The Soup Kitchen: Kentucky Burgoo

 I know most people make soup mostly during the fall and winter when its warmer. But I have found that soup is a great way to make lunch in bulk. I can make one batch of soup and eat on it all week. So, I am starting a new series called the Soup Kitchen. This will feature soups that I am making. Today's soup is one I have wanted to make for a while. Kentucky Burgoo is sort of like an Irish stew or a thick vegetable meat stew. They key for it to be a burgoo is that you must use three different types of meat. Usually it is beef, pork, and chicken but you can use any combination you like. 

First you will need to choose your cuts of meat and sear them to start the cooking process and brown a bit. For my burgoo I used bacon, pork shoulder, and boneless skinless chicken thighs. Now if you have the ninja multicooker you can sear the meat right in the pot but if not, you will need to use a skillet or Dutch oven. Once the meat is seared you can add it to your slow cooker. You will want 8 slices of bacon crumbled, 3-3.5 lbs. of pork shoulder cubed and trimmed, and 3-4 boneless skinless chicken thighs. Salt and pepper the meat prior to searing. 

The ingredients:

8 slices bacon

olive oil

3-3.5lb of pork shoulder trimmed and cubed

3-4 boneless skinless chicken thighs

salt and pepper

1 small to medium onion diced

1 green bell pepper diced

24 oz. small gold potatoes quartered.

1 TBSP poultry seasoning (I used a Rivierra seasoning blend)

10-12 oz frozen sliced okra

10-12 oz frozen corn

10-12 oz frozen lima beans

6 garlic cloves minced or grated

2 heaping tsp of better than bouillon (any kind, I used chicken)

28 oz crushed tomatoes

32 oz chicken broth

1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp cayenne

pinch of bay seasoning or bay leaf

2 TBSP masa harina

The recipe:

Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker except the masa harina. 

Set slow cooker on Hi and cook for 4 hours. (Or low for 8 hours)

After 3 hours add the masa harina to thicken the stew. If you don't have masa harina you can use a cornstarch flurry. 

Burgoo is traditionally served with bread, biscuits, or cornbread.

This can be made a bit healthier by sticking to leaner meats like chicken and turkey. It can be more budget friendly by using pork instead of beef. The vegetables used are not strict you can change them up a bit. It would be really good with peas and green beans as well.