Polish Bigos (Hunter’s Stew)
Bigos is a thick braised stew built on two kinds of cabbage and several cuts of meat, long reserved in Poland for holidays and hunting feasts in the cold months. Fresh white cabbage lends softness while sauerkraut brings the signature tang that smoked sausage, pork, and veal play against. Dried mushrooms and a spoonful of powidl — Polish thick, slow-cooked plum butter, for which a dark plum jam is the closest stand-in — add depth and a barely-there sweetness. A splash of wine stirred in at the very end locks the aroma in place before it can cook away.
Make it your own
The golden rule of bigos: the more kinds of meat, the better it tastes, so add poultry, game, or beef, a few pieces of root vegetable, and a little Madeira if you like. You can swap the plum butter for a sweet-and-sour preserve, but steer clear of anything too sugary or you’ll lose the balance against the sauerkraut. Watch that the stew doesn’t turn watery — let any excess liquid simmer off quietly over low heat. Soak the dried mushrooms ahead so they release more flavor into the broth.
Bigos doesn’t reveal itself all at once. Made the classic way, it keeps in the cold for a couple of weeks and grows tastier with every reheating, so it’s worth making a big batch. Serve it hot, warming it gently as you go, alongside rye bread. Serves 4 to 6.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Chop the onion and lightly saute it in a pot with the fat.
Add the pork and braise until partly cooked, then remove the meat and cut it into cubes.
Finely shred the white cabbage, salt it lightly, drop it into boiling water, and cook. Add the veal to the cabbage and braise, covered.
In a third pot, place the sauerkraut, add the mushrooms and bay leaf, and cover with cold water. Cover and simmer over low heat.
Once the meat is halfway done, combine everything in one pot, add the finely chopped sausage and the plum butter, then season with salt and pepper.
Stir everything well and simmer over low heat until the meat is done. Let the excess liquid cook off so the bigos isn't too watery.
At the end, take the dish off the heat, pour in the wine, and stir everything thoroughly.
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