What Meat Is Used In Kentucky's Cozy Burgoo Stew?

If you're not from Kentucky or the surrounding areas, you're probably not familiar with the word burgoo, but surely you've experienced your own form of a burgoo-esque meal. Picture a hearty, warm concoction simmering in a large pot, surrounded by friends and family at a gathering — that's the essence this traditional stew recipe passed down in Kentucky families for generations. Although the exact origins are unknown, burgoos were once made with whatever ingredients were available at the time, making them an easy meal for struggling families. It usually consists of a smorgasbord of meats, vegetables, and potatoes and is often eaten at large gatherings where different partygoers could add their own flair. That said, there's no singular recipe for burgoo, and it has been made with everything from small game like squirrel and rabbit, to venison and mutton. But burgoos of today are typically made with a few different meats that serve as the stars of this nourishing dish.

Although there's no "right" way to make a burgoo, most recipes today call for some combination of chicken, pork, beef, sausage, and sometimes lamb as well. Overall, the goal tends to be the heartier and more filling the better, so fattier cuts like chicken thighs, pork shoulder or butt, and chuck are all welcome additions. Those cuts of meat are extremely rich and flavorful and act as a perfect base for burgoo where the added potatoes and vegetables like okra, carrots, and lima beans will soak in all of the residual juices.

With it being such a flexible recipe, burgoo certainly cannot be limited to certain cuts of meat or flavors. Many barbecue restaurants in Kentucky now serve their own unique burgoos, and the meats in them run the gambit. You might even find a breakfast-style burgoo replete with grits and eggs. The Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn in Owensboro, Kentucky, meanwhile, still serves more traditional stew with mutton to mimic how it originally tasted when burgoo lovers would use smaller game.

It should be said that, despite its humble roots,  burgoo isn't immune from attempts at culinary innovation. Some purveyors of the beloved local dish utilize slightly nicer, more expensive cuts of meat in their recipes. Duck is a perfectly fatty, delicious protein to use — some even calling its fat "liquid gold." Other cuts like ribeye, wagyu, even cornish game hen are all something to be considered. Dudley's on Short, a fine-dining restaurant in Lexington, dishes up their own elevated take on burgoo. It's served deconstructed and uses lamb loin, cornbread-fried lamb, and rabbit croquette. Who knew something called burgoo could get so fancy? But ultimately, as it has been for generations, your burgoo is what you make of it. This dish without rules can be made with any meat that's in the fridge because that's the true spirit of the burgoo.