Gather friends and cook in a big old pot over the fire, or make a smaller batch inside on a cold winter’s day. This recipe can be easily scaled up or down.
Course Main Course, Picnic, Stew
Cuisine American, North Carolina Goodies, Southern
4largewhite potatoespeeled and cut into small cubes
4largesweet potatoespeeled and cut into small cubes
"Stew Dressing"
1cupapple cider vinegar
¾cupketchup
¾cupsweet hot mustard
1cupbrown sugar
½cupworcestershire sauce
1cupbutter
1tablespoonpoultry seasoning
Hot sauce or crushed red pepperoptional but I do include
Instructions
For the first layer of flavor, grill beef and pork just enough to get a light "char" on all sides. (Cutting the roasts into chunks allows more exposure to the grill for charring.) These meats need not cook till done—this is just to brown and season the surfaces. Grill chicken until completely done.
Put beef and pork into large (5-gallon) pot. Add apple juice and water, enough to cover meats plus 1–2 inches. Bring to a boil, loosely cover and reduce to a slow boil. Continue simmering until meat is tender, about 1 hour. Remove meats from broth. Shred/coarsely chop. Debone, chop chicken and mince crispy skin.
Add chopped meats with remaining ingredients (except potatoes) to broth. Add 2–3 tablespoons of salt and black pepper. Bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook about 1 hour, stirring often, until butterbeans are tender and stew has cooked down a bit. Add potatoes and cook 25–30 minutes more, just until tender.
For stew dressing, which seasons and thickens stew, combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Simmer about 45 minutes until thickened, stirring frequently.
Remove stew from heat and stir in dressing. Let sit for a while for flavors to mingle. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed. Ladle into containers and let cool before covering and freezing.