Burgoo for you

Our crock-pot...work in progress.

Jacob and I have established what we refer to as "Crock-Pot Sundays." Over the last few weeks, we have made many slow cooker favorites in our shiny new crock-pot (thanks, Min!). We have made many tasty dishes...pulled pork (that we layered onto sandwiches with plenty of onions and dill pickles), chicken noodle soup, shrimp gumbo, and the like...crock-pot meals are great for two people because you can "cook" once and eat several meals. Pretty handy.

I have to admit, prior to these Sunday afternoon cooking extravaganzas, I have never really used a crock-pot. But they are fascinating. I call it "cooking for dummies." Seriously--anyone can use one of these babies. You turn it on, add your ingredients, put on the lid, set the timer and voila! Dinner is served when you are ready to eat.

Our most recent excursion in the art of slow cooking was trying our hand at a Kentucky staple: burgoo. My favorite definition of burgoo would have to be: "the Southern stew with a strange name and secret recipes." That couldn't be more true.



A bowl of our burgoo



In a History of Kentucky class Jacob and I took in college, our professor told us that burgoo of early settlers would include wild game...and even roadkill. Yick. Probably the reason I did not try this hearty stew until just a month or so ago.  But I am sure glad that I did!

A friend and co-worker of mine (Wesley) made this recipe at our holiday progressive dinner in December 2010. Tweak it to adjust the ingredients (and/or amount) to your liking.

Need:

- 1/2 pound mixed meat (beef, lamb, pork, chicken, game, etc.)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 4 cups beef stock
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup tomatoes, diced (canned is fine)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 small green pepper, diced
- 1 potato, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1/4 cup lima beans
- 1/2 cup yellow corn
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
- salt and pepper to taste

Set crock-pot to low heat (cook for 7 or so hours) or high heat (cook for four or so hours). Add all ingredients. Put on the lid. Set timer and go about your day! 

Fresh out of the oven



The beauty of burgoo is that you can add whatever you want to it. There is no wrong answer here, people. I think this recipe would be perfect for a large gathering. We paired it with Green Chile and Corn Mini Muffins (from Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor). Ummm...there is no better remedy for a cold, dark, dreary winter day.

These muffins are UBER easy to make--really, all you need to do is mix a box of corn muffin mix (we used Jiffy) with a small can of creamed corn, small can of chopped green chiles, an egg, one cup shredded cheese and a diced (and seeded) jalepeno pepper. Drop two tablespoons of batter into mini muffin cups. Place into heated oven (400 degrees) and cook until lightly golden (17-20 minutes). Yum!

Add a little Kentucky flavor the next time you have an inkling to make a stew...and make burgoo!