Backbone Stew is more than a meal—it reflects the people who make it. It’s an intimate dish made for family gatherings and Sunday suppers, where the chatter around the table is as important as the food on it. It’s a dish for when things aren’t perfect, but you make do when you take the scraps and lesser cuts to create something extraordinary. This is that dish.
Dark and rich, backbone stew is a classic Cajun recipe. (All photos credit: George Graham)
Admit it, when you think of Cajun recipes, gumbo comes to mind. Maybe jambalaya or even crawfish étouffée are in your limited wheelhouse of South Louisiana cooking. But, that’s only scratching at the topsoil of this lush culinary landscape, and it’s my goal to dig deep and get to the roots of Cajun cooking. Plain and simple, backbone stew made the traditional French Acadian way is an induction into the inner circle of rural Cajun cooking.
You won’t see this Cajun recipe on mainstream menus, and aside from an occasional steam table lunchroom, this dish is relegated to home stovetops and backyard propane cooks. At every boucherie, there’s a backbone stew pot in the background simmering away with what will become the most sought-after prize of the day–a bowl of pork cloaked in rich dark gravy.
Washing down the hog with scalding water.
Such was the case some years ago during a trek to Eunice, Louisiana, for an early morning boucherie and a bowlful of backbone stew. Pulling up to the fairgrounds on the outskirts of the small St. Landry Parish town, local culinary icon Lance Pitre led me across the field to a cluster of spreading oaks and a crew of two dozen men and women already hard at work. The 160-pound hog was spread out on a large wooden table and scalding hot water was poured over to loosen the skin so the hair could easily be scraped away.
Cutting down the hog for Backbone Stew.
Torches, butcher knives, and saws were busy burning, slicing, and dissecting through the hair, skin, and meat of the pig. Chopping boards spread out across long tables, and folks were busy tending to a dozen or so cast-iron and Magnalite pots. Smokers, meat grinders, and sausage stuffers were prepped and ready to receive their cuts, and charcoal grills were fired up with embers aglow. These are artisans of French Acadian heritage that clearly know their task at hand, and each is an expert in their specialty Cajun recipe.
Sawing sections of backbone for the stew pot.
The hog’s head was severed and moved off for head cheese-making; the pig’s feet were cut above the shank and blowtorched to remove any remaining hair; liver for boudin; stomach for a Cajun recipe called ponce; organ meats for fraisseurs; ribs for the grill; and the backbone–the prize cut of all–was reserved for the stew pot. A propane burner blasted away as pork stock infused with dark roux boiled gently in an enormous black iron caldron. The Cajun trinity of chopped vegetables–onions, celery, and bell pepper–soon joined the bony chunks of meat in the backbone stew pot. A heavy dose of cayenne and garlic spiced the brew, and a low and slow simmer produced the magic.
Stirring the pot of Backbone Stew at the Eunice boucherie.
And magical it is. Backbone Stew is the Cajun recipe that, during an episode of Travel Channel’s No Reservations, left Anthony Bourdain momentarily speechless and prompted him to say of his first South Louisiana boucherie, “With all the smells coming from six different directions, smoking and simmering and sizzling … I’m absolutely blown away by the depths of flavor and deliciousness that I’ve rarely encountered anywhere.”
And it strikes me the same; Backbone Stew is the underbelly of Cajun black pot cooking. A complex, darkly divine stew of pork backbone floating in a bowl of roux-infused and pig’s feet-thickened gravy, this is a dish so regally rich, so potently porky, so decadently deep in flavor that you might never come up for air.
Now, don’t be intimidated: This Cajun recipe for Backbone Stew can easily be made in your home kitchen no matter where you live. It might take a search for some out-of-the-norm ingredients (pork backbone and feet), but truth be told, much of Cajun cooking uses familiar ingredients, many of which are easily sourced. But the fun is in adventuring past your culinary comfort zone, and if you sometimes feel uncomfortable, then I have succeeded. And if you awaken your taste buds to new flavors you never knew existed, then you have succeeded. Backbone Stew is a dish made for those who aren’t afraid to taste something with authentic, unapologetic flavor—a flavor that demands to be remembered. And that’s what this true Cajun version delivers: flavor with backbone.
- 8 strips smoked bacon, chopped
- 2 cups diced yellow onion
- 2 cups diced celery
- 2 cups chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 8 cups pork (preferably) or chicken stock, plus more if needed
- 1 cup dark roux, plus more if needed (see the recipe for Dark Cajun Roux here)
- 4 pounds pork backbone with meat attached, cut into 4-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
- 2 pig’s feet
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Dash of hot sauce
- 6 cups cooked long-grain white rice, such as Supreme
- 2 cups diced green onion tops
- In a large cast-iron pot with heavy lid over medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook until crispy. Remove the bacon for later use. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the remaining bacon grease.
- In the same pot over medium-high heat, add the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the remaining bacon grease. Cook until the vegetables are browned, about 8 minutes, and add the parsley and garlic. Add the stock and roux, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer.
- Sprinkle the pork backbone pieces with Cajun seasoning, and add to the pot along with the pig's feet and cooked bacon pieces. Cover and cook on simmer for 1 hour.
- Check to see that the stew is thickening and if needed, add more roux. If too thick, add a bit more stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for another 1½ hours.
- Uncover and check to see that the meat from the backbone is fork tender and turn off the heat. Taste the gravy and add hot sauce to taste. (The stew should be spicy, but not enough to disguise the pork flavor.)
- Remove the pig’s feet from the pot and pick the meat from the bone, discarding the skin, bones, and cartilage. Add the picked meat back to the pot.
- Serve a couple of the backbone pieces over white rice in a bowl with plenty of gravy. Garnish with a sprinkle of green onion tops and serve with hot French bread.
This one-pot Backbone Stew is seen at most every Cajun boucherie.
YOUR SEAT AT THE TABLE: If you like this Cajun cooking story and Cajun recipe then accept my personal invitation to subscribe by entering your email at the bottom or top right of this page. It’s quick and painless. You will receive an email alert and be the first to see when new Cajun cooking stories and Cajun recipes are added. Thanks, George.
A new butcher shop just opened in Owosso, Mi….good way to see how cooperative they are.
Hey Paul,
This should be a good test of their qualifications. And if they can supply you with a pig’s stomach to make my smoked ponce recipe, they ARE the real deal. Make them your best friend. Best, George
This looks wonderful. Very interested in trying this. One thing though – I did not notice in the recipe where you add the pigs feet. There is mention of removing them, but no guidance on when to add them. Any help would be appreciated.
Hey Jim-
Thanks for pointing out that the pig’s feet go into the pot with the backbone, and both meats simmer long and slow together. It is the gelatinous thickening from the collagen in the pig’s feet that adds richness to the gravy. Best, George
Spot on Mr. George Graham. Collagen is nothing new to our way of cooking is it?
Recipe looks great
this is the best thing that’s ever been put on facebook.I’m originally from New Orleans.I now live in Montgomery Alabama.I lost all my good recipes when my mother died.this will help me get all that back thank you.
I saw this on Anthony Bourdain show, and I know I have to make it! I live in San Francisco in an apartment, so no access to cooking it outside. I’m thinking of letting this cook in the oven versus the stovetop even if it yields a different taste and texture.
Jeff- Braising any dish (backbone stew included) on a stove top builds flavor in a way that roasting in an oven cannot achieve. No doubt, your oven-baked version of backbone stew will be tasty, but not sure it will have the same flavor profile of the slow-braised method. Give it a try and let us know how it turns out. Thanks for the comment.
George- Thanks for the two cents. Really looking forward to making this dish! I was looking at the other links for Cajun backbone stew when I did my google search. Your site, your pics, and your recipe was the most intriguing to me! The other recipes for backbone stew looked too conventional and bland. Not the real deal!!
Thanks, Jeff! In my book, if you’re going to take the time to make a culturally significant dish like Backbone Stew, be sure to make the real deal. Best to you.
Well, you nailed it. The only thing I would suggest is the addition of Jerusalem artichokes (tompinabur). Subtle but a great addition to the gravy
I know this is an old post, but I JUST found pork backbone and feet (some whole, some split, and some sliced into 8 pieces WITH the shank) today at a store about 40 minutes from me. I’m from rural southern Louisiana, but live in DC and stumbled upon a specialty Asian grocery. They even had pig tongue! This winter will be amazing! I just have to get some Rabideaux sausage, and I’ll be in business.
Hey Jay – Asian markets are a terrific source for underutilized cuts of meat like the ones we have come to love here in Cajun country. Glad you found a source for backbone, and you are going to love the stew. All the best.
This. Is. Amazing. Being a worknight, I didn’t have time to simmer it, so I made everything on the stove and popped it in the pressure cooker to “simmer.” I know, I know, it’s probably not the same exactly, but next time I’ll start it earlier and let it slow cook.
I stumbled on this looking for ways to cook the backbones that the butcher packed from our recently processed hog. I’m loving your site, and I’ll definitely be back to try more recipes!
Kelly-
Thanks for the “play-by-play” on your backbone success; it is a dish that defines Cajun cooking. I’ve never owned a pressure cooker, but have thought about experimenting with one. You have given me renewed enthusiasm for trying it out!
A new cooking adventure is starting for me. Thank you.
Exciting isn’t it, Dorothy? You are about to discover flavors that you never knew existed; there’s magic at the bottom of a Cajun black pot! Keep us up to date on your culinary adventure. All the best.
OMG, I made this? This is so good, Reminds me of Brazilian food, next time I will make Farofa and Feijoada with it, for sure.
Thanks for sharing this! I didn’t have access to a few ingredients like pig’s feet but still turned out great. Btw, lived in Lafayette for a few years – nicest place I’ve ever stayed.
Thanks Kaushik!
Thank you for this very nice recipe and post. I process wild boar around our property in Hawaii and have been discarding the spine/feet! Any input on the easiest way to remove toenails? Aloha!
Aloha Grant – A trusty pair of pliers will do the trick…just make sure to sedate the pig before beginning the pedicure 😉 All the best. Mahalo!
George, Thanks for featuring and talking about this dish. I grew up with this tradition. All the family and friends would gather for the bourcherie and we would make a backbone stew. The meat never had a chance to get cold, before finishing with the cutting the quarters, the backbone would already be cooking and would be finished in time for noon just as we were cleaning up. I must say though, we use parsley in étouffée or gumbo but never in a fricassée (which is what we really made as Cajuns rather than a plain stew).
Please note: No one I know out of hundreds of people from where i live in Ville Platte to Eunice, Church Point, Mamou and surrounding area NEVER uses celery in anything. Celery maybe used in other areas but not used at all in Cajun cooking in our area (with maybe a rare person here or there that I, my family or friends haven’t heard of) Note, here, we scoff at the New Orleans style version of the cooking holy trinity (made popular by TV and Magazines) but it is not true for the Cajun Trinity witch is correctly “Bell Pepper, Onion, Garlic” I even had a friend from Eunice call me in puzzlement when he saw the celery version of the trinity on a cooking show. He had never heard of such a , and I had to explain it to him how this false idea has been spread around. Oh, also, we use Cayenne “red” pepper, NOT black pepper in our dishes, The hot sauce is unnecessary due to already added Cayenne pepper (which gives a much more robust and savory flavor in the meat and gravy). Sorry, not trying to fuss, only inform.
Hey John- Your comments point to why I love the culture and traditions of our unique foodways. There are as many varied recipes for making a gumbo as there are Cajun last names. For the most part, they are all true Cajun, but different in the way they are prepared. The recipes that I write about and have tested in my black pot are, as I like to say, a “starting point” for others to discover Louisiana cooking. I encourage every cook to add a little of this or a lot of that to create their own version. All the best to you in your Cajun cooking journey.