Polish
Bigos
Slow-braised Polish hunter’s stew with silky fermented cabbage, browned pork, smoked kielbasa, forest mushrooms, and a savory gloss.
8 servings · 50 minutes prep · 255 minutes cook
Ingredients
Mushrooms and cabbage
- 1 oz, Dried porcini or an equivalent mixture of dried forest mushrooms.
- 2 cups, Just boiled, for soaking the mushrooms.
- 2 lb, Use refrigerated sauerkraut; drain before measuring.
- 1½ lb, Cored and sliced into ¼-inch ribbons.
Meats
- 8 oz, Use an unsliced piece and cut it into ½-inch pieces.
- 1¼ lb, Boneless; trim thick surface fat and cut into 1½-inch pieces.
- ½ tsp, Diamond Crystal kosher salt; adjust the volume if using another brand.
- 14 oz, Use smoked Polish kielbasa, sliced ½ inch thick.
- 1 tbsp, Rendered pork fat may be used.
Aromatics, fruit, and seasoning
- 2 medium onions, 12 oz, Diced.
- 3 cloves, ½ oz, Finely chopped.
- 1 tbsp
- 2 tsp
- 6 berries, Leave whole.
- 5 berries, Lightly crushed.
- 3 leaves
- 1 tsp, Freshly ground.
- 3 oz, about 6, Pitted and quartered.
Braising liquid
- ½ cup
- 1½ cups, Use unsalted beef stock or unsalted pork stock.
- ¼ cup, For reheating.
Directions
Soak the mushrooms and prepare the cabbage
- Put dried porcini mushrooms in a {{tool:heatproof-bowl}} and pour over the water. Cover and soak for 30 minutes, pressing the mushrooms beneath the water once or twice.
- Meanwhile, place the sauerkraut in a {{tool:colander}}. Rinse thoroughly under cold running water, turning it with your hands, until its aggressive brininess softens but it still tastes distinctly fermented. Squeeze it firmly by handfuls, then cut through it several times so the strands are no longer than about 3 inches. Do not salt the cabbage.
- Lift the mushrooms from their liquid, rinse away any clinging grit, and chop them coarsely. Strain the soaking liquid through a dampened {{tool:paper-coffee-filter}} set in a {{tool:fine-mesh-strainer}}. Measure 1½ cups for the stew; discard the gritty sediment and any excess.
Render and brown the meats
- Heat a heavy 7- to 8-quart {{tool:dutch-oven}} over medium-low heat. Add the smoked bacon and cook for 8–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has rendered much of its fat and the edges are browned. Transfer the bacon to a bowl with a {{tool:slotted-spoon}}.
- Season the pork shoulder evenly with the kosher salt. Add the lard to the bacon fat and raise the heat to medium-high. Brown the pork in two batches, leaving space between the pieces, for 3–4 minutes per broad side. Develop a dark brown crust while leaving the pork raw inside, then transfer it to the bowl with the bacon.
- Add the kielbasa in a single layer and brown for about 2 minutes per side. Transfer it to a separate bowl so it can be added later and retain its texture.
Build the stew
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the yellow onion and cook for 8–10 minutes, scraping up the browned residue with a {{tool:wooden-spoon}}, until soft and golden at the edges. Add the garlic cloves and cook for 45 seconds.
- Stir in the tomato paste, dried marjoram, allspice berries, juniper berries, bay leaf, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute, until the tomato paste darkens slightly and the spices smell fragrant.
- Pour in the dry red wine and scrape the bottom thoroughly. Boil for 2–3 minutes, until the wine has reduced by roughly half and no raw alcoholic aroma remains.
- Add the green cabbage a few handfuls at a time, folding each addition through the onions until it wilts enough to make room. Cook for 8–10 minutes; the cabbage should lose about one-third of its volume and become glossy but need not brown.
- Fold in the rinsed sauerkraut, chopped dried porcini mushrooms, browned pork shoulder, smoked bacon, 1½ cups strained mushroom liquid, and beef stock. The pot will be quite full but should remain below the rim; do not use a vessel smaller than 7 quarts. Bring the liquid just to a simmer, turning the mixture carefully from the bottom.
Cook slowly
- Cover the pot with its {{tool:lid}} and transfer it to a preheated 300°F {{tool:oven}}. Cook for 2 hours, stirring after each hour and pressing the cabbage back into the liquid. The stew should barely bubble around the edges and must not boil vigorously.
- Fold in the browned kielbasa and quartered dried prunes. Return the pot to the oven with the lid slightly ajar and cook for 60–90 minutes, stirring after 45 minutes.
- The bigos is ready for its first rest when the pork separates easily under pressure from a {{tool:fork}}, the cabbage is silky, and the liquid has reduced to a glossy coating rather than a free-standing broth. A spoon dragged across the bottom should leave a trail that fills slowly. If the stew remains soupy, cook uncovered for another 15–25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and any easily found allspice berries.
Cool and rest overnight
- Divide the hot bigos between two {{tool:shallow-dishes}} so it cools promptly. Refrigerate within 2 hours of leaving the oven; do not leave the full Dutch oven cooling at room temperature. Cover once cold and refrigerate for 12–24 hours so the smoke, mushroom, fermentation, and meat flavors settle into the cabbage.
Reheat and serve
- Return the bigos to the Dutch oven and add the cool water. Cover and reheat over medium-low heat for 25–35 minutes, folding from the bottom every 5–7 minutes, until it reaches a gentle simmer and an {{tool:instant-read-thermometer}} registers at least 165°F throughout.
- Uncover for the final 5 minutes if necessary. The finished stew should be moist and cohesive, with distinct pieces of meat held among deeply bronzed cabbage—not watery, jammy, sweet, or dominated by tomato. Because the sauerkraut, bacon, and kielbasa supply substantial salt, no additional salt should be needed.
