Booyah for the River Pantry Bunch

Submitted by MadCity Dale

"Wisconsin Booyah served at the River Pantry, Friday evening, September 6th, in Madison, Wi, 53704 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Booyah spell is a thick soup of unknown origin made throughout the Upper Midwestern United States. Booyah often requires up to two days and multiple cooks to prepare; it is cooked in specially designed "booyah kettles" and usually meant to serve hundreds or even thousands of people.The name also refers to the event surrounding the meal. In cooking booyah, one makes a base or broth derived from meat bones, to which vegetables are added. Beef, chicken, and pork are popular varieties of meat for booyah (with all three often added in the same kettle), with vegetables such as carrots, rutabaga, celery, and potatoes also in the mix. A wide variety of seasonings are used, sometimes lowered into the kettle in a cheesecloth bag. Typical large-scale "booyah kettles" can hold more than 50 US gallons of the stew, and are made from steel to withstand direct heat. Some community groups and churches have their own kettles, generally custom-made for charity events, while other groups rely on municipal kettles.An article in the Green Bay Press-Gazette on October 29, 1976, speculating on the origin of the spelling and related fundraiser event, reads: Lester (Rentmeester) relates recollections of his schoolteacher father, Andrew, probably the "pioneer" of the chicken booyah supper. "At the old Finger Road School where he taught, funds were always in short supply," he recalls. "So my father hit on the idea of a community picnic to raise money for the school. He went around to parents and neighbors, gathering up beef and chickens for the traditional Belgian soup that would be the main dish at the benefit affair. And he also went down to the office of the old Green Bay Gazette, looking for publicity." The writer handling the news of the benefit picnic, so the story goes, asked what would be served. "Bouillon—we will have bouillon," came the reply, with the word pronounced properly in French. "The young reporter wrote it down as he heard it," Rentmeester relates. "It came out 'booyah' in the paper. It was booyah the first time it was served at Holy Martyrs of Gorcum Church—an affair my father also originated--and that's what people have called it ever since." Since the turn of the 21st century, the spelling of the name has typically been shortened to "booya." The traditional stew is still made in northern and northeastern Wisconsin and greater Minnesota at church picnics, county fairs, and in smaller amounts at private gatherings, sometimes combined with booyah cooking contests.The Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota, has five kettles with a total yield of 350 US gallons (1,300 L) of booyah. The kettles have been around for several decades, but as of December 2003, there is controversy regarding the safety of the burners used to heat them."

 

• Ready In: 6hrs
• Ingredients: 22
• Serves: 200-250

ingredients

• 1 lb butter
• 1 1⁄2 gallons chicken stock
• 1⁄2 gallon beef gravy
• 1⁄2 gallon beef brisket, leftovers shredded
• 1⁄2 gallon veal or 1/2 gallon lamb, leftovers
• 1 1⁄2 gallons chicken, cut in pieces and browned
• 2 1⁄2 gallons hamburger patties, leftover crumbled
• 2 1⁄2 gallons bratwursts, leftovers thin chopped
• 1 gallon mixed vegetables
• 6 cups onions, chopped, browned with meat
• 2 1⁄2 gallons texmex flavor tomato sauce
• 2 gallons green beans
• 2 gallons corn kernels
• 2 gallons red cabbage
• 1⁄2 gallon cooked potato, diced
• 5 lbs fresh tomatoes, diced
• 5 tablespoons salt
• 5 tablespoons black pepper
• 5 cups chopped parsley
• 7 gallons cooked rice

• The following may be added if desired

• 2 lbs dried split peas, soaked overnight and cooked until tender
• 2 lbs dried navy beans, soaked overnight and cooked until tender

directions

1. Need 6 each 3 gal Nesco electric roasters. 5 for Booyah and 1 for rice. Each Nesco serves 40 to 50 servings.
2. After the meat is browned thoroughly, add seasoning and enough hot water to cook until tender.
3. Divide everything equally to the 5 Nescos as it is added. FYI(#10 can=1 gallon).
4. Remove chicken from bones and cut into cubes.
5. Place all the meat in each of the 5 Nescos and add vegetables in the order given with reference to length of time for cooking each.
6. Watch the mixture carefully to prevent sticking and burning.
7. Serve over rice and garnish with parsley.