Hillbilly Stew: The Proud Military Moms Recipe

Here you go PMM. Can two or more varmint meats be used?

Possums- nasty vile disease carrying pests. My dog kills them on sight. along with woodchucks and the odd raccoon.

One pot campfire (or grill) Hillbilly stew
One pound meat of your choice- chuck steak is my preference- but you could use varmint. Cut into bite sized cubes
Four good sized potatoes
Six carrots
Two onions- more if you like them
Couple of cloves of garlic- more if you like
Flour for dredging
Salt and pepper
bacon grease or other oil or fat
Spices that you like- if you want hot and spicy- add a habanero or two. Or chili powder. I like cumin and chili powder
Salt and pepper the meat. Mix your ground spices with the flour. Dredge meat lightly in flour mixture.
In a sturdy stew pot or dutch oven, heat the fat or oil. Toss the meat in and brown on all sides. Might have to do this in batches- the meat pieces should not be crowded in the bottom of the pan.
Once all the meat is nicely browned- add onions and garlic- and peppers if you are using them- cook until onions are translucent. Do not burn garlic! Add liquid to just cover the meat. You can use water, stock- or for a really dark and rich gravy- use a dark beer. Bring to a simmer- DO NOT boil. (makes the meat tough) Cover and allow to simmer slowly- for about an hour.
While meat is simmering, prepare carrots and potatoes. After an hour check the meat with a fork- if it is coming on to tender, add the carrots. After 15 minutes add the potatoes. Continue simmering until vegetables are fork tender.
I serve this with biscuits- but that is another lesson.