Bigos

Name: Bigos
Cook time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 pound beef short-rib meat, boneless (see note), cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks; Salt and pepper, to taste; Vegetable oil, as needed; 1 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch chunks; 3/4 pound smoked kielbasa, cut into 1/2-inch coins; 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 1/2 tablespoons whole caraway seed; 1 teaspoon ground allspice; 1 large onion, sliced 1/4-inch thin; 3 medium carrots, grated; 32 ounces canned diced tomatoes, with juice; 1 pound cabbage, sliced 1/4-inch thin; 1 pound sauerkraut; 3 bay leaves; Rye bread, for serving.

Recipe from Monika Woods

Adapted by Francis Lam

Updated April 29, 2024

Total Time: 3½ to 7½ hours, depending on your preference
Cook Time: 3½ to 7½ hours, depending
Rating: 4(255)
Notes: Read community notes

Bigos is usually translated as “hunter’s stew” and is sometimes referred to as the national dish of Poland. This version, adapted from Monika Woods, is rich with meat but heightened with caraway balanced by the tartness of sauerkraut, tomato and sweet fresh cabbage. Woods's mother makes it with the ends and scraps of meat saved and frozen over months’ worth of meals, so feel free to experiment with different cuts. Smoky kielbasa is the only necessary constant. —Francis Lam

Featured in: Greenpoint’s Culinary Ghosts

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

1pound beef short-rib meat, boneless (see note), cut into 1½-inch chunks
Salt and pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil, as needed
1pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch chunks
¾pound smoked kielbasa, cut into ½-inch coins
4cloves garlic, finely chopped
1½tablespoons whole caraway seed
1teaspoon ground allspice
1large onion, sliced ¼-inch thin
3medium carrots, grated
32ounces canned diced tomatoes, with juice
1pound cabbage, sliced ¼-inch thin
1pound sauerkraut
3bay leaves
Rye bread, for serving.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
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 ¼ 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.
Step 2
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.
Step 3
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.
Step 4
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.
Step 5
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.

Tip

If you can’t find boneless short-rib meat, buy about 2 pounds bone-in, and cut the meat away from the bone, or substitute with well-marbled beef chuck. Feel free to simmer the bone with the bigos for more richness.

Ratings

4 out of 5

255 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

jlp_nyc6 years ago

Recipe looks good. Some additional suggestions, based on having made bigos every Christmas for the past dozen years:

1. Instead of just caraway & allspice, try some Polish hunter's spice: marjoram, onion/garlic powder, juniper, caraway & bay leaf, ground together; plus whole allspice when cooking.

2. Add diced tart apple & a cup or two of dry Madeira.

3. Make it 3 days ahead and reheat/cool twice before final reheat/serving - melds flavors & ensures super tender meat.

Martha6 years ago

Our post-Yuletide Bigos always includes leftovers from our Xmas goose. Game is also a nice addition. It is, after all, hunter's stew.

Sage556 years ago

I cannot comment on the recipe, which I haven't made yet, but the story of traditional dishes in the metamorphosis of history and community is such a great read. Thank you. Now I want to hear how the inspiration for this subject has given up meat.

Mark in Hungary6 years ago

"Hunters stew" in Hungarian is "gulyas" (goulash), and bigos is similar to the style of gulyas found in Transylvania, which is made primarily sauerkraut with pork.

terry947053 years ago

I appreciated the “deglaze after each batch” advice and wish I’d heard it long ago. My enameled cast iron is usually a mess after browning 2 or 3 batches of meat. With this method you save all the good fond and avoid the likelihood of burning it. It takes a few extra minutes, but not as long as cleaning a burned Dutch oven.

Vicky6 years ago

I had never made Bigos before, so I really didn't feel qualified to stray too far from this recipe. I did, however, deglaze the pot (just once--all that scraping and washing seemed unnecessary) with red wine instead of water. I also added 1 ounce of dried porcini mushrooms and their strained reconstitution water, and some fresh shitake mushrooms. I can only imagine that these few additions helped to make the flavor even richer.

Sam2 months ago

One of the better bigos recipes I've made, with a brighter, more acidic flavor profile, perhaps because it has no mushrooms. I added a handful of dried prunes, deglazed with red wine, added a little extra cabbage, and used bone-in LA galbi for short ribs, since I had some in my freezer — all tweaks I'd make again. As soon as I added the spices, my kitchen began to smell overpoweringly and cloyingly of allspice, and I had a moment of panic. But all was well when I tasted things a few hours later.

larxol4 months ago

Good on egg noodles.

Dr.Mac4 months ago

A super simple Bigos is kielbasa, sauerkraut, some potatoes, an apple quartered. Proportions to taste. Simmer until the apples have disintegrated, and the potatoes are done. I think this version originally came from the Seattle Times.

Kathy Drago4 months ago

I just had this last night in a Polish restaurant in St. Augustine and they told me the ingredients. Along with the ingredients here they also had dates, raisins, and honey. Don’t know the proportions. It was sooooo good.

Bigos Without Mushrooms?7 months ago

My family recipe specifies that mushrooms (preferably wild... cepes, morel, etc.) Briefly sautéed in butted and then added to the cooking pot for the last hour.

laura7 months ago

I made it about a year ago and kept it bc it’s so good. Polish cassoulet - making it again today but with errands going to try it in the instapot crock setting so I can leave the house! Wish me luck.

Beata M7 months ago

I'm Polish and have been making bigos for 30 plus years. I understand there are regional variations even to national dishes, but this recipe does not include any mushrooms! That's highly unusual. Traditionally, a handful or two of dried wild mushrooms, soaked overnight, would be added to the dish. You could substitute baby Bella or a variety of other fresh mushrooms, but stay away from white button mushrooms because they lack flavor. Also, some cooks use only sauerkraut to make this dish.

Adriana W.9 months ago

Adding mushrooms is a must! dried or fresh white!

Arcturus9 months ago

Make it bacon instead of beef and you’d be close to a real bigos recipe.

Wes1 year ago

Made just as written and it was sensational. Delicious complex flavours and I know it will taste even better in two days’ time. Will definitely try it with prunes next time. And there will definitely be a next time.

Sandra1 year ago

Often the sauerkraut is rinsed. Helps for those who don't like the 'sour' taste of kraut. I do, but still rinse for bigos. I have numerous recipes (one from the granny of a former student I had from Poland) and take what I like from each. The constants are kraut, smoked Polish sausage, prunes (this recipe doesn't have) , and cabbage.

Pita chef1 year ago

My Warsaw born mother always started with a roux made from flour and butter. She cooked it to a brick brown, then slowly added the sauerkraut and meats. No garlic, ever. I seem to remember her adding some dark ale or beer. We browned mushrooms, too - with now available porcini etc I imagine the flavor would be even more complex. Traditionally roasted wild boar would be added - but none available in 1970s Boston area …

Nina1 year ago

Garlic may very well have been left out as it isn't as widely used in traditional Northern/Central/Eastern European cuisine like German or Polish as in e.g. Levante/Mediterranean or Asian cuisine. There are many dishes you can cook entirely without garlic if you don't like it.

Gayle1 year ago

We are making it today for the second time, simmering it for five hours today. Tomorrow we will heat it up gently and serve, as it's better on the second day. We'll serve it with sourdough rye bread, Polish noodles and dill pickles on the side. This is great for serving to guests, as there's no last-minute prep.

Nathan2 years ago

Diced prunes can add a lovely sweetness

terry947053 years ago

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