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EDEN — Making Brunswick stew was a fall tradition when B.J. Barker was growing up in the Draper section of Eden.

His grandfather was in charge of the recipe, and other family members would bring fresh vegetables from their gardens and farms to throw in the pot with the assorted meats, which could be anything from chicken and beef to squirrel or rabbit.

It simmered overnight, and the next day it would be delicious. “Hearty, meaty and thick” — that’s the way Barker remembers it. Stew, not soup.

And when they’d eaten their fill from the 40-gallon cast-iron kettle, the aunts and uncles and cousins would put the rest in containers to freeze or can so they could enjoy it throughout the winter.

It’s his granddaddy’s recipe — minus the squirrel and rabbit — that Barker and his family sell each weekend under a tent in the parking lot at Meadow Greens Shopping Center on Van Buren Highway in Eden. It’s called the Soup Stop.

Barker, who did a stint in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, and later served with a federal law enforcement agency in Los Angeles, moved back to Eden four years ago with his wife, Ping, and two children.

He looked forward to introducing Ping, a native of China, to the good-old Southern dishes that he enjoyed while growing up. Brunswick stew topped the list.

But Barker’s family wasn’t making it anymore. And, other than a few church groups who make it maybe once a year, he had trouble finding what he calls authentic Brunswick stew.

What he did find was his granddaddy’s recipe. He started experimenting.

“The older people will tell you that a cast-iron kettle is your most important tool,” says Barker.

He found a 20-gallon cast-iron kettle that had been made in 1927. An elderly farmer in Stokesdale had been using it for decades. That made it even better, says Barker. It can take years to get a kettle seasoned just right, and a seasoned kettle enriches the flavor of the stew.

Ingredients are important, too. Ping insists on fresh vegetables and the couple visits a farmer’s market weekly to buy them. They use turkey or chicken and always beef.

“I love to cook, and I like this stew because it is healthy,” says Ping.

About the time the recipe was perfected, B.J. was downsized from a job in trucking. He also repairs ham radios, but the couple thought selling the stew could be a nice supplement to that income. In the fall, they applied for a business permit and the health department approved their cooking process. They have to make sure the stew reaches 180 degrees during cooking, and they must keep it warmed to at least 140 degrees when selling it fresh from the kettle.

You’ll find the Barkers, often with their two children, Natasha, 9, and Junior, 7, in the parking lot by 10 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. But they’ve been hard at work long before they set up under their tent.

The first 20-gallon batch goes into the kettle in the backyard about 9 p.m. on Friday. Over a gas flame, it cooks all night, letting the flavors blend.

Barker sets his clock and gets up to stir it every three hours. He had a long wooden paddle custom made for stirring. It has the same curvature as the inside of the kettle to help prevent the stew from sticking.

By 5 a.m., Ping is up making biscuits. Every quart of stew comes with two homemade biscuits. She uses a recipe from Barker’s mother, Jackie Barker, but Ping prefers unsalted butter in place of lard. She also uses fresh-milled flour.

“We figure if the stew doesn’t get them, the biscuits will,” Barker says.

By 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, the stew usually is sold out. They’ve only been selling it from the parking lot for a few months and already they have regulars.

People from southern Virginia and from other parts of Rockingham County are finding them.

“It makes us feel so good when the older people come back and tell us that we make stew just like they used to eat in the old days,” says Barker. People who buy one quart have been known to try it and come back for three or four more.

The Barkers are considering offering some soups, once their business gets more established. Perhaps a clam chowder, says Barker.

And they are looking for something they can sell in the warmer months when Brunswick stew might not be as popular.

Contact Myla Barnhardt at 627-4881, Ext. 116, or myla.barnhardt@news-record.com.