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The Melting Pot
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1800s-present - Kentucky camp cooks, community fundraisers, and Southern stew crews
Burgoo is Kentucky gathering food, cooked in big kettles for barbecues, political events, church fundraisers, Derby parties, and camps. Its origins are murky, with links to frontier stews, ragout, and communal cooking, but its identity is unmistakably Kentucky.
Difficulty
Moderate
Prep time
30 minutes
Cook time
2 hours
Total time
2 hours 30 minutes
Servings
10 servings
Region
Kentucky and the Upper South
Era introduced
1800s-present
Introduced by
Kentucky camp cooks, community fundraisers, and Southern stew crews
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Burgoo traditionally scales up to huge kettles and long paddles, but a home pot can keep the same spirit. Older versions used whatever meats were available, including game; modern versions often combine chicken, beef, and pork with tomatoes, corn, lima beans, potatoes, and cabbage or okra. The stew should be thick enough that the vegetables and shredded meat nearly merge.
Drafted with Kentucky burgoo context from Kentucky Living (https://www.kentuckyliving.com/explore/kentucky-burgoo-a-camp-cooks-favorite), community-stew history from Downton Abbey Cooks (https://downtonabbeycooks.com/history-of-kentucky-burgoo/), and Food Network burgoo context (https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/burgoo-11654551).
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