Burgoo

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Burgoo is a term used for many types of stew made from a mixture of ingredients.

In particular, burgoo is a traditional Kentuckian stew, served commonly at the Kentucky Derby. It is a hodge podge of ingredients and most recipes call for a minimum 24-hour cook time. At the Derby it is served from massive iron pots into paper cups with crackers. Some people use the saltine crackers to eat the whole cup of burgoo like a dip. Churches in parts of Kentucky use burgoo much like other churches across the nation use chili for fundraising.

It is believed that the word "burgoo" originated in the 17th century on the high seas. These sailors used to subsist 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.

1 Recipe
2 See also
3 External links

[edit] Recipe

No standardized recipe exists, but it is a combination of at least three things. The meat is usually mutton, but could have been any game animal during the Civil War. For example, the Hilltop Inn of Evansville, Indiana (as featured on Alton Brown's Feasting on Asphalt television special) serves a variety made with squirrel meat[1]. Vegetables such as lima beans, corn, okra and potatoes have always been popular. A thickening agent of cornmeal, ground beans or whole wheat is all that most cookbook recipes use today, but it is traditional to add soup bones for taste and thickening.

The ingredients are combined together in order of time needed to cook to the same doneness, with meat usually going in first and thickening agents last. A good burgoo is said to be able to have a spoon stand up in it. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and other savory spices dominate much like in Cincinnati chili; however, nowadays it is typical to have a vinegar hot sauce or dry chili powder available for people to spice up their own bowl.

Increasingly, a combination of beef, pork and chicken is used as a substitute for lamb.

Burgoo is a spicy stew that has its roots in the Irish or mulligan stew. Traditionally, the idea was to make a stew using whatever meats and vegetables were available and in good supply. That meant game meats, deer, but also squirrel, possum, meat from game birds or whatever the hunt brought back. The local Kentucky barbecue restaurants use meats left over from their barbecuing — typically, pork, beef or lamb — as the basis for burgoos that change depending on what meats happen to be left over. There are many jokes in Kentucky about collecting "road kill" as meat for making burgoo.

Kentucky burgoo recipes are somewhat like chili recipes, in that there are many different recipes each calling for different set of ingredients. The burgoo recipe that follows takes advantage of some of these same traditions, except that the meats are whatever happens to be on sale at the local grocery. The recipe takes three days to prepare: one day to boil and de-bone the pork and beef, a second day to prepare the carrots and potatoes and roast the meats, and a third day (serving day) to bring everything together. The long cooking on the third day is a flavor secret.

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To serve 20, about 5 pounds (roughly 2 kg) of meat is required (uncooked boneless weight). Some possibilities include beef chuck roast, roast sirloin, beef round, Boston butt pork, or country style pork ribs. If you use Boston butt with a bone in, have the butcher slice in 3/4-inch (2 cm) thick slices. The chuck roast or roast sirloin should also be cut into 3/4 inch strips. Chuck roast tends to be stringier than the sirloin or beef round. Use about equal amounts of pork and beef. Chicken is optional. Skinless boneless chicken breast works well.

[edit] Day 1

Simmer and de-bone the meat.
In stock pots simmer the pork and the beef each separately for 45 minutes to an hour until the meat is tender enough to come off the bones easily.
To the water, add salt and Italian seasoning.
Roast the pork and the beef in separate pans. Be careful to remove all the small bones from the meat after the boiling is complete. Put each meat in a separate low pan for roasting pan.
From each boil reserve the stock which you will be using on Day 2. Combine the stocks into a single stock pot. Put the stock in the refrigerator.

[edit] Day 2

Peel and dice 3 pounds (1.25 kg) potatoes and a pound of carrots.
Cut the carrots in small slices (do not use the pre-cleaned mini-carrots, as they lack flavor)
Remove stock from refrigerator and discard the white fat layer that may have formed on the top. Reserve one third of the stock, and put the remaining stock in a large pot and add the potatoes, carrots, and a little more salt. Add to this 2 small (14.5 oz) cans or one large (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes. Cook potatoes and carrots 20 minutes or so, leaving them a bit undercooked so that the potatoes are not mushy.
Return the potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, and stock to the refrigerator.

Roast the meats. Lay the meats out in separate pans. Add a little of the remaining reserved stock to keep the meats moist. Lightly cover the pans with foil and roast for 3 hours or longer at 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 °C). Watch the meats so they don't dry out and keep adding some of the remaining stock as needed.
After an hour and a half of roasting the beef, cover it with a small jar of medium salsa (16 ounces) and a small chopped onion that has been previously browned in canola oil.
To the pork, after baking for an hour and a half, cover with a mixture consisting of an eight-ounce can of tomato sauce, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup of commercial hickory smoke barbecue sauce. Continue to roast for another hour and a half.
Lightly browned chicken breast can be covered with a can of crushed tomatoes when roasting. The already browned chicken will take less time to roast.
When the roasting is complete, return the roasted meats to the refrigerator.

[edit] Day 3—Final cooking and serving

For the final cooking, there are a number of options. The ideal pot is a Dutch oven style portable roaster, though several crock pots would work. Alternately, a large turkey roaster that you can put in your oven will work.
At least 3 hours preparation time is required.
Combine the potato-carrot tomato mixture along with the meats. To this, add one can whole kernel corn, one can of green beans and bag of frozen Lima beans. The other traditional vegetable is okra, so you can add as much as an entire bag of frozen okra. To this add a large can of tomato or V8 Juice. Adjust the recipe by adding additional vegetables or tomato juice. (Do not use green peas, as they fall apart in the long cooking.)
All of these parts are cooked for another three hours at 275 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (130 to 150 °C), stirring occasionally. Alternately, the mix can all go in a roaster in the oven.

Cornbread or corn muffins are served on the side.