Originally published on 25 October 2020 (hence the pandemic reference), this brief burgoo primer is reprinted here today as a prelude to the forthcoming 2nd annual Burgoo Bash at Against the Grain on Saturday, March 18th at 3:00 p.m.
It’s a pro-am cook-off aimed at bringing out the best amateur and professional burgoo makers in the region, about which I’ll have more to say tomorrow.
—
Today’s Jeopardy! category is “Indigenous Stews.”
In sourdough baking, a living culture of yeast is refreshed daily, living from loaf to loaf, and sometimes from generation to generation. For Kentucky “burgoomeisters” like Russ (Kennedy), culture is transmitted from batch to batch. It’s a culture not of yeast, but of storytelling, memory and community, reminding us that we are bound to one another—bound not only to those in the present but also to those who came before us and to those who will come after.
In a delightful essay at Kentucky Monthly, Joel Sams focuses on burgoo, which should be considered as much a part of the state’s legacy of edibles and potables as bourbon.
Russ claims to be retired, but don’t let him fool you. His various hobbies, side jobs and volunteer projects amount to...Read more