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It’s the perfect weeknight dinner, football fare, or potluck dish!
Crockpot Brunswick stew is both simple and easy to put together — trust me, you can’t mess it up! Enjoy a bowl for a hearty, comforting meal.
One-pot meals are the best, and one-pot slow cooker meals are even better! There’s nothing more satisfying than dumping ingredients into the slow cooker before leaving for work and returning home to the aroma of a delicious, no-fuss dinner.
Pulled pork, diced tomatoes, and a variety of frozen vegetables simmer for hours in a mixture of chicken broth and crushed tomatoes. There’s also some barbecue sauce and a few tablespoons of brown sugar for a smoky, sweet result!
If you love this easy Brunswick stew, try this rich beef alternative on the stovetop. You can also use your slow cooker for my Tex-Mex Chili or any of these savory soups!
Key ingredients & substitutions for Crockpot Brunswick Stew
- Pulled pork — Traditional recipes start by cooking and shredding a pork roast or shoulder, but you can get an easy jump start by using leftovers instead — either homemade or from your favorite restaurant. A shredded rotisserie chicken is a great substitute as well.
- Frozen vegetables — I prefer to thaw mine so I can drain off any extra liquid first. Simply place them in the refrigerator the night before. If you can’t find lima beans, substitute butter beans instead.
- Potatoes — Young potatoes such as baby red or Yukon gold have tender skins so you don’t need to peel them!
- Barbecue sauce — Stick with bottled so there’s no need to measure. Hickory flavor is a good choice for this easy Brunswick stew recipe.
tips
- If you want to use fresh veggies, you’ll need about one cup of sliced okra and two ears’ worth of corn kernels, sliced off of the cob.
- For a thicker consistency, stir in a tablespoon of cornstarch during the last few minutes of cooking.
How to make easy Brunswick stew?
STEP 1 | Get everything prepped
Spray the crock pot with cooking spray for easier clean up. Coarsely chop the meat, then dice the potatoes and onion.
STEP 2 | Stir it all together
Place the meat on the bottom of the pot, then add in the remaining ingredients. Place the lid on top.
STEP 3 | Cook on Low
It should take about 8 to 10 hours, but start checking the potatoes towards the end. Once they can be easily pierced with a fork, it’s ready! You can also speed up the process by cooking this for 4 to 5 hours on High instead.
tip
- Want to make this on the stovetop instead? It’s easy to do and only takes about 30 minutes.
- In a large Dutch oven, bring the meat, tomatoes, broth, and potatoes to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cover with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring the mixture back to a boil. Then, reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are warmed through, about 5 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Also known as “hunter’s stew,” it’s a tomato-based dish with lima or butter beans, vegetables, and meat – often chicken or pork. In this version, using a variety of frozen veggies means minimal prep work for a hearty meal!
Yes — any cooked stews with meat and potatoes can be frozen for up to a month. Allow the dish to cool, then transfer to an airtight container and leave some room at the top for the liquid to expand.
To reheat frozen stews, place the container in warm water for about 5 minutes before emptying it into a saucepan. Warm over medium-low heat until completely defrosted, letting it get hot and bubbly.
Stick with reheating it in the microwave or on the stovetop. The cold dish will not heat up quickly enough in the crock pot, possibly allowing harmful bacteria to breed.
Serving suggestions
Pair crockpot Brunswick stew with a crusty bread loaf, a skillet of cornbread, or Mexican cornbread muffins to soak up every delicious drop of the zesty, barbecue-flavored broth.
Some people also like serving coleslaw on the side, and you can never go wrong with a simple, leafy green salad!
Crockpot Brunswick stew: behind the recipe
I first shared this recipe as a contributor for The Weary Chef back in 2016, and it’s still one of my favorite slow-cooker meals.
Since then, I’ve tweaked a few things so it’s easier to “set it and forget it” and I’ve also added instructions for quicker stove top cooking.
If you need to feed a larger group, this recipe is what you need! It makes eight healthy servings so there’s plenty for guests, or you can reheat leftovers for another meal later in the week.
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Crockpot Brunswick Stew
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 lbs. pulled pork
- 6 – 8 baby red or Yukon Gold potatoes diced
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 18 oz. bottle barbecue sauce
- 1 14 oz. can chicken broth
- 1 9 oz. pkg. frozen baby lima beans (thawed)
- 1 9 oz. pkg. sxfrozen corn (thawed)
- 1 cup frozen sliced okra thawed
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Slow Cooker:
- Lightly coat the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
- Coarsely chop the meat and place in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Stir in the potatoes, onion, tomatoes, barbecue sauce, chicken broth, lima beans, corn, okra, brown sugar and salt.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours (or on HIGH 4 to 5 hours), until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Ladle the stew into bowls and serve.
Stove Top:
- In a large Dutch oven, combine the coarsely chopped pulled pork, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, and diced potatoes over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cover with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- To the pot, add the barbecue sauce, onion, lima beans, corn, okra, and brown sugar. Stir well. Increase the heat to high to quickly bring the mixture back to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat. Season with the salt and pepper.
- Simmer for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are warmed through. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You may substitute pulled chicken or rotisserie chicken for the pulled pork, or use a mixture of pork and chicken.
- Substitute 2 ears fresh corn (cut off the cob) for the frozen corn.
- Substitute 1 cup fresh sliced okra for the frozen okra.
- If the stew is not as thick as you like, add a tablespoon of cornstarch during the last few minutes of cooking.
- Brunswick stew will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- You can freeze Brunswick Stew leftovers (and other cooked stews with meat and potatoes) for up to a month.
- To reheat frozen stew, set the container in warm water for 5 minutes or so, then empty into a saucepan and heat over medium low heat until completely defrosted, hot and bubbly.
Nutrition
About Sheila Thigpen
Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer
Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author of Easy Chicken Cookbook and The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts. As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.
