Bigos is a hearty Polish stew made from fresh, smoked and cured meat, wild and farmed mushrooms and a hearty portion of sauerkraut. A perfect cozy meal for a winter’s day.
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Bigos, a hearty cabbage and pork-based stew, has been called the national dish of Poland. It definitely has an Eastern European flair: cabbage and sauerkraut, lots of different meats – many of them smoked – and a variety of mushrooms. Anyone who knows anything about Eastern Europe knows they are crazy about mushrooms.
Bigos: A stew with many variations
You should know that there is no set way to make bigos. Every cook has her own secrets. So, as far as I can tell, the only constants are: lots of different meats, cabbage, mushrooms, and black pepper. The dish has two main branches, one with tomatoes and tomato paste, the other with plums. I chose plums here.
Start with good herb
A word about sauerkraut. While you can make this dish with vinegared sauerkraut, you’ll need to rinse and wash it several times to remove most of the vinegar flavor. You’ll want to do some hard work to find plain sauerkraut in brine that’s kept refrigerated. Bubbies is an excellent brand.
Use as many different types of mushrooms as possible, and make sure you try to find dried porcini – most Bigos recipes call for them. For this recipe, we used dried wild mushrooms, fresh cremini mushrooms, and a Chef’s Sampler pack of fresh mushrooms.
Perfect side dishes to serve with bigos
- Homemade rye bread
- Bread without kneading
- Oven-roasted new potatoes
- Perfect mashed potatoes
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Bigos (Polish hunter’s stew)
I used beer as the liquid, although many people use red wine. If you’re making the tomato-based version, omit the beer and use the can of tomato sauce. If you can’t drink alcohol, use some beef broth.
ingredients
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1 ounce dried Porcini mushrooms or other wild ones Mushrooms
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1 tablespoon juniper berries, Optional
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1 tablespoon Black peppercorns
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2 lb pork shoulder
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1 to 2 lb Kielbasa or other smoked sausage
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1 (25–ounce) glass fresh sauerkraut (we recommend Bubbies, which you may be able to find in the refrigerated section of your local supermarket)
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1 1/2 lb freshly mixed Mushrooms
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2 tablespoon bacon or vegetable oil
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1 big Onion, chopped
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1 Kalecored and chopped
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Salt
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2 tablespoon tomato paste, Optional
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1 smoked ham ankle
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1 lb fresh polish sausage, Optional
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1 tablespoon Caraway seeds
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2 tablespoon dried marjoram
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1 (12 ounces) Bottle beer or lager
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1 (fifteen–Ounce) can Tomato sauceOptional
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20 plumscut in half, optional
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1 to 2 tablespoon Mustard or horseradish, optional
method
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Prepare the ingredients:
Pour hot tap water over the dried mushrooms and soak for 20 to 40 minutes or until tender.
Coarsely grind or crush the juniper berries (if using) and black peppercorns; You don’t want powder.
Cut the pork shoulder into pieces about 2 cm in size and set aside.
Cut the sausages into equal pieces and set aside.
Drain the sauerkraut and set aside.
Drain the mushrooms and strain the soaking water through a fine sieve. Set soaking liquid aside. Remove any dirt from the soaked mushrooms and chop into large chunks; Leave little ones whole.
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Roast the pork shoulder:
In a large saucepan with a lid, heat the bacon fat or vegetable oil for 1 to 2 minutes. Working in batches if necessary, sear the pork shoulder over medium-high heat. Don’t overfill the pan. Set the seared meat aside.
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Add the onions and cabbage, then the tomato paste:
Add the onion and fresh cabbage to the saucepan and sauté for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the cabbage is tender. Sprinkle a little salt on top. The vegetables release a lot of water. If this is the case, use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
If you’re making the tomato-based version, add the tomato paste here. Once the pot is scraped and the cabbage and onions are tender, remove from the pot and set aside with the pork shoulder.
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Add the fresh mushrooms, pork, cabbage, onions and spices:
Add the fresh mushrooms and cook without additional oil, stirring frequently, until they release their water. Once they do, sprinkle a little salt on the mushrooms.
When the water is almost gone, add the pork shoulder and the cabbage and onion mixture. Then add ham shank, kielbasa, optional Polish sausage, drained sauerkraut, cumin, marjoram, ground peppercorns, and juniper (if using).
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Add the beer (or tomato sauce) and let simmer:
Add the beer if using, or the tomato sauce if making the tomato-based version. Stir well to combine.
You shouldn’t have enough liquid to submerge everything. That’s a good thing: Bigos is a “dry” stew, and the ingredients release more liquid as they cook. Bring everything to a simmer, cover the pot and simmer gently for at least 2 hours.
Bigos is better the longer it cooks, but you can eat it as soon as the ham shank falls apart. Check after 2 hours and every 30 minutes thereafter.
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Discard bones and fat, then add the prunes and cook longer:
When the shank is tender, fish it out and strip the meat and fat from the bones. Discard the bones and fat, then roughly chop the meat and return to the pot. Add the soaked dried mushrooms, strained mushroom steep liquid, and prunes (if using) and cook until tender, at least 30 minutes more.
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Add the mustard just before serving:
Bigos is best served plain, with rye bread and a beer. If you want a little kick, add the mustard (or horseradish) just before eating.
Bigos also gets better with age, which is why this recipe yields so much. Your leftovers will be even better the next day.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 584 | calories |
| 42g | Fat |
| 20g | carbohydrates |
| 32g | protein |
