The best post-apocalyptic stew needs to do more than just make the most out of what you have on hand, or what you can forage. Going the extra mile to maximize its flavor and give you the full-belly feeling also boosts morale in a survival situation. I think the French carbonade is the best version of a post-apocalyptic stew because it ticks all these boxes. Even in normal times, it’s my go-to stew for making the most out of scrap bits of game meat.
It’s also very versatile, letting you add in other foraged ingredients that might break away from the classic version of the carbonade.
The Benefits of Stewing
The biggest benefit of any stew is the way the slow-cooking process breaks down some of the complex protein structures in meat. This makes them easier to digest than roasting meat over the fire.
Stewing vegetables makes it easier for your digestive system to access nutrients. It’s even more important if you’re using foraged vegetables, which often have complex starch structures that prevent you from fully accessing all their nutrients. Not to mention that some foraged vegetables can even be toxic when eaten raw!
The long cooking time also helps eliminate any worries about parasites or bacteria that might try to hitch a ride in your foraged ingredients. It’s especially important if your protein source is wild boar, feral hog or bear meat, which are known to harbor dangerous trichinosis.
While foraging can be a rewarding experience, complementing it with a home garden ensures a consistent supply of fresh produce, especially in times of crisis. If you’re serious about securing your food sources, I highly recommend this comprehensive guide. It offers invaluable insights and practical advice for transforming your backyard into a self-sustaining homestead, providing a reliable source of nourishment through any challenge.
Aromatic Vegetables
Aromatic vegetables add flavor, aroma, and vital nutrients to a post-apocalyptic carbonade. The French use a lot of onions and carrots. If you’re foraging, for your apocalypse stew you might want to look for:
- Ramps
- Queen Anne’s Lace
- Evening Primrose
- Earth Almonds
- Bear Garlic
- Crow Garlic
- Cooking Vessel
You can learn here about the superweeds that saved large communities from starvation during the Great Depression. It could be a real lifesaver when there’s no other food around.
Ideally, you want to make your carbonade apocalypse stew in a cast iron Dutch oven or a deep cast iron pan. The thick metal lets you put a good sear on the meat while letting you cook everything in one pot. You could also use a large bottom-clad sauce pot or a Mexican Kamal.
Ingredients for a French Carbonade-Inspired Post-Apocalyptic Stew
The ingredients for a French carbonade-inspired post-apocalyptic stew can vary by what you have on hand or what the garden is giving you at that point in the season. If you have foraged wild mushrooms, like Hen of the Woods that you know are safe, are also a great addition.
The following recipe is based on the traditional carbonade ingredients, with substitute forage ingredients in parentheses.
- 2.5 lbs. of beef (Venison, wild boar, bear, or elk)
- 2 large onions (Ramps or bear garlic)
- 3-4 medium carrots (Queen Anne’s lace roots)
- 3 T flour (Curly dock or wild rice dried and ground)
- 2 quarts of beef stock (Game stock from roasted bone)
- 4 cloves of garlic (Wild garlic, ramps, or scapes)
⇒ The Only Food That Grows Almost Faster Than You Can Eat It
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs thyme
- Dark beer, or wine optional
- Salt and pepper
- Butter (Bear grease, lard, or rendered animal fat)
- Wild mushrooms optional
Directions
for a French Carbonade-Inspired Post-Apocalyptic Stew
1. Prepping the ingredients for cooking a carbonade post-apocalyptic stew is as simple as cutting the carrots and onions into bite-size chunks. Ideally, you want to break down the meat into 1 to 2-inch cubes that are roughly the same size.
2. Place your Dutch oven over a medium flame and give it a solid 10 to 15 minutes to get good and hot. Then add two tablespoons of butter or similar fat. Let it heat until it’s shimmering, but not smoking.
3. While the Dutch oven is heating up, season the pieces of meat with salt and pepper. Then coat lightly with flour. Allow them to sit out unwrapped to allow the flour to adhere to the natural juices on the surface of the meat.
4. Once it’s hot, add the onions to the Dutch oven and lightly sauté. Remove the onions and put them on a side plate once they get a little light brown on the edges.
5. Place the seasoned meat in the hot Dutch oven. Only turn a piece of meat once it’s seared on that side. With each turn, the meat will leave a little bit of flavor “Fond” at the bottom of the pot.
6. Remove the seared piece of meat from the pot and add the stock along with any optional dark beer or red wine. Lightly scrape the bottom to release the fond from the bottom of the pot. This will transfer the flavor of the fond to the stew’s sauce.
Related: 8 Long Lasting Pioneer Recipes You Need to Learn by Heart
7. Add the meat, and onions back into the pot along with the onions, garlic, and herbs. If you have some foraged mushrooms this is the time to add them to the pot. Stir to combine.
8. Place the Dutch oven over a medium-low heat source for 4 to 6 hours. I prefer to use a ground oven or a hole in the ground with 3 to 4 inches of hot coal. Then I lightly bury it to lock in the heat. This also hides it from animals and passersby while you’re out for the day hunting, foraging, or fishing.
9. Remove the stew from the heat and pick out the bay leaves. I also like to smash the softened garlic cloves with the side of a fork and stir them in.
You can also garnish with chopped parsley or scallion greens to add fresh flavor and aroma.
You would normally serve a carbonade like this with some mustard or horseradish sauce and some fluffy bread to sop up the sauce. I think the best way to eat a post-apocalyptic stew like this is with some improvised flatbread that also lets you eat it with your hands.
You could also serve this over a mound of mashed potatoes, or a heap of sticky rice. Just don’t let a French person see you do it!
You may also like:
The Best Places For Scavenging After SHTF
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Great stew recipe, am getting hungry reading the posting.
Off topic:
We have a recipe for disaster as said in other postings. Old ancient tactic is to grow your people into a large group in another country and concur them.
Americans being good nurtured, sometime real suckers as liberal bleeding hearts are.
The quiet years were built up in Dearborn, Michigan were a beach head is needed, like going to war against the enemy. As done in WWII Germany the allies had to hit the beaches to move forward.
Several large cities in America got pockets of the same minded cultures to stay as sleeper cells. These are the vegetables added to the stew.
The Christian university system since around the 1930’s were slowly taken over by European socialist, Marxist, communist or whatever we call them.
These universities hired radical liberals who cut their teeth on social protesting vicious riots. these are herbs added to the stew.
We have low “T” politicians who get blackmailed by sex and money to do certain tasks. Now with the usual suspects of progressive presidents to the modern ones of the 20th century to present, Clinton, Bush’s, Obama and Biden. They have stirred the pot of darkness waiting for their witches brew.
Biden stopped the oil and gas drilling, opened up wide the southern border to bring in terrorist, criminals, mentally unstable to add to taste of the progressive left in America. Which now we have antifa, BLM, currently raghead Islamist an sympathizers of white, black, brown, yellow CRT, DEI indoctrinated focused on American hatred.
As Christ said they know not what they do, but that does not excuse what they do to destroy America.
Biden’s government placed JAN 6th protesters in prison with no legal help. Let the 2020 antifa, BLM rioters out, free no bail to riot again.
Now we have an election this year, will the progressive cheat again?
You do know the Hamas, Hezbollah, Houtis handlers on American soil are controlling your children, future leaders of America?
American taxpayers are now paying off student loans of students who are pro-Hamas, liberal arts, legal profession an so on who will make tons of money. While we taxpayers retired seniors, semi homeless payoff their student loans?
Whose America is this for?
Why do we repeat the politics? Too many people have serious short term memories to remember, they listen to PBS, NPR, CNN, tik-tok for news.
God please help America become MAGA!
Whatever the great American taxpayer’s student loan bailout of Islamic indoctrinated useful idiots are forced into. Biden bringing in GAZA refugees who 80-90% voted for Hamas control is a clear and present DANGER.
Iran is run by organized religion of Islamic virtue. What BIDENOMICS does not forgive in liberal’s student loans. Iran will give full scholarships to those protesters on American soiled universities.
The middle east countries for decades have funded many universities and colleges. Now we have Islamic savage uprisings courtesy of Biden’s low “T” weak presidency. We that in the DEI staff and employees in the current administration. China and Russia are not too far in the human stew of this 2024 Summer of Islamic riots in the United States. These pukes lower the Stars an Stripes flag to raise their throat cutter, rape flag.
America stop the woke cancel cult of destruction, become the freedom loving Americans our founding fathers envisioned.
God bless America!!!!!!!!!!!!!
D’angelo
Edit; We see that in the DEI staff…
We need an edit button, please!
Prepping in modern times is borne of the political garbage we are living through. If people really studied the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, we would not need to prep for SHTF.
Only prep for emergencies like tornadoes, Hurricanes and wildfires.
The bad actors would be silenced permanently, physical, spiritually and mentally.
This is the depression era HOBO stew that is whatever these guys could find went into the stew to fill their bellies for a good sleep.
Interesting;
Hobo’s was a term used for the world war vets coming home. It meant Home ward Bound, going home.
Over the years the HOBO name or term was associated with the dirty, filthy homeless of the current street situation caused by failed liberal policies.
A stew made is good anytime of the year to comfort us during our strife in the world.
Please God bless Miss Liberty as she is going through her struggles today.
Foraging food we must know for sure those mushrooms picked are really safe.
The herbs and edible plants that are safe to consume also have counter plants or look a likes that are poisonous.
What have preppers found as a great way to be sure the forage food is safe to eat, what say you?
Thank you for your help.
Find older people and ask them. If you have a feed store ask one of them. If you know a rancher ask them. If you know any rock n rollers they may be able to tell you about mushrooms
. There are National Geographic, Audubon Society, and several others that have foraging specific to your state books. There are mushroom harvesters. Your state park rangers should have some thing to be able to tell you. If you’re going to a national park with an outfitter more than likely, the outfitters can tell you. If you live by an Indian reservation like I do, talk to them.
Frank,
An old army manual recommended a multi-step process to determine if something is edible.
1. Rub the plant on your wrist to see if it causes any rash or bad reaction over an hour or two.
2. If so far so good, rub the plant on your lips to see if it causes any adverse reaction over an hour or two,
3. If so far so good, ingest a small portion to see if anything bad happens over an hour or two.
4. if so far so good, ingest a larger amount and see what happens over an hour or two.
5. if so far so good, the plant is probably edible.
I can’t remember the time periods needed per test, but I would think 2 hours each test would suffice.
Other than what you may or may not have stored in your
food preps where are the fresh ingredients pictured going
to come from?
Post Apocalypse most folks will have a shrinking waistline
and many will die of starvation.
Canned meats and vegetables whether home canned or
store bought along with a substantial supply of rice,beans,
and pasta will keep us alive for a while.
Even the farmers,ranchers,and home gardeners will run
out of seed and fertilizer sooner or later.Probably sooner.
Not a pretty picture.Just the reality of Post Apocalyptic life.
Thinking that you can just whip up a tasty stew is foolish.
There is a misconception among preppers either preps are to keep us going to a better situation. Or we are prepping for the ultimate SHTF where there is no return.
The purpose of preps is to have a safe, secure shelter, food, water stable platform until we can get a garden going and find a stable water source. We may need to fight for our share of the sources.
Not quit a hundred years from the Great Depression, there are only a few left of actual living history to set all doubt aside.
The real survival of prepping is what skills do we have.
The bad part not every prepper makes their own clothes, medicine, we have learned to stockpile the stuff.
What happens when all is gone?
There will eventually be communities spring up, but are these the communities we want to associated with?
The age old question is to be a lone wolf or part of a community?
We see the sci-fi movies of the post SHTF, some things do not end well.
At least pray to God for your spiritual journey in these turbulent times.
The farmers and ranchers will go back to proven methods of the old timers.
They will need to compost and use manure that the agriculture chemical fertilizers have robbed the nutrient soils of.
Seed saving will be the rule and there may be smaller crop yields until the seed sources are built up.
The Chinese American owned farm acres will be a war to take back the Chinese desecrated native farmlands from the foreigners who rule America.
God is watching what America will do. Pray to God for help.
Biscuits and Gravy , yum!
Chuck,
This is why you only get heritage seeds. You can harvest next years seed from this year’s produce. I have not purchased seeds in years. The seeds do cost more up front but in the long run it is MUCH cheaper and more reliable.:)
I find it funny the Islamic protesters want protection from harm and VEGAN food is demanded, of their demands while destroying America.
This is what happens when Americans let the lunatics run the insane asylum of the public and educational system.
Time to build the wall, drill for oil and deport, deport the ungodly fools destroying America now!
Which ungodly fools are you talking about? Home grown or illegals?
I make stew like this and pressure canned 3 jars. One I opened two weeks later and it was fine. Another I opened two months later and it was fine. The other I opened a year later and it was fine. Pressure canning is a way to go start off with pints doing different things. Let him sit for a time that you know they would have gone bad in refrigerator and open one if it smells terrible throw the whole thing out. Canning is really pretty simple. The heat does all the work. Building shelves in a closet in storing will give you months if not longer if you only eat one a day or one every other day, however fits your need. The thing once again is going to be water. Learn how to make a filter or buy multiple filters. Go to a restaurant and ask them for their food grade plastic buckets, and lids and store distilled water. Learn how to filter or have filters and use the same buckets to catch rainwater. Begin practice water filtering and catching now. Practice building a fire now. Don’t wait till it’s already trouble. Trouble is here. What we call survival my grandparents and parents did on an everyday basis growing up to the depression and the rations of World War II. I did somewhat in the 60’s but not enough to remember. I do know this. Practice now.
Great recipy, however I would never add salt only pepper on the raw meat.
Salt drives out precious juices from the raw meat; the meat becomes hard and much less flavors but after the chunks are sealed all sides properly in the hot lard, then salt is OK, in fact is a must, especially at the end of cooking.
Many wild plants have anti-protiens, i forgot the scientific name. It makes them hard to digest, thats why stewing or fermenting makes them easy to digest. The anti-protiens break down easy at a simmer. Thats what blanching in canning does, well that and killing harmful bacteria.
Just thought some people would want to understand the reason why.