Chef-tested recipe
Sauerkraut and cabbage slowly cooked with pork, beef, smoked sausage, mushrooms, and prunes
Bigos, often called Polish hunter’s stew, is less a single fixed formula than a respected family of slow-cooked dishes. Sauerkraut and fresh cabbage form the base, enriched with several meats, smoked sausage, dried forest mushrooms, prunes, wine, and spices. Its flavour becomes rounder with cooling and reheating, which is why bigos is traditionally valued as much on the second or third day as on the first.
Recipe at a glance
- Servings
- 8 servings
- Prep Time
- 40 mins
- Cook Time
- 3 hours 30 mins
- Total Time
- 4 hours 10 mins
- Cuisine
- Polish
- Course
- Main dishes
- Cooking Method
- Browning and long stovetop braising
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Best Served With
- Best served with dense rye bread, boiled potatoes, buckwheat groats, dill pickles, or a spoonful of prepared horseradish.
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Equipment
- Large heavy stockpot with lidpaid link
- Wide cast-iron frying panpaid link
- Fine-mesh strainerpaid link
- Chef’s knifepaid link
- Cutting boardpaid link
- Wooden spoonpaid link
- Digital kitchen scalepaid link
Ingredients
For the stew
- Sauerkraut, lightly drained with liquid reserved: 1200 g
- Fresh white cabbage, finely shredded: 1000 g
- Pork shoulder, cut into 3 cm pieces: 900 g
- Beef chuck, cut into 3 cm pieces: 500 g
- Smoked Polish kielbasa, sliced: 500 g
- Smoked bacon, cut into lardons: 250 g
- Pork lard or neutral oil: 40 g
- Yellow onions, diced: 400 g
- Dried forest mushroomspaid link: 35 g
- Hot water for soaking mushrooms: 500 ml
- Pitted prunes, halved: 180 g
- Tomato paste: 60 g
- Dry red wine: 300 ml
- Unsalted beef or pork stock: 1000 ml
- Bay leaves: 4 g
- Whole allspice berriespaid link: 4 g
- Juniper berries, lightly crushed: 3 g
- Dried marjorampaid link: 8 g
- Caraway seedspaid link: 4 g
- Freshly ground black pepper: 4 g
- Fine sea saltpaid link: 8 g
Preparation Overview
Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes, lift them out, chop them, and strain the soaking liquid through a fine filter. Taste the sauerkraut before cooking; rinse only if it is aggressively salty or sour, and keep some brine for final adjustment.
Method
Soak the dried mushrooms in 500 ml hot water for 20 minutes. Chop the mushrooms and strain the liquid, leaving any grit behind.
Place the sauerkraut and fresh cabbage in a large heavy pot with the strained mushroom liquid, half the stock, bay leaves, allspice, juniper, marjoram, and caraway.
Bring to a gentle simmer, cover partly, and cook for 45 minutes while preparing the meats.
Cook the bacon in a wide frying pan until its fat renders. Transfer the bacon to the cabbage pot.
Brown the pork and beef in batches in the bacon fat, adding lard as needed, then add them to the pot.
Brown the sliced kielbasa briefly and transfer it to the pot.
Cook the onions in the same pan for 8 minutes, stir in the tomato paste for 2 minutes, then deglaze with the red wine.
Pour the onion and wine mixture into the pot. Add the mushrooms, prunes, and enough remaining stock to keep the stew moist but not soupy.
Simmer very gently, partly covered, for 2 to 2½ hours, stirring from the base every 20 minutes and adding small amounts of stock if needed.
Season with black pepper and only as much salt as required. Add reserved sauerkraut brine for sharper acidity if desired.
Serve when the meats are tender and the cabbage is dark and cohesive, or cool quickly and refrigerate overnight before reheating for deeper flavour.
Beginner Technique Notes
Taste the sauerkraut before adding salt because its seasoning varies widely.
Brown each meat in batches to build flavour without steaming.
Keep enough moisture in the pot to prevent scorching, but avoid turning bigos into soup.
Stir from the bottom regularly because the cabbage and tomato can catch during the long cook.
Tips and Variations
Add cooked venison or other game for a more literal hunter’s stew variation.
Bigos welcomes leftover roast meats, provided they are added late enough to avoid drying.
Cool and reheat the stew once or twice over several days for a traditional deepened flavour, following safe cooling and reheating practices.
Omit the wine and use extra stock plus a little sauerkraut brine if alcohol is unsuitable.
Serving Ideas
- Ladle the dark, thick stew into warmed earthenware bowls, ensuring each serving includes cabbage, sauerkraut, mushrooms, and several kinds of meat.
Storage
Cool rapidly in shallow containers and refrigerate for up to 4 days, reheating only the portion needed to at least 74°C. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutritional Value
Allergen Notes
Check kielbasa, bacon, stock, tomato paste, and wine for gluten, celery, sulphites, milk, soy, or mustard. Sauerkraut and smoked meats can be high in sodium.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is bigos?
Bigos is a Polish long-cooked stew based on sauerkraut, cabbage, meats, sausage, mushrooms, and seasonings.
Does bigos taste better the next day?
Yes. Cooling and reheating allow the flavours to combine, provided the stew is cooled and stored safely.
Should sauerkraut be rinsed?
Only if it is excessively salty or sour. Taste it first so its character is not washed away unnecessarily.
Can bigos be frozen?
Yes. Its sturdy cabbage and meat base freezes well for up to 3 months.
