Yummy Low-Carb Brunswick Stew

There are certain rituals I love. Fall has quite a few for me. Yes, there's football, hunting, leaves changing color, MLB playoffs, the weather, fall fruits, and fall food. Regarding the latter, when the weather turns cool and ALCS and NLCS is happening, to spend a few hours making a big batch of Brunswick Stew. I didn’t have the time to do it before THE RED SOX WON THE ALCS (yeaaaa!), but today I finally did. Every year I make a big batch so that I can freeze a bunch of quart-sized containers. Brunswick stew makes the best quick lunch! I love having the option to throw a quart in the microwave and enjoy a hardy bowl of steamy hot goodness during the winter months. But I’ve been thinking for about three years that it would be awesome to have some low carb Brunswick stew, and I’ve looked and looked for a good low-carb recipe. When nothing tickled my fancy, I decided to come up with one myself. 

I must say…I think it was a success.

It’s basically a modified version of my old Brunswick Stew recipe with the following changes:

I replaced all the sugar with Sucralose (Splenda), the potatoes with cauliflower, and the BBQ sauce and ketchup with sugar-free varieties. I decided to keep the other sources of carbs (like corn and tomato puree), because I don’t know of an adequate substitute, but I cut the amount.

Here’s the recipe, make sure you have a HUGE pot because it makes a lot.

Chad’s Low Carb Brunswick Stew

Ready in 4-5 hours and serves 20 people

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast halves

1 large rotisserie-roasted chicken (yes, from the grocery store)

1 lb. pulled pork bbq (I bought mine from Buddy’s)

1 large onion (diced)

6 stalks celery (finely chopped)

1 bag (1 lb.) frozen shoe peg or white corn

1 bag (1 lb.) fresh frozen butter beans (the big brown/speckled kind, not the lima/green kind)

1 large (28 oz.) cans pureed tomatoes

60 oz of cauliflower half riced and half diced

1 bag (1 lbs.) fresh frozen okra 

2 cups G Hughes Sugar Free ketchup

4 tablespoons (=1/4 cup) sucralose (Splenda)

(Optional) 1 teaspoon dark molasses (to provide that brown sugar taste)

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 stick butter

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup G Hughes Sugar Free Hickory BBQ sauce

1 bay leaf

6 tablespoons (=3 oz.) salt (more if desired)

5 teaspoons course-ground black pepper (more if desired)

Directions:

In a large stock pot (this makes over 3 gallons of stew), cover chicken breasts with water and cook until tender. Remove chicken from stock (keep stock/broth in pot!) and, when the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull chicken apart, removing any gristle or fat. Pull the chicken so there aren’t any chunks larger than your thumb. While the breasts are cooking, pull all the meat off the roasted chicken in the same way.

Return all chicken and pork to pot with remaining stock. Add celery and onions, and simmer until tender. Add the cauliflower, corn, and butter beans, and simmer an additional 20 minutes.

Finally, add tomatoes, ketchup, Sucralose, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, butter, bayleaf, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Cover and simmer at least two hours. Add okra last (about an hour before serving). Remove bayleaf before serving.

Stir often and be careful not to burn the bottom!!! Nothing burns like Brunswick stew, and it ruins the whole pot!

Verdict:

I’ve got to say, I was pleasantly surprised about how good it is! I mean, I seriously think I like it as much as the original! That says a lot!! This really makes me happy. I’ll be enjoying Brunswick Stew all winter long—with no regrets!

How many carbs per serving? Here’s my math:

Meats and celery and other- 0

Onion- 10g (net 8)

Cauliflower- 84g (net 28)

Corn- 68g (net 58)

Tomato Puree- 74 (net 58)

Okra- 16 (net 0)

Butter beans- 91 (net 70)

Ketchup- 16 (net 16)

BBQ sauce- 8 (net 8)

Molasses- 5 (net 5)

Total (almost 4 gallons) - 372 (net 251)

Per quart (huge bowl full)- 23g carbs (16g net carbs)

Per cup (little bowl)- 6g carbs (4g net carbs)