Richard Matthew's Burgoo
Submitted by sherrita
Kentucky-style burgoo with three meats: stewing beef, pork shoulder, and whole chicken simmered for hours with fresh corn, lima beans, tomatoes, and potatoes.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
15 minREADY
30 minBurgoo is Kentucky’s answer to everything that’s good about long, slow cooking. This thick, meaty stew builds its backbone from three proteins: beef stew meat, pork shoulder, and a whole disjointed chicken, each simmered separately until fork-tender before the whole thing comes together.
The beef and pork go in first for a long, slow 2 ½ hour simmer while the chicken cooks in its own pot. Bone-in chicken gives you a richer broth, and once the meat falls off the bone, it shreds into the stew naturally. After the meats combine, a garden’s worth of fresh vegetables goes in: tomatoes, lima beans, bell peppers, corn cut straight from the cob, potatoes, and carrots.
Traditional burgoo is thick, not soupy. By the time the vegetables soften, the potatoes start breaking down and the starches thicken everything into a spoonable, hearty consistency.
Chef Tips
- Simmer, never boil. High heat toughens stew meat. Keep the surface barely bubbling.
- Cook the chicken just until the meat releases from the bone, about an hour. Overcooked chicken turns stringy.
- Add the corn last since it only needs 15 minutes. Earlier and it turns mushy and loses its sweetness.
- Burgoo tastes better the next day after the flavors meld overnight. Make a big batch.
Variations
- Add okra in the last 30 minutes for a Southern touch and natural thickening.
- Use lamb shoulder in place of pork for a more traditional old-fashioned burgoo.
- Stir in a splash of bourbon right before serving for a distinctly Kentucky finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Put in a heavy lidded kettle with: 3 qts. water or stock ¾ lb lean inch-diced stewing beef ¾ lb inch-diced pork shoulder.
Bring pot one slowly to a boil.
Reduce heat at once. and slowly simmer about 2½ hours.
In another heavy kettle put: 1.
1 disjointed 2½ lb. chicken with just enough water to cover.
- Bring these ingredients to a boil.
Reduce the heat at once. and simmer about 1 hour or until the meat can easily be removed from the bones.
Put the chicken meat and the water in which it was cooked into hours as directed.
At this time also add: 2½ cups quartered ripe, peeled and seeded tomatoes 1 cup fresh lima beans ½ red diced pepper 4 diced green peppers ¾ cup diced onion 1 cup diced carrots 2 cups diced potatoes 1 bay leaf 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce Simme Simmer this whole mixture ½ hour or more before adding 2 cups corn freshly cut from cob. Cook about 15 minutes more or until all the vegetables are soft Correct the seasoning.
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