Wisconsin Booyah

a more simpler recipe 

 May 14, 2011  Dax Phillips  Beef, Delicious, Game Day, Kids, Meat, Soup, Vegetables, Wisconsin

You probably will not believe this when I tell you, but I had to put on a winter hat, gloves, and jacket today to watch my boys place baseball in Wisconsin. It’s May 14, folks. Mid-May and I, and the majority of other Wisconsinites, are wearing winter clothing. But I use that as an opportunity to get in some good old comfort food on these gloomy, cold days, especially when they fall on a Saturday of all days. This is when I introduce to you, booyah, a Wisconsin classic.

Some say that booyah, in its traditional form, takes several cooks, over several days to make. I could probably agree, especially if we all had that type of time on our hands, but remember, we are cold, and need something today, and this is where you can take a classic, start early, and have that traditional dish late in the day, and into the night.

 

Booyah after all, is a stew that is typically made by first creating your stock, then adding in your proteins and vegetables, simmering, and bringing all of the flavors together. These flavors just scream comfort, and this hearty Wisconsin booyah recipe is something that can be enjoyed by many.

Lets get started.

• 4 beef bones

• 1 1/2 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

• 4 medium onions, chopped

• 5 ribs of celery, chopped

• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces

• 2 bay leaves

• 1/2 tbsp salt

• 1/2 tbsp cracked black pepper

• 5 large carrots, trimmed, chopped

• 2 cups of green cabbage, shredded

• 2 cups of fresh green beans, chopped

• 4 large tomatoes, chopped

• 2 cups of corn kernels

• 1 cup of peas

• 10 red potatoes, skin on, chopped

• 1 large lemon, juiced

• 1/2 tbsp worchestershire sauce

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• Water

• Chopped flat leaf parsley (optional)

• Oyster crackers

Enough ingredients right? This is super easy, and just wait, as it is well worth any energy and time spent in making the booyah.

Always begin by having all of your items ready. Begin by getting your stock ready. To a large soup pot, heated on medium to high heat, add in the beef bones, and begin to brown them a bit, only for a few minutes. To this add in about half of the chopped onions. Stir for a minute or two, and then add in your bay leaves. Now is time to add in the water. Add about 12 cups of water. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.

Once your mixture has boiled, add in the stew meat, and the chicken pieces, and simmer for about two hours. Make sure you have enough water to cover all of the meat. If it is not covered, simply add a bit more. As the meat is cooking, skim off any of the junk that floats to the top and discard.

After two hours, remove all of the meat with a large slotted spoon, or spider skimmer and place in a large bowl. Skim of any remaining junk floating at the top, but keep the beef bones in the broth.

Now it is time to begin adding the vegetables, one type at a time.

Begin by adding the potatoes and carrots, cooking for about 15 minutes. Next, the onion and celery, cooking another 15 minutes. Toss in the peas, and cook for about 5 minutes, then add in the corn. After about 5 minutes, toss in the green beans. Add in the chopped tomatoes, give a good mix, and season with a bit more salt and pepper. Continue to simmer the stew for about 10 minutes.

During this time, remove the skin from the cooked chicken, and begin shredding the chicken, as well as the beef stew meat. Once all of the meat has the fat removed, and the bones, and is shredded, add it back into the soup pot.

Give a good stir, bring back to temperature, and continue cooking on low heat for about 30 minutes.

Just before you are ready to serve, add in the juice of the lemon, the soy sauce, and the worchestershire sauce. Give a good stir. Remove the beef bones and discard.

Ladle a good amount into your favorite soup bowls, sprinkle a bit of chopped parsley, and serve the booyah with a nice handful of oyster crackers on the side as well as a lemon wedge.

True comfort, and a really great balance of flavors and textures. Wisconsin does good things, and introducing you to booyah is one only one of them. I hope you enjoy.

Booyah;
 a Traditional Recipe

 FROM :
http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/booyah-soup-recipe/
 

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BOOYAH

{A SOUP TRADITION OF THE UPPER MIDWEST}

posted on SEPTEMBER 3, 2015 by BRENDA

Read more at http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/booyah-soup-recipe/#dYFoPvTtTi2jCher.99

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Have you ever eaten a bowl full of Booyah? Have you ever been to a Booyah? That’s right. This fun-to-say word is both a soup and an event, mostly making their appearances in northern and northeastern Wisconsin, parts of Minnesota, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

I had no clue about this booyah tradition until a just few years ago when friends of ours invited us to theirs. The invitation read “You’re invited to the Booyah!”, and it talked about eating booyah. We didn’t know what we were in for. But how could we not be curious? Of course, we had to accept.

You’re gonna love this rich and flavorful Booyah recipe I’m sharing with you today, scaled down in quantity from traditional mega-batch recipes made in giant kettles to feed the masses. Yes, this one can be enjoyed wherever you live, from your very own kitchen. But…if you’re ever invited to a Booyah, please promise me you’ll go!

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Booyah is a rich and flavorful soup, absolutely delicious, made in huge batches in “booyah kettles”. The photo above is the booyah kettle owned by our friends, Jason and Dianna. They were the ones who introduced us to this tradition of the Upper Midwest.

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Jason and Dianna have been inviting friends and neighbors to their annual fall Booyah for the past 6 years now. Each year the recipe is tweaked and the invite list is lengthened, currently at over 100 guests. The actual date of the event is dictated by the availability of Dianna’s brother’s cover band the Lid Twisters, who provide live entertainment all evening long. A tent is set up in their backyard with seating and long tables to hold all the side dishes and desserts brought by guests. Friends and neighbors catch up on the latest while kids run and play. It’s a beautiful fall scene.

It was Dianna who first suggested to her husband that they open up their home and backyard to this Booyah experience. And when her dad heard the idea, he jumped in with an offer to help. Growing up in South St. Paul, attending Booyahs at various churches and local festivals was a regular part of life for Dianna’s family.

When I asked Dianna to share a little bit about their booyah making process, she referred to a spreadsheet that her dad has created, listing ingredients and timing. Isn’t that awesome? It goes something like this:

• The day before, pre-cook all on-the-bone meats (to include short ribs, chicken, and oxtails – plus soup bones for extra flavor). Save liquid for broth the next day. Remove all bones and discard.

• The day of, at 4:00 am, light the fire outside under the 20-gallon booyah kettle and add the broth, dried beans, onions, parsley, cubed pork and beef, pork brisket, crushed fresh garlic, and plenty of flavorful dried herbs and spices.

• At 6:00 am, add the meats that were cooked and de-boned the day before.

• At noon, add the rutabagas.

• At 2:00, add the cabbage, carrots, celery, green peppers, and potatoes.

• At 3:00, add the canned peas, corn, green beans, and whole tomatoes.

• At 5:00, soup’s on! Or should I say booyah’s on?!

It’s quite evident that hosting a Booyah is no small ordeal. There’s lots of time and energy involved to pull the event off, not to mention massive quantities of ingredients.

You also need commitment. He he. I have to retell the story that Dianna told me, about the one year when she got up at 4:00 am, lit the fire, and added the broth and other ingredients to the pot. Tired, she went back to bed. She completely missed the 6:00 addition of meats, and what was in the pot ended up burning. Dianna called her dad in a panic, and they decided to proceed as normal, hoping the burned ingredients would just give the booyah some extra flavor. It all turned out alright. But the following year, and every year since, Dianna says that her dad shows up at their house by 3:30 am, just to make sure everything goes according to the spreadsheet. ;)

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For the majority of us, we will never buy a 20-gallon booyah kettle and spend a couple days preparing this feast of a celebration for our family and friends. That’s where the downsized recipe I’m sharing with you now comes in ultra handy. The recipe is from the new Cook’s Country Eats Local cookbook. If you know about Cook’s Country from America’s Test Kitchen, then you know that this recipe has been tried, and tried again, until it reached ultimate perfection.

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 BOOOYaaah  ! ! ! 

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