Okay, I talked to several of my elderly Aunts who routinely make the stew. I questioned the use of chicken and all of them told me if they don't have several hogs heads then and only then do they add other meat and not just chicken but specifically a
hen or two.
The recipe I got from a lady from Brunswick , Ga did not have chicken in hers. I have never used chicken but obviously I have eated it with chicken in it.
Where I live in Va is very different than where I am from in Ga. In the grocery stores it is rare to find a capon or a hen specifically labled as such and separate from the other chicken products. When I asked why a hen and not just chicken I was told the hen had a richness to it that plain chicken lacks.
This was cooked for a large crowd of 50 - 75 family members at a time at least 4 times a year.
So, the recipe is -
5 - 7 hogs heads. Cleaned (no eyes, brain etc)
1 - 2 hens - if needed
In a xtra large stock pot add the hog heads and cover with water. Allow to slow cook for as long as 12 - 24 hours until the meat has begun to fall away.. Allow the meat and heads to cool. Pick every scrap of meat from the heads. This will be the most tender meat as it lays right against bone. Finely shred the meat. If youneed to add a hen or two slow cook the same way. Pick all the meat from the bones and chop or shred it finely and mix with the pork. You want this so fine it is almost mush but not quite! You still want to be able to see the grain of some of the tiny slivers of meat.
There isn't a specific measurement for broth but you want it a little less thick than a hearty stew but you don't want it thin like soup. You want the consistancy of 'hash' which is what this really is as it is eaten over a bed of rice.
So in a pot add back the meat(s) and enough of the broth(s) to to make a somewhat thick mix.
You want to add
2 - 4 large Vidalia onions, finely chopped
6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
Saute until the onions are clear. You may need to fine chop again or run throu a food mill before adding to the meat. You really don't want to be able to see the pieces of onion or garlic.
2 quarts of tomatoes finely chopped (remove the seeds)
Add , the onions, garlic and tomatoes to the meat and stock.
Allow to simmer and continue to thicken.
8 - 10 large potatoes finely diced
You want the potatoes to begin to cook away. There will only be slivers of potato.
Add vegetables (Since it is winter you will want frozen veggies)
sweet white cut from the cob
sometimes there is okra, sometimes not
sometimes butterbeans, sometimes not
If it is not rich enough from the tomatoes you will need to add tomato paste or ketchup. We most often use ketchup.
Salt and pepper. You have to taste it before you season it. The meat will need salt when cooking. The addition of potatoes will require salt. Tast it and add it as it is needed.
Let this cook down until it is thick. If you like a kick to it add tabasco to taste.
Serve it over a bed of rice.
You will eat yourself crazy.
I was surfing looking for a photo of what the stew I am accustomed to eating looks like and found this one.
This is NOT my photo but it looks like the stew we make.
