I’d never heard of such a thing as Brunswick stew until recently, but once I learned about it, I knew I had to veganize it. Do you guys know about this stuff? Maybe you grew up eating it?
What is Brunswick Stew?
Brunswick stew is a southern stew that’s traditionally made with lots of meat, barbecue sauce, and a couple of veggies — usually corn and lima beans. If you love the flavor of barbecue, then this hearty stew is for you. When I plopped a bowl of this vegan version in front of my husband and informed him that it was called “Brunswick stew,” he thought he was about to eat a British-inspired recipe. (Somehow he didn’t notice the okra or the fact that the entire house smelled like barbecue?!) As you can imagine, he was pretty blown away by the flavor!
How to Make Vegan Brunswick Stew
Most traditional Brunswick stew recipes call for pulled pork, and some have one or two other varieties of meat. So I decided to go with a mix for my vegan version: jackfruit for the pulled pork element, and crumbled tempeh for a little something else. Start by heating up some oil in a pot. Add an onion and cook it until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. You can prep your tempeh and jackfruit while the onion cooks: crumble the tempeh, drain and rinse your jackfruit. (For more details on how to work with jackfruit, check out my vegan pulled pork sandwich recipe.) Add the tempeh and jackfruit to the pot and cook them with the onion for about 5 minutes, to begin tenderizing the jackfruit and browning the tempeh. Now add the garlic and cook everything for about a minute more.
Stir in some broth, followed by a can of diced tomatoes, some barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, and okra. Bring the stew up to a simmer and let it cook for about a half hour, until the base is thick and the okra is tender. Stir in some thawed frozen corn and lima beans during the last couple of minutes.
Take your stew off of the burner and season it with salt and pepper to taste. I like to add some hot sauce as well!
If you can’t get ahold of tempeh and/or jackfruit, or you just don’t like either ingredient, feel free to make substitutions. Try beans or lentils, crumbled tofu, or even cauliflower. Same goes for the veggies! Not into lima beans? Can’t find okra? Double up on the corn, or use something else, like peas or cauliflower. Get creative! Be sure to use unripe jackfruit. It may be labeled as “young” or “green” jackfruit. This is important, as ripe jackfruit will be too sweet! Is this stew gluten-free? It is if you use a gluten-free barbecue sauce! Leftover storage: leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 days, or in the freezer for 3 months. How is Brunswick stew served? I simply served mine with some corn muffins. Cornbread or beer bread would work well too. I hear it’s sometimes served with a side of coleslaw.
Like this recipe? If so, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter. And please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you make it!
