Booyah (Community Stew)

📍 Northeast Wisconsin & Minnesota

Part stew, part social event, part civic institution — Booyah is the massive community pot of thick, meaty, vegetable-laden stew simmered outdoors in enormous kettles for church picnics, fire department fundraisers, and fall festivals. Making it is a team sport. Eating it is a regional sacrament.

At a Glance

Ingredients

The Meats

• 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1½ pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 pound bone-in pork shoulder or country-style ribs
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

The Vegetables

• 6 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes
• 4 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 2 large yellow onions, diced
• 1 small head green cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 2 cups fresh or frozen green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
• 1 rutabaga (about 1 pound), peeled and diced (traditional but optional)

The Broth & Seasonings

• 10 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups beef broth
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons celery salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Salt to taste
• Fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Brown the meats. Season the chicken, beef, and pork generously with salt and pepper. In a very large stockpot (at least 12-quart) or Dutch oven, heat a thin film of oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown all the meats on all sides, about 3–4 minutes per side. Don't crowd the pot — good browning builds flavor. Set browned meats aside.

2. Build the base. In the same pot, add the onions, celery, and garlic. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom.

3. Combine liquids and meat. Return all the browned meats to the pot. Pour in the chicken broth and beef broth. Add the bay leaves, thyme, paprika, and celery salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a very low simmer. Cover and cook for 2–3 hours until all the meats are falling-apart tender.

4. Shred the meats. Remove the meats to a cutting board. Shred or chop into bite-sized pieces, discarding bones, skin, and excess fat. Return the shredded meat to the pot.

5. Add the vegetables in stages. Add the potatoes, carrots, rutabaga, crushed tomatoes, and cabbage to the pot. Simmer for 30 minutes. Then add the corn, green beans, and peas. Continue simmering for another 20–30 minutes until all vegetables are tender.

6. Season and thicken. The stew should be thick and hearty — more stew than soup. If it's too thin, mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot to thicken the broth. Season generously with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaves.

7. Rest and serve. Like all great stews, Booyah improves with time. Let it rest 15–20 minutes before serving, or (better yet) make it the day before and reheat. Serve in deep bowls with crusty bread or saltine crackers. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Tips & Variations

• The Community Kettle Tradition: Authentic Booyah is made outdoors in 50+ gallon kettles over wood fires, stirred with canoe paddles, and simmered all day by teams of volunteers. This home version captures the flavor, if not the spectacle.
• Three-Meat Tradition: The combination of chicken, beef, AND pork is essential. Each contributes a different flavor to the broth. Don't skip any of them.
• Flat Beer Addition: Some old recipes call for adding a can of flat beer to the pot. If you try it, use a light lager.
• The Rutabaga Question: Rutabaga is traditional in Wisconsin Booyah but optional. It adds an earthy sweetness that's worth trying.
• Slow Cooker Adaptation: Brown the meats on the stove, then transfer everything to a large slow cooker. Cook on low for 8–10 hours. Add quicker-cooking vegetables (corn, peas) in the last hour.
• Freezes Beautifully: Booyah is even better the next day and freezes well for up to 3 months.

🌾 Did You Know?

Nobody's entirely sure where the name "Booyah" comes from. The leading theories include: a corruption of bouillon (French for broth), a derivation of bouillir (French for "to boil"), or possibly a Belgian-Walloon word brought by immigrants who settled in Northeast Wisconsin's Door County and Green Bay area. What everyone agrees on is that Booyah is a community event as much as a recipe. Churches, fire departments, VFW posts, and civic organizations in Wisconsin and Minnesota hold Booyah festivals where volunteers arrive before dawn to start the kettles, families buy quarts to take home, and the whole town comes together over a pot of stew that's big enough to swim in. The Green Bay area alone hosts dozens of Booyah events every fall, and some organizations guard their recipes as closely as state secrets.

📸 Photography note: A deep, rustic bowl of thick, chunky stew showing the variety of meats and vegetables in a rich broth. A large ladle rests across the top. Background suggests an outdoor fall festival setting — maybe autumn leaves and a glimpse of a large kettle. Warm, communal, hearty energy. Natural daylight.