Burgoo

I know I promised I would post more often, but life has been all over the place lately. When I do get a chance to sit down, I usually end up napping or reading a book or watching Gilmore Girls instead of posting. I'm sorry. That's just the way I am... I'm pregnant with baby #2, and life takes more energy than normal these days.

BURGOO! Have you ever heard of Burgoo? It's a stew that originates in Kentucky, also known as "Roadkill Stew." Doesn't that sound wonderful?? Don't worry, I didn't run out to the street and pick up an armadillo for this one. I used genuine, grocery store meats, thanks very much.

The recipe that inspired me to make Burgoo can be found here, but this is what I did:

Burgoo (this is a really rough set of instructions more than a recipe)

I had leftovers from a crock pot pork roast that contained about 1 1/2 pounds pork, 20ish oz of diced tomatoes, 1/2 pound carrots, Lipton's Onion Soup Mix, garlic powder, and black pepper. And one sliced onion. That all comes into play here shortly.

First, I browned 2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, 4 bone-in chicken thighs, and 2 thin pork chops in about 4 tbsp oil in a giant stock pot. When I say giant, I mean 12 quart. Giant. Oh, and I lightly salted those meats before I threw them in.

Next, I took out all the browned meats and put them in a bowl to make room for 1/2 pound sliced carrots, 2 large chopped bell peppers, and 1 large chopped onion. I cooked those until they softened, then added in about 1 tsp of garlic powder and 1 tsp black pepper. I continued to cook those for a couple more minutes, then I tossed in the meats I had browned, the leftover diced tomatoes and juices from my crock pot roast, the leftover carrots I'd also sliced, 8 cups of water, 4 chicken bouillon cubes, and 4 beef bouillon cubes. I gave that all a good stir, then I brought it up to a simmer and let it simmer for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so.

Next, I took the chicken out and pulled it off the bone. It didn't take much; it basically collapsed off. Then, I added about 16 oz frozen corn, 1/2 pound frozen okra, the shredded pork roast leftover from the crock pot, and 1/2 pound fresh shelled cream peas (also known as conch peas). I brought all that back up to a simmer and let it do its thing for about 30 minutes.

After all that, I tossed in another cup of water because it looked too thick for me. Then I poured in about 6 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce and brought it back up to a simmer for another 20 minutes.

At this point, the hubby came home from work and I promptly went into our room and hid for 15 minutes because I was exhausted and needed me time. But you don't have to do that if you make this. I needed it. My feet were swelling.

I made some good Southern cornbread and we ate the stew on top of leftover mashed potatoes. It was really good, BUT here's what I'm doing today: since I think there's way too much meat in this stew in relation to everything else, I'm going to make another 6 cups of broth, add another 1/2 cup sliced carrots, 2 more bell peppers, another onion, more okra, and more corn. I'm going to wish I had more cream peas. But I don't. I'm going to let all that get all soft and good, then I'm going to add it to the vat again and toss in a few cups of cooked brown rice (we're out of potatoes now). Then we're going to have it again and I'm going to hope it's a better consistency for my sensitive pregnant stomach.

Tonight, I'll add a picture to this post. I forgot last night. My feet were too big and I was way too tired. Maybe I'll even format this into a real recipe.

But only if you comment and tell me you want me to.

:)