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1
Place the pork and chicken in a 1 1/2-gallon stockpot with water to cover.
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2
Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer.
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3
Skim off any foam that rises to the top and cook for 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender, skimming occasionally.
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4
Remove the meat to a bowl and reserve the stock.
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5
At the same time, place the beef in a separate large stockpot with water to cover and cook for 2 hours, or until tender.
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6
Remove the beef and discard the broth.
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7
Peel, quarter, and cook the potatoes in water until tender (see Note).
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8
Remove and discard the bones and skin from all the cooked meat, and grind the meat with a heavy-duty meat grinder.
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9
Put 2 pints of the pork and chicken stock into a 1 1/2-gallon stockpot.
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10
(Reserve the rest for another use.)
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11
Add the ground meats to the stock.
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12
Peel and grind the onion and add it to the meat mixture.
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13
Grind the tomatoes, add them to the stockpot, and bring the mixture to a boil.
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14
When the stew is hot, grind and blend in the cooked potatoes, stirring until any lumps are removed.
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15
At this point, the stew should be soupy but not watery.
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16
If the stew is too thick to stir easily with a flat spatula or pancake turner, thin it slightly with the reserved pork and chicken stock.
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17
Stir in the salt.
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18
Dissolve the black pepper and cayenne pepper in 1 tablespoon water, then add to the stew along with the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.
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19
Cook for 30 minutes, stirring constantly.
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20
Grind and add the corn, then continue to cook the stew over very low heat for 1 hour, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the stockpot with a flat spatula or pancake turner to avoid scorching.
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21
The stewcooking day started before sunrise, and the early helpers were rewarded with coffee and sausage biscuits prepared by Jack.
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22
Cooking the potatoes before grinding them makes the stew cook more quickly.
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23
This method also makes the stew smoother and gives it the signature texture only Jacks stew has.
