Buck's Eastern Carolina Brunswick Stew (Recipe)

Ingredients

1 4 to 5 pound chicken

3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 16-ounce cans tomatoes, cut up

2 16-ounce can midget-size butter beans or lima beans, drained

4 ounces salt pork, cubed

2 ounces smoked pork, cubed

1 red (hot) pepper pod

2 11-ounce cans white shoe peg corn (not yellow), drained

Steps

1. In a covered Dutch oven, cook the chicken in 6 cups of water until tender (See Tip).  Remove from heat. Transfer the chicken to a cutting surface.  Cool slightly.  Skim the fat from the surface of the stock.  Discard the fat and reserve the stock.

2. Debone and cube the chicken.

3. Return the stock to the heat and bring to boiling.  Add the cubed chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, butter beans or lima beans, salt pork, smoked pork and red pepper pod.  Simmer slowly for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally to prevent the vegetables from scorching.

4. Add the white shoe peg corn to the stew.  Cover and heat through, stirring occasionally.

Tips:

The cooking time for the chicken changes depending on whether you're using a stewing hen or a broiler-fryer.  A stewing hen will cook in about 2 hours.  A broiler-fryer will be done  in about 50 minutes.

You can substitute bacon for the salt pork and ham for the smoked pork in this recipe.

You may substitute 4 to 5 cups cooked cubed chicken and four 14-ounce cans chicken broth, and eliminate the first step.  Also omit the salt pork if you are using canned broth.

From : America's Best-Loved Community Recipes