Burgoo

Burgoo is a savory stew made from a varying array of ingredients, often cooked in enormous iron kettles outdoors over an open flame. Cooking can take as long as 30 hours and flavor improves as it ages. The current self-proclaimed center of the burgoo universe is Owensboro, Kentucky. It is believed that the word "burgoo" originated during the 17th century on the high seas. Sailors subsisted on an oatmeal-like porridge made from the Middle-Eastern grain, bulgur (or bulghur) wheat. The term first appears in the 1650 book "Adventures by Sea" by Edward Coxere.

• Ready In: 0 mins
• Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 3  lbs broiler chickens
• 2  lbs beef shank (Cross-cuts)
• 12  cups water
• 1  tablespoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 6  slices bacon
• 2 (28 ounce) cans tomatoes
• 1  cup  peeled, cubed potato
• 2  cups  coarsely chopped carrots
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1  cup  chopped celery
• 1  cup  chopped green pepper
• 2  tablespoons  packed dark brown sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  crushed  dried red pepper
• 4  whole cloves
• 2  cloves garlic, minced
• 1  bay leaf
• 4  ears  fresh sweet corn (scraped from cob)
• 2 (16 ounce) cans butter beans
• 10  ounces frozen cut okra
• 2⁄3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In 10-quart Dutch oven or stock pot combine chicken, beef cross cuts, water, salt and pepper.
2. Cover and cook til meat is tender, about 1 hour.
3. Remove chicken and beef from broth, reserving broth. Remove chicken and beef from bones; discard skin and bones.
4. Cube beef and chicken; set aside.
5. Cook bacon until crisp; drain, reserving drippings. Crumble bacon, set aside.
6. To reserved broth in Dutch oven, add cubed beef, undrained tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, green pepper, sugar, red pepper, cloves, garlic,and bay leaf.
7. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring often. Remove cloves and bay leaf.
8. With knife, make cuts down center of each row of corn kernels and scrape off of cobs.
9. Add corn, cubed chicken, undrained beans, and okra to Dutch oven; simmer 20 minutes.
10. Blend flour and reserved bacon drippings; stir into stew.
11. Cook until stew thickens. Salt to taste.
12. Garnish with parsley and serve hot with baking powder biscuits for a great meal.