Famous Alabama Camp Stew
This recipe is as old as the hills and is often known as Brunswick stew outside of my stomping grounds. Hearty and delicious this stew will fill you up and keep you and your family grinnin’ like a possum eating a sweet tater.
Famous Alabama Camp Stew
If you happen to live anywhere near Alabama and go to the grocery store to get the ingredients for this, chances are the cashier will ask “You making camp stew?”.
Mama remembers having Camp Stew as a child, around campfires, at family gatherings, and even in the school lunchroom. The name came from it being so easy to make while camping since it can be made entirely out of canned goods.
Many Variations of This Stew…
Some people add potatoes, some leave out the onion and opt only for canned goods, and others add Worcestershire or hot sauce. Add more corn, less corn, lima beans instead of butter beans, etc. This is easily modified so go with your favorites. I would try to keep the meat the same, though, because a lot of the flavor comes from the sauce in that.
However, I have seen other brands of this meat and they work just fine as well – we tend to stick with Castlebury’s but don’t let another brand be a deal breaker. Either way you go, this is one of the most delicious flavorful stews to ever touch a spoon and my friend Jyl has a firm policy in her family that she always doubles the recipe because folks can’t help but come back for seconds, thirds, and often fourths. The recipe below will serve about 6 people.
Make it how you like but I suggest trying it this way first, because you’ll likely be hooked from the get go and the first bite will tell you exactly why this stew is so famous.
Ingredients You’ll need for this Alabama Camp or Brunswick Stew Recipe Are:
- Canned Pork in BBQ sauce and Canned Beef in BBQ sauce Or 2 cans of one or the other
- Canned Chicken in water or Rotisserie works too.
- Diced tomatoes
- Butter beans or lima beans
- Canned corn
- Onion
How To Make Alabama Camp Stew also known as Brunswick Stew
Note: Peel and dice your onion. Open all your cans and don’t drain them. Toss it all in there, liquid and all. No salt or pepper is needed unless you just really want to add it but I’d suggest tasting it first.
Put all of this in a pot over medium heat and stir often until it comes to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring from time to time, for about an hour.
*If you are cooking this over a fire, just stoke the fire, put ingredients in the pot, stir it a lot, and try your best not to let the bottom scorch. Eat it when you get tired of messing with it. 🙂
Enjoy your delicious camp stew!
If you are making my Bags To Dishes meals, this is a great addition! Simply leave out the onion and the entire recipe is shelf stable.
Ingredients
- 3-14 ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 14 ounce can whole kernel corn
- 14 ounce can butter beans baby limas, or limas
- 1 onion chopped
- 2-10 ounce cans beef bbq in sauce I use Castlebury's
- 10 or 12 ounce can chicken
Instructions
- Dump all contents into a medium sized stockpot, including liquid in all of the cans.
- Place over medium heat, stirring often, and bring just to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer, stirring from time to time, for 30 minutes to an hour.
Nutrition
You may also enjoy these stew recipes:
Lentil Stew Budget Friendly & Delicious
Ground Beef Stew (with a secret!)
Chicken Stew Recipe 30 Minutes To Your Table
Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember, amateurs built the ark.
Professionals built the Titanic.
This is handy to have on hand in the winter when the power goes out here in the TN mountains. We shovel the snow out of the fire pit in the back yard, build a fire, pour the ingredients into a pot and huddle around till it is heated thru. Castleberry still makes the canned meats. If you can’t find them at your store ask them o add them to their stock. https://castleberrys.com/castleberrys-products/
Hi Christy– I’m late to the party here but pretty intrigued by this recipe. I’ve got few qualms about mixing meats as chicken and sausage gumbo is one of my faves, but I live amongst the rolling cornfields of southern Illinois where the only meat in the can at my small town grocer is Spam. This recipe looks like a great crockpot meal for the busy back to school season that’s upon us – we put up freezer corn so could I substitute that for the canned? Also would BBQ pork from our deli or rotisserie chicken shredded be okay? I enjoy your blog and I love that you serve the Lord with all your heart. Thank you!
Hi Victoria!!! It does make a great slow cooker meal, you certainly can use frozen corn and I am not sure about deli meats. In theory it should work but so have never made it with them so I can’t say for certain. I would love to hear back if you try it!!
When I couldn’t find Castleberry’s BBQ I got desperate and went to my local BBQ joint. I got a 1/2 pound BBQ Chicken, a 1/2 pound of BBQ Pork and made this with that. It worked beautifully. Couldn’t find the beef but it was still really good.
I couldn’t find the Castleberry Pork or Beef in bbq or any other brand anywhere here in N. TX. Amazon doesn’t carry it any more. The Castleberry site wants you to buy 12 cans at a time. I couldn’t even find canned beef or pork at Kroger. So I tried buying some prepared pork and beef bbq in the refrigerated department. The recipe turned out way too sweet.
I sure would like to have this in my cooking arsenal since it is so easy and apparently good. Guess I would have to add some cooked beef, cooked pork and some bbq sauce. All that makes it not as easy.
I can’t be the only one with this problem. Any ideas how to substitute Christy or anyone?
I have made this stew 3 times since I got this recipe. It’s a hit!!!!
I am glad to hear it is a hit!!!
I have made the for years I got mine out of an old Southern Bell Pioneers cookbook. I live in Atlanta and the canned bbq meat is hard to find I substitute Lloyds or Corkys but it makes it more meaty. I also put a can of creamed corn in it. Delicious!
🙂 Great idea for those that can’t find the cans, thank you so much for sharing!!
I have searched all the grocery stores in my area and none of them sell the bbq pork or beef. Could not find any canned bbq pork and beef. What would you recommend using? I was really excited to try this but now just disappointed.