Hopkins County Stew Recipes

MARY AND CHARLIE CHARLES' HOPKINS COUNTY STEW

Steps:

• Cook chicken until tender in a 10-gallon (or larger) cast iron pot outdoors, over a hardwood fire. Use just enough water to cover the chicken as it simmers. When chicken is tender, remove it from pot and reserve broth. There should be about 4 gallons left after chicken is finished cooking. Bone, skin and dice chicken into bite-sized pieces.
• Place diced chicken, cream-style corn, tomatoes, vegetable juice, tomato juice, potatoes, onions, chili powder, and seasoning salt into the pot of reserved broth and heat over open fire stirring frequently to prevent scorching until potatoes are tender. Add sugar, then season with salt and pepper, to taste. Continue to simmer stew over fire pit until serving time.
• Transfer to individual bowls and melt a small amount of butter into stew just before serving. Serve with crackers or cornbread, cheddar cheese and dill pickles.

HOPKINS COUNTY STEW FAMILY SIZE

Steps:

• Heat 4 cups water to boiling in a 5-quart saucepan on top of stove. Add chicken or cubed beef and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Reduce to medium heat and simmer until meat is tender, reserving liquid. If using chicken in your recipe, remove pieces from pan and allow cooling before boning and dicing meat.
• To reserved liquid, add potatoes and onions. If necessary, add just enough water to cover the ingredients and simmer on medium heat until potatoes are tender.
• Add diced chicken or beef, black pepper, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, chili powder, and paprika and bring to a boil.
• Add cans of whole kernel and cream-style corn while stirring stew on high heat to prevent scorching.
• Reduce heat to a simmer. If necessary, add water to bring stew to desired consistency. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring as needed.
• Other ingredients may be added to suit individual taste. Serve with saltine crackers or cornbread, cheddar cheese, and dill pickles.

HOPKINS COUNTY STEW

Steps:

• Assuming you don't have a huge iron pot, use a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot for cooking the stew. Place the chicken in a pot with the stock and salt.
• Over medium heat, simmer the chicken until it is tender and cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the chicken, and set it aside until it is cool enough to handle.
• Bring the stock to a simmer, and add the potatoes and onion. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• In the meantime, skin, bone, and shred or dice the chicken. Return it to the pot, along with the tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, paprika, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer again. Add both types of corn and the butter.
• Cover the pot and continue simmering the stew for at least 30 minutes, until it is quite thick. Stir the stew up from the bottom frequently to prevent scorching, and add a little water if it starts to get dry. Don't let it boil - that would toughen the chicken. Continue to cook very low heat for a couple of hours.
• This stew is tasty with cornbread. In Hopkins County, though, it's usually served with fistful of crackers, slices of cheese, and plenty of pickles.

HOPKINS COUNTY STEW #2

Steps:

• Fry the bacon in a large kettle; add butter and chicken and saute' until browned.
• Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer.
• When cooked indoors, cook for at least 4 hours, covering, stirring occasionally. After about 1 hour of cooking, Remove the chicken and bone it. Then dice the meat and return it to the kettle.
• Enough for 8 to 10 persons, depending on whether you are a thresher or a file clerk.
• For a large crowd, cook in an iron wash pot outside.