Bigos is a famous and much-beloved Polish dish. It is a traditional hunter's stew and there are a dizzying variety of recipes out there for it. The foundation is always cabbage and pork, but approaches diverge from there.

It usually involves a mix of sauerkraut and fresh cabbage, although some recipes may use only sauerkraut and you can also find instructions for making it with only fresh cabbage. As far as I've seen, it always involves some sort of bacon or salt pork and some may also add fresh pork and/or ham. Most recipes call for kielbasa and/or dried Polish sausage as well. Venison is a very popular inclusion, although some recipes call for beef and/or veal either instead of or as well as the venison. A few recipes suggest incorporating chicken and/or duck, while others say that bigos must never contain poultry. And, as a hunter's stew, mushrooms are also a popular ingredient, either fresh or dried.

Onion, garlic, bay leaves, allspice, salt, and pepper seem to be the popular choice for seasonings. Although some recipes rely on Maggi sauce for whatever flavour is needed above and beyond that coming from the cabbage and meat. Most -- but not all -- of the recipes I looked at included a sweet element. For many, that simply meant adding a bit of sugar, but one actually suggested chopped pitted prunes to add a bit of sweetness. (A suggestion that I chose to follow in my rendition of this delicious stew!)

So, as you can see, there's quite a bit of variety in how this one-pot meal can be put together. The recipe that follows is based on combining elements of several different recipes, both from published cookbooks and personal family recipes that were sent to me by a friend. The resulting stew was fantastic! (Although I do think it probably would have been even better with some venison added to the pot, but I didn't have any venison and I did have a lot of beef, so that's what I used.)

This makes for a wonderful, satisfying dinner. Especially with a slice or two of fresh, home-made bread! And I'm looking forward to enjoying some of the leftovers with perogies tonight as well.

Bigos

Adapted from Applebaum, two different Polish Cookery recipes, and two family recipes

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. bacon grease (or lard), divided
• 400g back bacon, diced
• 450g stewing beef
• 300g kielbasa, diced
• 2 onions, chopped
• 6-7 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 c. white wine
• 1 1/2 c. water (or as needed), divided
• 2 bay leaves
• 12 allspice berries
• 1 cinnamon stick¹ (optional)
• 2 carrots, julienned or minced
• 20g dried procini mushrooms
• 1 cabbage, thinly sliced and chopped
• 900g sauerkraut, drained
• 1 c. pitted prunes, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground, divided

Directions

1. Melt 1 Tbsp. of the bacon grease over medium-high heat.
2. Add the bacon, beef, and keilbasa and cook, stirring as needed, to sear the outside.
3. Once the meat has some colour on all (or at least most) sides, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
4. Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining bacon grease.
5. Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened, stirring frequently (~10 minutes).
6. Add flour and cook, stirring frequently, until flour is no longer raw (~3 minutes).
7. Stir in wine, mix well, then add 1/2 c. of the water and stir to combine.
8. Add the bay leaves, allspice, and cinnamon (if using).
9. Add the carrots, mushrooms, another 1/2 c. of water, and as much of the cabbage as you can fit² and still have room for the meat.
10. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
11. Add the sauerkraut and prunes and return the meat to the pot.
12. Season with ~1/2 the pepper and (carefully) stir to combine. Add another 1/2 c. of water if it seems to need it, but be aware that the meat and cabbage will release some liquid as they cook.
13. Cover and simmer for ~1 hour, stirring occasionally.
14. If you couldn't fit all of the cabbage into the pot before, add the rest now if there's room.
15. Add more liquid if necessary (depending on whether you like a thick or brothy stew).
16. Cover and simmer for another hour (or longer if you have time), stirring occasionally and adding more water as necessary.
17. Add the remaining 1/4 tsp. of pepper and stir to combine. You may want to taste the broth at this point. Adjust the seasonings as necessary.
18. Serve with buttered bread.

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¹ None of the recipes called for any cinnamon and I didn't use any when I made my bigos. But after tasting it, I do think that a hint of cinnamon would go nicely with the other flavours, so I might try it out next time. ^Back
2 I could only fit ~1/2 the cabbage into the pot at this point, but I was able to add the rest later one the stew had cooked down a bit. Just be patient and let it simmer. ^Back