Best Bigos Recipes

BIGOS (HUNTER'S STEW)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and kielbasa; cook and stir until the bacon has rendered its fat and sausage is lightly browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and transfer to a large casserole or Dutch oven.
• Coat the cubes of pork lightly with flour and fry them in the bacon drippings over medium-high heat until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to the casserole. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, fresh mushrooms, cabbage and sauerkraut. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir until the carrots are soft, about 10 minutes. Do not let the vegetables brown.
• Deglaze the pan by pouring in the red wine and stirring to loosen all of the bits of food and flour that are stuck to the bottom. Season with the bay leaf, basil, marjoram, paprika, salt, pepper, caraway seeds and cayenne pepper; cook for 1 minute.
• Mix in the dried mushrooms, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock, tomato paste and tomatoes. Heat through just until boiling. Pour the vegetables and all of the liquid into the casserole dish with the meat. Cover with a lid.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until meat is very tender.

BIGOS (POLISH HUNTER'S STEW)

Steps:

• Place sauerkraut in a large pan or casserole dish and pour in 4 cups of boiling water. Add prunes, allspice, and bay leaves. Simmer until Sauerkraut is soft, about 50 minutes.
• Pour about 1 cup of boiling water over mushrooms and soak to rehydrate, about 30 minutes. Drain and chop mushrooms, reserving the liquid.
• Heat oil in a frying pan over medium to high heat. Add onion and sausage. Saute while stirring until onion is soft and sausage is browned, about 5 minutes.
• In a separate pan, bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. Add beef, pork, and bacon. Simmer until cooked through for 20 minutes, then drain.
• When sauerkraut is soft, add the drained meat mixture, sausage-onion mixture, and soaked mushrooms; mix well. Simmer uncovered over low heat, about 20 minutes.
• Pour in red wine and cook for 15 minutes until flavors are well blended. Season with caraway seeds, marjoram, salt, and pepper. Stir in tomato puree. If the stew is too dry, pour in some of the water reserved from soaking the mushrooms, and simmer so flavors combine, about 5 minutes.

CHEF JOHN'S BIGOS (POLISH HUNTER'S STEW)

Steps:

• Place mushrooms in warm water to soak and soften, 10 or 15 minutes. Drain and chop.
• Heat butter in a heavy pot or Dutch oven; add sauerkraut and sliced cabbage. Cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally. Brown the meat and add it to pot while sauerkraut is cooking per directions below.
• Heat skillet over medium-high heat; add bacon and cook until browned but not crisp. Transfer bacon to pot with cabbage, leaving bacon grease in skillet.
• Brown pork shoulder pieces in bacon grease over medium-high heat. Sprinkle with salt. Cook and stir until browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer pork to pot. Add beef chunks to skillet; sprinkle with salt. Cook and stir until browned, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add sausage slices to skillet and cook and stir until browned. Transfer slices to pot.
• Reduce heat under skillet to medium. Add chopped onion and a sprinkle of salt; cook and stir until onion turns translucent and starts to take on some color. Stir in chopped mushrooms and diced prunes. Cook and stir about 2 minutes. Pour in dry red wine; raise heat to medium-high. Simmer until wine is reduced to where very little liquid remains. Transfer onion mixture to pot with cabbage and meat. Add paprika, caraway seeds, thyme, allspice, bay leaf, pepper, and salt. Stir to evenly distribute all ingredients.
• Cover tightly; simmer over medium-low heat until meat is tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Allow stew to cool slightly; refrigerate overnight to let flavors blend.
• Place pot over low to medium-low heat and add a splash of water. Bring stew to low simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook until hot, 10 to 15 minutes.

POLISH HUNTERS' STEW (BIGOS)

Steps:

• 1 Pour hot tap water over the dried mushrooms for 20-40 minutes, or until soft. Grind or crush the juniper berries and black peppercorns roughly. Cut the pork shoulder and sausages into 2-inch chunks. Drain the sauerkraut and set aside. Clean off any dirt from the mushrooms and cut them into large pieces; leave small ones whole. 2 Heat the bacon fat or vegetable oil in a large lidded pot for a minute or two. Brown the pork shoulder over medium-high heat. Do not crowd the pan. Set aside. 3 Put the onion and fresh cabbage into the pot and sauté for a few minutes, stirring often, until the cabbage is soft. Sprinkle a little salt over them. If you are making the tomato-based version, add the tomato paste here. Once the cabbage and onions are soft, remove from pot and set aside. 4 Add the mushrooms and cook without any additional oil, stirring often, until they release their water. Once they do, sprinkle a little salt on the mushrooms. When the water is nearly all gone, add back the pork shoulder, the cabbage-and-onion mixture, and then everything else except the prunes. Add the beer, if using, or the tomato sauce if you're making the tomato-based version. Stir well to combine. 5 You should not have enough liquid to submerge everything. Bigos is a "dry" stew, the ingredients will give off more liquid as they cook. Bring to a simmer, cover pot and cook for at least 2 hours. 6 Bigos is better the longer it cooks, but you can eat it once the ham hock falls apart. Check at 2 hours, and then every 30 minutes. When the hock is tender, remove, pull off the meat and fat from the bones. Discard bones and fat, chop the meat roughly and return to the pot. Add the prunes and cook until they are tender, at least 30 more minutes. Serve simply, with rye bread and a beer. Add optional mustard or horseradish right before you eat it. Bigos improves with age;leftovers will be even better than the stew was on the first day.

HUNTERS' STEW FROM WARSAW (BIGOS WARSZAWSKI)

Steps:

• Brown pork in the hot bacon drippings.
• Place in a kettle and add sauerkraut, sausage, water and boullion cube.
• Cover and simmer until the pork is tender (1 to 1 1/2 hours).
• In the meantime, add the cabbage to a pot of boiling water, reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes and drain.
• Saute the bacon and onion until golden, add the flour mixed with water and stir until smooth.
• Stir into the pork- sauerkraut mixture and add the tomato paste, cabbage, mushrooms, salt and pepper.
• Simmer for 10 minutes, add wine and serve with steamed potatoes or crusty rye bread.

BIGOS STEW

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sprinkle the cubed pork generously with salt and pepper. In a large pan or Dutch oven over medium heat, saute bacon, kielbasa and pork until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove bacon, pork and kielbasa from pan and set aside. Reserve the rendered fat.
• Add onions to the same pan and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add prune butter and tomato paste. Mix in well, then add caraway, marjoram and paprika and saute for another minute.
• Return the meat to the pan, then add the sauerkraut, broth, carrot, potato and mushrooms. Heat over medium heat until the stew begins to bubble. Cover the pan, then transfer to the oven and bake until the vegetables and meat are fork-tender, 1 to 2 hours. Season to taste.

BIGOS (HUNTERS STEW)

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large pan and fry the onions until golden
• Rinse the sauerkraut in cold water and drain well, and mix with the onions. Add the tomatoes
• Shred the cabbage finely and mix in, add the stock stirring well
• In another pan brown the ribs or cubed pork belly then add to the cabbage mix, thickly slice the smoked sausage (kielbasa) then brown in the same pan as u did the ribs or pork belly, add to the cabbage mix
• Allow to simmer on a low heat for one hour, season to taste. Remove from heat and leave covered for 24 hours. Refridgerate and reheat before serving.

CLASSIC BIGOS (POLISH HUNTER STEW)

Steps:

• * Begin by preparing the sauerkraut. Always buy the kind that doesn't contain vinegar. First, place it in cold water for an hour to let the salt wash out. Then rinse it and squeeze out as much water as you can. * While the sauerkraut soaks, start on the mushrooms. Place each small packet of dried mushrooms in 2 cups of boiling water and set aside for 30 mins. Chop the resultant wet mushrooms into strips and reserve the rich, brown liquid (but not the sand at the bottom). * Also chop the prunes. * While you wait, chop the sausage into small, irregular pieces. Also chop the other meats into stew-sized chunks. * To cook the bigos, you'll need a large (6 liter+) enamelled, cast iron casserole. * Place some bacon and a touch of canola oil in the pot and fry it for a few minutes. * Sear the raw meats for a minute or so. * Next, toss in the chopped onions and fry until translucent. Do not caramelize. * Now add the sausage and the other meats. Fry for several minutes. * Once the meat is ready, add the black pepper. * You are now ready to add the squeezed-out sauerkraut. I toss mine in by the handful. The cooking pot should be 3/4 full once you're done. Stir well. * Add the mushrooms and the prunes, the coriander, and bay leaves. * Add a cup or more of the mushroom liquid and allow the stew to simmer. * Add any remaining spices, fresh mushrooms, and tomato paste. Stir often and well. * As the stew simmers, keep adding the mushroom-liquid (or salt-free stock if necessary). The bigos should always be moist (like a risotto) but should never be allowed to swim in water. Don't burn the bottom! * Bring to a slow boil and then simmer for several hours per day for the next two or three days. The sauerkraut will slowly lose its stringy consistency and dissolve. It should also turn a deep brown from the mushrooms. Constant attention is not required. * Serve the bigos with some 'pain de campagne' and perhaps a shot of good vodka or red wine. Bon appetit!

BIGOS - POLISH SAUERKRAUT STEW

Steps:

• Slice kielbasa into 1 inch rounds; brown in skillet.
• Brown the onions.
• Drain juice from sauerkraut and add 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar.
• In a large casserole, make layers of sliced potatoes, sauerkraut, kielbasa, and onions.
• Mix soup with 1/2 cup water and pour over other ingredients.
• Sprinkle with caraway seeds.
• Cover and bake at 375 degrees for about 1 hour.
• Uncover and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes until top is brown.

BIGOS (HUNTER'S STEW)

Steps:

• In a very large skillet, fry the bacon.
• Add onion, mushrooms and meat and fry until meat is lightly browned.
• Add 1/2 cup liquid, cover and simmer until meat is tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Add more liquid if needed.
• Add sausage and sauerkraut and cook until the flavors have blended, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper and serve with steamed potatoes and crusty rye bread.

BIGOS, POLISH HUNTER'S STEW

Steps:

• Chop cabbage, finely. Boil in pot 4 qts water, drained when cooked. Boil sauerkraut in separate pot with water, then drain, but save sour water. Chop bacon. Heat vegetable oil & fry meat until cooked. Cut sausage into 1" slices. Fry bacon, sausage, onion & garlic together until brown. Combine all precooked ingredients in a tall pot. Add tomato paste, prunes, mushrooms & enough sour water to taste. Mix well & boil on low heat for 90 min. to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve with hard-crusted bread. It tastes better each time you reheat it.

BIGOS - POLISH HUNTER'S STEW

Steps:

• 1. If using dried mushrooms, put in bowl and cover with hot / boiling water. Let sit for 30 minutes to soften. Drain.
• 2. Cube meat. Toss in flour.
• 3. Use your heavy stock pot or big pot. Sautee onions in olive oil until carmelized. Remove from pot.
• 4. Add meat to pot(may have to do batches). If pot has dried out, add a little more olive oil. Remove meat from pan.
• 5. Deglaze pot with wine or balsamic vinegar. Return meat to pot and add onions as well as all the rest of the ingredients.
• 6. Bring to a boil. Then, cover and let simmer for 2 hours, or until meat is very tender. Turn off heat and halfway uncover the pot. Let it sit like that for 30-40 minutes for flavors to combine, meat to rest, and sauce to thicken.

POLISH HUNTER'S CHOUCROUTE (BIGOS)

Steps:

• Place onions in a bowl and mix with salt; set aside. Place a large skillet over medium heat; sauté bacon until brown and crisp. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onions to pan; sauté over medium heat until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat; set aside.
• Place sauerkraut in a heavy casserole without rinsing it unless you find the taste too strong. If you do, rinse in cold water and press water out in a colander. Add to sauerkraut the onions, potatoes, garlic, peppercorns and all meats except frankfurters, sausages and kielbasa. Peel and core apples, cut into quarters, and add to casserole. Mix well. Add enough consommé and wine to barely reach surface of sauerkraut. Cover and cook over low heat for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of casserole.
• Allow casserole to cool. Throw out bones and outer skin of knuckles. If not serving dish the same day, cover and refrigerate. If serving the same day, add sausages and kielbasa, and cook over low heat for 1 hour before serving.
• Fifteen minutes before serving, pour vodka over mixture. Place on a platter with raised edges (to prevent liquid from spilling), arranging sausages on top. If desired, serve with coarse grain mustard and lightly buttered boiled potatoes sprinkled with chopped dill.

BIGOS

Steps:

• Pat the beef very dry with paper towel. Season it with salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, slick a large, heavy pot with oil. When the oil shimmers, sear the beef in one layer until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a large bowl. Pour off the fat from the pot, add 1/4 cup water and stir to dissolve the browned bits. Pour these juices into the seared meat. Rinse and wipe out the pot, and repeat this process with the pork shoulder.
• Place the clean pot over medium heat with a slick of oil. While it heats, add the kielbasa in 1 layer. Brown it until deep golden, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the kielbasa to the seared-meat bowl, but keep the fat in the pot.
• Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, then add the caraway seed and allspice, and stir for 20 seconds or until very fragrant. Add the onion and a few pinches of salt. Stir to pick up any browned bits; if the bottom of the pot looks dry, add a few splashes of water. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, until soft, about 10 minutes.
• Add the carrots, tomatoes, seared meat and juices, and raise the heat to high. When it boils, add the cabbage and sauerkraut. Cook, stirring, until the cabbage is wilted and has released its juices. The liquid should nearly submerge the solids; add water if needed. Bring the pot to a simmer, add the bay leaves, then turn heat down to low to maintain a barely bubbling simmer, and cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly ajar.
• Simmer the stew for 2 to 6 hours. At 2 hours, the meat should be tender and the flavor of the bigos will be bright and acidic. At 4 hours, the meat and cabbage will be very tender, with a balanced flavor. (This is my preference.) At 6 hours, which is more traditional, the meat will be falling apart into the cabbage. Adjust seasoning with salt or pepper to taste, and serve with rye bread.

BIGOS

Steps:

• In frying pan, cook bacon over med/med-high heat until fat is rendered and bacon is golden brown.
• Remove bacon (slotted spoon is helpful). Place in a large (10 quart or larger) pot.
• Add kielbasa to bacon fat. Brown on each side.
• Remove kielbasa, place in pot with bacon.
• Dredge cubed stew meat in flour, brown on all sides in frying pan (do not fully cook). Add vegetable oil as needed. (Usually the bacon grease is enough).
• Remove browned stew meat from pan and add to quart pan.
• Lower heat on frying pan to medium. Add garlic, onion, carrots, mushrooms, shredded cabbage, and cook until softened--roughly 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Do not brown vegetables. If you do not have a large enough frying pan, saute in batches.
• Add vegetables to pot.
• Add all spices, tomatoes, tomato paste, and beef stock to frying pan. Cook over med-high/high heat, stirring constantly until liquid boils. (Scrape up all the delicious browned leftovers from the meat as you stir!).
• Pour contents of frying pan into pot. Turn heat off under frying pan.
• Add red wine and sauerkraut to pot. Turn heat to med-high. (if it looks like you don't have enough broth, add water as desired).
• Once liquid begins to boil, turn heat to low/med-low. Cover pot and simmer for 2.5 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. (taste and adjust spices as desired).

BIGOS (HUNTERS SOUP)

Steps:

• 1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 2.Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and kielbasa; cook and stir until the bacon has rendered its fat and sausage is lightly browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and transfer to a large casserole or Dutch oven. 3.Coat the cubes of boar lightly with flour and fry them in the bacon drippings over medium-high heat until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the boar to the casserole. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, fresh mushrooms, cabbage and sauerkraut. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir until the carrots are soft, about 10 minutes. Do not let the vegetables brown. 4.Deglaze the pan by pouring in the red wine and stirring to loosen all of the bits of food and flour that are stuck to the bottom. Season with the bay leaf, basil, marjoram, paprika, salt, pepper, caraway seeds and cayenne pepper; cook for 1 minute. 5.Mix in the dried mushrooms, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, bison stock, tomato paste and tomatoes. Heat through just until boiling. Pour the vegetables and all of the liquid into the casserole dish with the meat. Cover with a lid. 6.Bake in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until meat is very tender.