Squirrel Brunswick Stew

2–3 squirrels, cleaned & quartered (check for shot)
2 Tbsp oil or bacon fat · 1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves · 4 cups stock or water
1 smoked ham hock or a few strips bacon (for depth)
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (or 3 cups fresh)
2 cups corn · 1½ cups lima (or butter) beans
2 potatoes, diced
2 Tbsp Worcestershire · 1 Tbsp cider vinegar · hot sauce to taste
bay leaf · salt · pepper · smoked paprika

What you need

2–3 squirrels, cleaned & quartered (check for shot)

2 Tbsp oil or bacon fat · 1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves · 4 cups stock or water

1 smoked ham hock or a few strips bacon (for depth)

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (or 3 cups fresh)

2 cups corn · 1½ cups lima (or butter) beans

2 potatoes, diced

2 Tbsp Worcestershire · 1 Tbsp cider vinegar · hot sauce to taste

bay leaf · salt · pepper · smoked paprika

Brown the squirrel. Pat dry, season, and brown the pieces in the fat in a heavy pot; set aside. Soften the onion and garlic in the drippings.
Simmer it tender. Return the squirrel; add the stock, ham hock, bay, and a little salt. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and cook low 1½–2 hours until the meat pulls off the bone easily. Don't rush it — tough game only softens with time.
Pull the meat. Lift out the squirrel (and hock), cool a little, and pick all the meat off the bones, shredding it. Discard bones; return meat to the pot.
Build the stew. Add the tomatoes, corn, lima beans, potatoes, Worcestershire, vinegar, and paprika. Simmer uncovered 45–60 min until thick and the potatoes are soft — Brunswick stew should be spoon-thick, not soupy.
Finish. Taste hard for salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Even better the next day. Serve with cornbread or crusty bread.

Steps — tap one to keep your place

1. Brown the squirrel. Pat dry, season, and brown the pieces in the fat in a heavy pot; set aside. Soften the onion and garlic in the drippings.

2. Simmer it tender. Return the squirrel; add the stock, ham hock, bay, and a little salt. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and cook low 1½–2 hours until the meat pulls off the bone easily. Don't rush it — tough game only softens with time.

3. Pull the meat. Lift out the squirrel (and hock), cool a little, and pick all the meat off the bones, shredding it. Discard bones; return meat to the pot.

4. Build the stew. Add the tomatoes, corn, lima beans, potatoes, Worcestershire, vinegar, and paprika. Simmer uncovered 45–60 min until thick and the potatoes are soft — Brunswick stew should be spoon-thick, not soupy.

5. Finish. Taste hard for salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Even better the next day. Serve with cornbread or crusty bread.

✨ Untested — Claude drafted this one from scratch; it hasn't been cooked and amended in our kitchen yet, so treat the amounts as a starting point. Low salt — salt at the end and taste as you go; broth, cheese, and canned goods already bring salt.