once everything is in the slow cooker, I stir the ingredients, and let it cook on low for 5 hours.
The outcome?
Try my Slow Cooker Brunswick stew for yourself! Print the recipe below, and be sure to leave any recipe request that you make have down below!
While you’re here, check out some of my other stew recipes!
BEEF STEW MADE IN THE CROCK-POT
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Slow Cooker Brunswick Stew
Ingredients
- 2 cups BBQ Pulled Pork
- 2 cups chopped chicken cooked
- 1 large red onion diced
- 1 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 1/2 cup frozen okra
- 2 cups lima beans frozen or dry ( if dry soak overnight prior)
- 3 medium russet potatoes peeled & diced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 14 oz can of diced tomatoes in tomato juice
- 1 cup hickory BBQ sauce
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 2 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients into a 6qt slow cooker.
- Stir the ingredients, and make sure everything is well incorporated.
- Put the lid on the slow cooker.
- Set the slow cooker on LOW.
- Cook for 5 hours.
- Serve and enjoy!
I’m an ignorant Yankee from Illinois — what’s the difference between North Carolina and Georgia Brunswick stew?
I think some people say one uses pork, and the other uses chicken. However I use both. LOL
I used both chicken & pork. I must say it was the bomb
I’m from NC and I smoke a pork butt, a beef brisket, and chicken breasts.
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Yes I use all three in my stew also,no potatoes tomatoes,corn,Lina beans,okra.
Sold mine in my barbecue restaurant for many years.not NC not Ga.
But Florida Gator Brunswick Stew.
That’s about how we make it in Alabama too! Delish!
I’m definitely wanting to try it with Rosie’s additions, her’s sound amazing.
I think I read where it was rabbit that was the main protein back in Williamsburg in the 1600’s. Whatever, I will try all of them. Thanks cuz!
This looks truly amazing and I will be trying this recipe this fall/winter. Thank you for sharing your awesome recipes.
Thank you again! I had this once in Savannah, couldn’t remember the name of this delicious concoction! Yum! Today is our first cooler day..need this in my life! Lol
Hi JoAnn! Glad that you were able to find this recipe 😀
Rosie! Rosie! Rosie! This recipe looks so delicious! Got ingredients and trying it for lunch. Keep up the good work. Sincerely Elizabeth
Thanks so much Elizabeth! I just love this recipe!
Take this Georgia out of Georgia- it’ll Always be our Family tradition !! Meat-Veg , optional; spicey or Not. All are optional !! Large batch for then & Now!! Use All of meat – more veggies or less veggies – Still Great!!
Hi Rosie, Thanks for this recipe. I am looking forward to trying it. My go-to recipe for Brunswick Stew came from my mother who got it from a church recipe book. I am sure the recipe is over 50 years old. Anyway, it is a multi-day process because you have to wait for liquids to cool before removing fat. Either have a lot of space in a refrigerator or have cold days. I say the origin of Brunswick Stew is from my home state of Georgia.
Hi John! Aren’t Church Cookbooks the best?!I just love those.
NC Brunswick stew is the best. They used to cook it outside in the cold in a big black pot while making pork bbq and the Good ole skins.
Thanks for coming by!
I’ve made this two times now, and my husband says it’s the best Brunswick Stew that he’s had! The only change I made was putting the barbecue sauce at the bottom of my pot then using raw chicken breasts rather than cooked. Put everything on top and cooked on high for 3-4 hours. Took out the breasts, shredded, replaced, and stirred. Cooked just a bit longer. So good!! Thank you!
Glad that you like the recipe!
Brunswick Stew originated in Brunswick County, VA, in 1826, not the City of Brinswick, GA. In 1998, the Virginia General Assembly put the rivalry to rest by acclamation that Brunswick County, Virginia is the official origin of the stew and Brunswick, GA conceded. The first stew contained squirrel meat and was served to hunters.
Interesting info Nancy! 😀
In Virginia, we just have chicken, corn, butter beans, onions, tomatoes and potatoes. Cook in a big black pot for hours until the paddle can stand up on its own!
Thank you for posting, I am making this right now. I went searching for a crockpot recipe that seemed most similar to what I grew up with and this is it. Thanks!
Brunswick Stew is still served at Chowning”s Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg, VA. It was an import in 1698 from Brunswick, Massachusetts. The original recipe uses squirrel. I like chicken & brisket myself. Also a great veggie meatless stew.
I’ve made this delicious stew before…I used baby lima beans, though
Yes I use all three in my stew also,no potatoes tomatoes,corn,Lina beans,okra.
Sold mine in my barbecue restaurant for many years.not NC not Ga.
But Florida Gator Brunswick Stew.
Hi! Snowed in southern Va here. I just put everything together in my crockpot. My husband is already salivating. I am super anxious to taste! I am a big Brunswick stew fan, and I stalk local churches and fire departments to see when they will be serving! I’ll buy pints and pints and freeze it all! Love love love! If this recipe tastes as good as the reviews say, this will be a monthly winter staple for us. Thanks so much for sharing!
I have been trying to duplicate this recipe unsuccessfully for years. I’m an Illinois transplant who fell in love with the giant pot stew that was available once or twice a year via community festivals. Long story short, i slow cooked a pork shoulder for carnitas and had massive leftovers. Roasted a chicken after finding your recipe, and dayum. Thank you so much!
Hi Gina!! I’m glad that you found my recipe :-)!
Hi Rosie! Is there a video? If not, can you please make one? Would love to know how you cook your meats plus I love your detailed videos. (I consider myself a “beginner cook”. your videos are amazing!!
I’ve made Brunswick stew for 15 years now. My recipe is very similar to yours, but I use only 100% fresh vegetables (about 1 1/2 cups of each and everything diced proportional to the peas and beans). I pre-cook the fresh meats for my bouillons while I’m slicing and dicing. I remove the kernels from 4-5 ears of sweet corn. I also include fresh greens – turnip, mustard, spinach, celery (including greens), bell pepper, rutabaga. I simmer the entire huge pot for roughly 8-9 hours. No watching required. It probably takes 7-8 hours just to come to a boil, but it does an incredible job of integrating all of the flavors. The total prep time runs about 2 hours, but it’s worth it to us. We freeze in 1 meal containers.
The original idea for this came from a man in N.C., whose wife wouldn’t eat any vegetables. This worked for him, and we decided to try it ONCE. We got hooked.
Hi! I know I’m far from the usual tradition but I was wondering if I could use left over turkey from Thanksgiving to put in the stew. My grandmother always done it that way. What do you think?
Absolutely hunny!! XOXO
In the slow cooker now! Much easier than the old recipe I was using, and it’ll be more flavorful!
Thanks so much for trying my recipe!
I’m a Northern girl (Illinois) and a friend of mine from NC made this for a Fall get together and I was hooked! It was the first time I heard of and tasted it. I think it is the best soup I ever ate. Excited to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome awesome awesome no ifs ands or buts the absolute best Brunswick stew in the world we tried a lot of different recipes for Brunswick stew but none of them even come close to this one Thank you Thank you Thank you so much we love it.
Mike From NC
Oh one more thing we use one cup of Carolina Treat barbecue sauce instead of hickory smoke if you can find it give it a try I think you’ll like it.
Looks delicious! It originated in Virginia prior to the Civil War. In 1849, the Alexandria Gazette described Brunswick stew as a genuine Southern side dish composed of chicken, squirrel, a little bacon, corn and tomatoes. By 1855 potatoes, butter beans, salt, pepper and cayenne were added.
This tasted so great! Mine came out more like veggie soup than stew. Is there a way to thicken it up a bit?
You can make a slurry with flour, or cornstarch to thicken it up if needed.