Polish · Main · Easy
Bigos
Poland's hunter's stew: sauerkraut and fresh cabbage slow-cooked with pork, kielbasa, and dried mushrooms into deep, smoky comfort.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Bigos, in 5 ideas
- Bigos is famously better on day two or three; make it ahead
- Do not skip the dried mushrooms; they add irreplaceable depth
- Rinse the sauerkraut if you prefer a milder stew
- The longer and slower, the better the flavors marry
- Serve with rye bread and nothing else
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork shoulder, cubed
- 1/2 lb kielbasa, sliced
- 4 cups sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms, soaked
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to make it
Directions
- Brown the pork in a heavy pot in batches and set aside.
- Saute the onion and kielbasa in the same pot until the onion softens.
- Add the tomato paste, caraway, and paprika and cook 1 minute.
- Add the sauerkraut, cabbage, mushrooms with their soaking liquid, wine, bay leaves, and the pork.
- Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low for 2 and a half hours, stirring occasionally.
- Season with salt and pepper. Traditionally, bigos tastes best reheated the next day.
Money saver. This is a perfect clean-out-the-fridge stew; any smoked meats or leftover roasts can go in.