If you’ve ever spent time in and around Kentucky, especially during Derby time, there’s a chance you’ve tasted burgoo. The rich and hearty stew is one of the best Kentucky recipes and a regional specialty around the Bluegrass State and parts of Illinois and the Ohio River Valley. Learn all about the origins, ingredients and methods of making burgoo for your own Kentucky Derby party (or anytime!).
What is burgoo?
During the Kentucky Derby, you’ll see (and smell!) burgoo cooking in big kettles over open flames for community events, parties and fundraisers, with every cook touting their recipe as the best. There are more versions than anyone can count, with families and home cooks handing burgoo recipes through the generations.
Chock-full of meats, vegetables and spices, some race-goers insist on a bowl of burgoo and a glass of Kentucky bourbon before the big event for luck. But it’s also a year-round staple served at local barbecue joints throughout the state.
What ingredients are in burgoo?
Burgoo can be made with any combination of ingredients, but it’s usually at least three meats and plenty of vegetables like corn, potatoes and lima beans. Some Kentucky burgoo recipes call for cabbage, and some don’t (ours does). There might be a splash of whiskey or other secret ingredients. In general, it’s a good fridge-clearing stew you can eat for days.
At one time, huge community vats were made with ingredients brought by locals, which could be anything raised on the farm or killed in the wild—from chicken and mutton to rabbit, pheasant, squirrel and possum. Now you’re more likely to see Kentucky burgoo made with pork, beef and chicken, like the recipe we’re using here.
Where did burgoo come from?
Like other regional stews across America—including Brunswick stew in the South, booyah in the upper Midwest and New Orleans gumbo—the origin story of burgoo is rife with lore.
Some say it was an import from England in the 1800s; others point to a French chef named Gustave Jaubert as the originator sometime before the Civil War. The word “burgoo” has been documented as far back as the 18th century, possibly Welsh in origin. But it could also simply be a mispronunciation of “bird stew” or “barbecue.”
Anyway you stir it, burgoo is a delicious, rich, thick and soul-fulfilling meal. It takes time to cook, but after one bite you’ll see that it’s worth every minute.
How to Make Kentucky Burgoo
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder butt roast, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
- 2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
- 3 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 celery ribs, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large green pepper, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cartons (32 ounces each) reduced-sodium beef broth
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2-1/2 cups frozen lima beans (about 12 ounces)
- 2-1/2 cups frozen corn (about 12 ounces)
- 2 cups finely chopped cabbage
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Hot pepper sauce, optional
Directions
Step 1: Brown the meats and soften the vegetables
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In a large stockpot, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Start with the pork, browning it on all sides in batches. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside, then repeat with the beef and chicken.
After browning the meat, in the same pot, heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion and green pepper. Cook and stir until tender, five to seven minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute longer.
Step 2: Add broth and simmer
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Add the beef broth, stirring to loosen all the tasty browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Then add the tomatoes, bay leaves, salt, thyme and black pepper. Return the meat to the pot and bring everything to a boil. Then reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer until the meat is very tender, about two hours.
Step 3: Shred the chicken
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Remove the chicken to a plate. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Shred that tender meat into bite-size pieces and return to the pot.
Step 4: Add vegetables and finish the stew
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Add the potatoes, lima beans, corn and cabbage, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Discard bay leaves and stir in Worcestershire sauce and vinegar.
Step 5: Serve
Ladle the burgoo into deep bowls. Don’t forget the hot sauce (if you like), plus cornbread or crusty bread on the side.
Tips for Making Burgoo
What do you serve with burgoo?
This is a stick-to-your-ribs kind of stew that needs something for sopping up the delicious meats and vegetables. Cornbread, corn muffins and biscuits are the most traditional, but a good crusty bread works too.
Does burgoo make good leftovers?
Absolutely! It tastes even better the next day or two, too. And since just about every burgoo recipe makes a lot of servings, there’s a good chance you’ll have leftovers. Burgoo can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to four days.
Can you freeze burgoo?
Burgoo can be stored in airtight containers in the freezer for four to six months. Reheat in a pot on the stove instead of the microwave.
These Comforting Stews Will Fill You Right Up
Slow-Cooker Beef Stew
Traditional beef stew recipes have to simmer for hours, but we use a slow cooker to make this recipe more hands-off. Brown the stew meat before adding it to the slow cooker to add caramelized flavor to the finished dish.
Go to Recipe
Irish Beef StewIt doesn't get any more classic than Irish beef stew. The recipe contains a lot of ingredients, but don't be intimidated: They all come together to create a dish that you'll be talking about for a while. We especially like the addition of a dark stout beer (like Guinness), which adds a deeply roasted flavor.
Cowboy StewWhat's not to love about a one-pot stew recipe that's ready to serve in 30 minutes? You only need five simple ingredients to make it: ground beef, baked beans, sliced hot dogs, barbecue sauce and Parmesan cheese. Other sausages work well instead of hot dogs, so use
chorizo or andouille sausage if that's what you have on hand.
Kielbasa Cabbage StewKielbasa is a smoked Polish sausage made with garlic and spices, and it's the base of this hearty and warming stew. Two cups of shredded cabbage might look like a lot when you're putting it into the pot, but it will cook down to a manageable amount by the time the potatoes are cooked through.
Red Flannel StewThis stew gets its name from the beets that release their deep red hue into the cooking liquid as it simmers. Keep in mind that the corned beef is quite salty, so you won't need to add too much seasoning. The root vegetables should take in a lot of the salt, but you can soak the corned beef in water for 12 hours before cooking if you're salt sensitive.
Traditional Lamb StewWhen you're in the mood for a classic meat-and-potatoes recipe, this is the stew to make. If you can find it, look for lamb shoulder for this recipe. It becomes very tender when braised, taking this stew to the next level.
Southern Okra Bean StewOne of our favorite vegetarian stew recipes becomes rich and thick with the addition of
okra. This vegetable has a reputation for being quite slimy, but acidity from the tomatoes tempers its weird texture. If you anticipate making leftovers, keep the rice on the side to preserve the stew's texture upon reheating.
Pork and Hominy StewIn the southwestern U.S., this stew is called posole or pozole for the Nahuatl word for "foam" (referring to the shape of the corn as it cooks). Hominy looks like corn, but it's bigger with a chewier texture. The stew is rich and savory, and it achieves the perfect flavor when garnished with avocado and lime.
Moroccan Vegetable StewThis stew is loved by vegetarians and omnivores alike! It's impossible to miss all the incredible flavors: buttery chickpeas, sweet butternut squash, creamy potatoes, acidic tomatoes and rich zucchini. Serve this stew with a side of
pita bread and finish it with a dollop of yogurt.
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mashed potatoes.
Skillet Chicken StewWe don't always have time to spend all day cooking, so we love having stew recipes like this one in our back pocket. It's amazing how much flavor can come from so few ingredients! Dredging the chicken in flour before it's cooked is a great shortcut to thickening the stew without making a roux.
Tuscan Pork StewThis saucy stew gets its flavoring from red wine, fennel, black pepper and an unusual secret ingredient: orange marmalade. After several hours in the slow cooker, the pork becomes oh-so-soft and tender. Be sure to serve this one with a side of bread to sop up all the extra sauce, or serve it over thick noodles like fettuccine.
Squash and Lentil Lamb StewThere's nothing traditional about this recipe, but the ingredients come together to create an exotic dish that's fun and enticing. The savory lamb, sweet squash and grassy spinach are perfectly balanced by the sauce (a combination of coconut milk, peanut butter, red curry paste and hoisin sauce). Finish it off with a squeeze of fresh lime, and you'll find yourself craving this stew on the regular!
Mainly Mushroom Beef CarbonnadeA carbonnade is a beef stew cooked in beer, but this recipe gives the classic a twist by adding a ton of portobello mushrooms. These mushrooms maintain their meaty texture as they cook and absorb the seasonings in the cooking liquid to become little flavor bombs. You won't be sorry if you add more mushrooms than the recipe calls for!
Cabbage Roll StewWe love
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Slow-Cooked Stuffed Pepper StewHere's another classic recipe that's been turned into a stew. Instead of going through the effort of steaming and stuffing peppers, simply toss the ingredients into the slow cooker and let it do its thing.
Italian Shredded Pork StewThis stew recipe has a lot going on between all the vegetables, beans and shredded pork, so we were surprised at how simple it was to make. The pork shoulder becomes tender and shreddable in the slow cooker, but it will also release a lot of fat. Be sure to
skim that fat from the top of the stew before serving it to avoid a greasy finish.
Lentil and Pasta StewThe combination of smoked sausage, ditalini pasta and lentils creates a hearty dish that's perfect for a cold day. Ditalini is a very short, tube-shaped pasta that's small enough to fit on a soup spoon. Feel free to substitute another small
pasta shape if you can't find it, like mini shells, tubetinni or macaroni.
Tuscan Portobello StewThe beans and vegetables are the stars of this vegan stew, but you won't notice anyone complaining—it tastes that good! Our recipe uses chopped fresh kale, but feel free to substitute your favorite leafty green, like spinach or Swiss chard. The stew is naturally gluten-free, but it tastes great with a side of
crusty bread if allergens aren't a concern.
Turkey Biscuit StewNeed to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey? Make this warming stew recipe! The recipe calls for baking biscuits on top of the stew to create a flaky topping, but you can bake them on the side if you're making the stew in advance.
Slow-Cooked Meatball StewMeatballs aren't a typical stew ingredient, but we think they should be after trying this meatball stew recipe. It's a great way to use up frozen meatballs, which become soft and tender as they cook in the beefy, tomatoey soup. We recommend using small or mini meatballs, so each bowl gets a plentiful amount.
Weekday Beef StewThis stew recipe uses a grocery store shortcut to ensure you can make it any night of the week. Refrigerated beef roast au jus comes cooked and ready to shred, so all you have to do is combine the ingredients and heat them through. Top it off by baking a sheet of puff pastry to take the flavors to the next level.
Squash & Chicken StewStew is generally rich and hearty, but it doesn't always feel that healthy. This version uses chicken and butternut squash to create a flavorful but nutritious combination. As a bonus, it looks absolutely gorgeous when scooped into a bowl with pearl couscous.
Spicy Seafood StewIf you like things spicy, this stew recipe is for you! The soup base is made in the slow cooker using
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Great Northern Bean StewThis recipe cuts down on the cooking time by using bulk pork sausage, and the flavors come together in less than an hour. The type of sausage you purchase will affect how the dish eats: Regular pork sausage brings a rich, porky flavor while hot Italian sausage will give the stew a spicy bite.
Turkey Cabbage StewMove over, ground beef. There's a new star in town! This ground turkey stew combines lean meat with chopped cabbage, tomatoes and spices to create a bowl that's both delicious and easy to make. You can freeze any leftovers for later, but you'll want to add a little liquid when reheating to get the right texture.
Pressure-Cooker Beef StewCompared to the slow cooker, an electric pressure cooker makes quick work of transforming a boneless beef chuck roast into a pile of tender shredded beef. After pressure-cooking on high for 40 minutes,
let the pressure release naturally while you chop the vegetables. While the roast is resting, the stew will finish cooking in only 8 minutes.
Black-Eyed Pea Sausage StewIf you've never tried black-eyed peas, you'll want to add this recipe to your weeknight dinner plan. These dense, creamy beans taste fantastic when combined with smoky sausage and sweet corn. The beefy tomato sauce base really brings it all together, creating a rich and comforting bowl that's ready to eat in just 30 minutes.
Venison StewWhile most people think of deer when they hear venison, the term technically refers to any game meat—from elk to antelope to wild boar. If you don't have a hunter in your life, seek out venison stew meat at your local butcher shop.
Brunswick StewGeorgia and Virginia have both claimed they're the birthplace of this famous stew, with Georgia versions featuring pork and Virginia's including chicken. Ours contains both along with beef to create a stew that's filling enough to serve as a main meal. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't serve it the traditional way—as a side for ribs along with coleslaw, potato salad and baked beans.
Lentil Pepperoni StewTurkey pepperoni nicely spices this thick lentil stew with rich tomato broth. This is a stick-to-your-ribs mainstay at our house.
Apple Chicken StewThis stew is perfect for crisp fall days when the leaves have turned colors and orchards harvest apples at a breakneck pace. It contains apple cider in the broth for a deep apple flavor, and cubes of tart apple (like Granny Smith) to infuse the fruit into every bite.
Jamaican-Style Beef StewThe aroma of this Jamaican-style beef stew will fill the entire house, causing stomachs to grumble with hunger long before the stew is ready. We use leaner top sirloin in this recipe, which has a more beef-forward flavor compared to stew meat, and it takes a fraction of the time to become tender.
