Bigos

Bigos (Polish Hunter's Stew)

Poland's iconic hunter's stew, slow-simmered with sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, assorted pork, smoked kielbasa, and dried forest mushrooms. Bigos is famously better the next day and is traditionally reheated several times before serving.

Prep

30 min

Cook

180 min

Total

210 min

Serves

6 to 8

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) sauerkraut, drained, rinsed lightly if very sour
• •400 g (14 oz) fresh white cabbage, shredded, or savoy
• •300 g (10½ oz) pork shoulder, cubed, boneless
• •250 g (9 oz) smoked kielbasa, sliced, Polish-style if available
• •150 g (5 oz) smoked bacon, diced
• •30 g (1 oz) dried porcini or mixed forest mushrooms, or other dried wild mushrooms
• •1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• •2 tbsp tomato paste
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) passata or crushed tomatoes
• •2 whole bay leaves
• •6 whole allspice berries
• •4 whole juniper berries, lightly crushed, optional but traditional
• •1 tsp caraway seeds, omit if sauerkraut is heavily caraway-dressed
• •500 ml (2 cups + 2 tbsp) beef or pork stock, plus extra as needed
• •60 ml (¼ cup) dry red wine or dry mead, optional but authentic; substitute with stock
• •salt, to taste
• •freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• •1 tbsp lard or unsalted butter, for sautéing

Steps

1. 1 Place the dried mushrooms in a heatproof bowl, cover with 400 ml (about 1¾ cups) boiling water, and let them soak for 20 to 30 minutes until softened. Lift the mushrooms out and chop them; strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter or fine cloth and reserve it.
2. 2 In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, melt the lard over medium heat. Add the diced bacon and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until it begins to render its fat. Add the cubed pork shoulder, season lightly with pepper, and brown on all sides, about 6 to 8 minutes.
3. 3 Add the chopped onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to deepen its flavor.
4. 4 Add the drained sauerkraut, shredded fresh cabbage, chopped rehydrated mushrooms, reserved mushroom soaking liquid, passata, bay leaves, allspice, juniper, caraway, stock, and wine. Stir well to combine.
5. 5 Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 1 hour. Stir occasionally and add more stock or water if the stew becomes too dry; it should be moist but not soupy.
6. 6 After 1 hour, add the sliced kielbasa, pushing it down into the liquid, and continue to simmer uncovered for another 1 to 1¼ hours, stirring now and then. The cabbage should be very tender and the meats falling-apart tender.
7. 7 Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and more pepper. Remove the bay leaves.
8. 8 Doneness cue: pork shoulder should reach an internal temperature of at least 85°C (185°F) and shred easily with a spoon; kielbasa is fully cooked once heated through to 71°C (160°F).
9. 9 For the most traditional result, cool the bigos, refrigerate it overnight, and reheat gently the next day (and ideally the day after), adding a splash of stock each time. This reheating is what gives bigos its characteristic depth.
10. 10 Serve hot, traditionally with crusty rye bread or boiled potatoes on the side.