Bigos, or Hunter’s Stew, is essentially a sauerkraut and meat stew. It’s full of flavour and the perfect winter comfort food.
This sauerkraut stew, also called Hunter’s Stew or Bigos in Polish, is a staple in Polish cooking. It’s especially popular around the holidays because it’s intended to use up holiday leftovers.
A Polish Christmas is made up of a meat-free Christmas Eve dinner and and meat-full Christmas day all-day feast. We eat a lot of cold cuts and roasts, both cold and hot, among other things. Inevitably there is always some meat left over. So, on boxing day we take those leftovers and make a stew, a sauerkraut stew to be exact.
The sauerkraut is the perfect balance to the heavy and sometimes fatty meat. It helps with digestion and breaking down some of that fat.
I asked my dad for the recipe and then simplified it to make it my own. But I have added some other additions that you can play around with that make my dad’s bigos one of the best.
Preparing Bigos/Hunter’s Stew
Ingredients
Fresh Ingredients
Onion: Onion is a very common vegetable that is used both raw and cooked in food preparation. It has a sharp flavour raw that often sweetens once cooked. There are many varieties of onions, some that are milder than others. We use the common onion or yellow onion in this recipe.
Bacon: Bacon is salt cure pork from different cuts of the back. It is typically sold in slices. There are also non-pork alternatives such as turkey bacon that can also be used.
Smoked sausage: I use a Polish smoked sausage which is already cooked so I don’t have to worry about raw meat. The flavour of the smokes sausage really comes out when you brown it so make sure to look for this at the store. Here is a good equivalent in my local grocery store of which you would need about 2 sausages.
Pantry
Sauerkraut: Sauerkraut is made by finely slicing raw cabbage, covering it with salt and letting the fermenting process take its course. Once the cabbage starts releasing its juices, the jars are sealed.
Prunes: Prunes are made from plums, typically European plums. The plums are pitted and then dried for a long time in low temperatures. They are full of fiber and a known diuretic. You can soak prunes to soften them before consuming or add them to other liquids during a cooking process.
Allspice: Allspice is a ground unripe berry that comes from a tropical plant called Pimenta diaoica. It is used in many cuisines including Mexican, Jamaican and middle eastern. It is a very strong, smoky and almost sweet flavour and should be used carefully as it can easily overpower a meal.
Bay leaf: Bay leaves are the leaves of the bay laurel tree. Bay leaves are most often added to dishes whole and then removed after cooking, before serving. When used in their dry form they don’t soften during the cooking process so are not pleasant to eat.
Tomato paste: Tomato paste is concentrated tomato sauce. As the name indicates it is a paste and therefore has a reduced water content. It’s rich in fiber, vitamin C, and potassium and is a great way to add tomato flavour without adding extra liquid.
Vegetable stock: I use vegetable stock in this recipe because of its mild flavour. It also makes this soup vegetarian. Vegetable stock is made by cooking vegetables and some spices to release the flavours.
How to Make Hunter’s Stew/Bigos
There is a little bit of prep in this recipe with the fresh ingredients. Gather all of your ingredients and let’s get chopping.
Step 1: Prep the ingredients
Start by prepping the veggies and meats.
Peel and dice the onion, dice the bacon and the smoked sausage, and finely dice the prunes.
Step 2: Sauté
Before stewing, we want to sauté the ingredients a little bit.
Preheat some oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. You will need to use a vessel with a lid. Heat the oil on medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the onions and meats and sauté for about 10 minutes stirring frequently to prevent burning.
While the meat and onions are cooking you can prep the sauerkraut. Drain it from the liquid and if you’d like to tame the sourness a little you can also rinse the sauerkraut in a strainer under cold water.
Now add the sauerkraut to the pot and stir everything to combine. Sauté for another 5 minutes.
Step 3: Stew
Before stewing, add the prunes, bay leaf, allspice and stock and stir well. Cover with a lid and stew on low for 30 minutes.
Make sure to stir at least every 10 minutes to prevent burning.
After 30 minutes, add the tomato paste and black pepper. Stir again and cook.
TIP: The longer you stew the ingredients the more the flavours will marry. You can stew for another 30 minutes if you have the time to get a more buttery and silky texture.
Serving Bigos or Hunter’s Stew
Before serving bigos, make sure to find the bay leaves and remove them. They are not edible and are never pleasant to find in your bite.
Just scoop some stew into a bowl and enjoy! It tastes even better with a slice of buttered rye bread on the side but it’s not a necessity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is hunter’s stew vegetarian?
Technically no, but it can be. I’m sure my Polish friends would disagree with me but despite the name you can make a delicious Sauerkraut stew vegetarian. Skip the meat and instead add dried mushrooms. Soak the mushrooms overnight in water then finely chop them and add them to the stew. Also, add some fresh cabbage.
Use the proportions outlined in the recipe card below from the Optional Additions sections in the ingredients list.
Let us know in the comments if you have any other questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.
Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:
Hunter’s Stew (Bigos) Recipe
Equipment
- Knife
Ingredients
- 800 ml sauerkraut
- 1 yellow onion
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 smoked sausage
- 3 prunes
- ¼ tsp allspice
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup vegetable stock
Optional Additions:
- ½ cabbage
- ¼ cup dry mushrooms (soaked overnight in water)
- ½ tbsp sweet pimento
- ½ lbs beef or pork shoulder
- Leftover cold cuts
Instructions
- Slice the onion, bacon and smoked sausage, and finely dice the prunes.1 yellow onion, 6 slices bacon, 1 smoked sausage, 3 prunes
- You can drain the sauerkraut if you don’t want the stew to be too sour. You can also rinse the sauerkraut to further tame the flavour.800 ml sauerkraut
- Add the oil to a large pan or Dutch oven and heat on medium-high heat. Once hot add the onion, bacon and sausage and sauté for about 10 minutes. Next, add the sauerkraut to a pan and cook for another 5 minutes stirring frequently.1 yellow onion, 6 slices bacon, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 smoked sausage
- Now add the prunes, bay leaf, allspice, and stock. Stir everything to combine, cover and stew for 30 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes or so to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.3 prunes, ¼ tsp allspice, 3 bay leaves, 1 cup vegetable stock
- Now add the tomato paste and black pepper and stir once again to combine.1 tbsp tomato paste, ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- Cook for another 5 minutes and you’re ready to serve.
