Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

bigos - polish hunter's stew

(3 ratings)
Recipe by
Monica H
Michigan City, IN

This is nicknamed in English "Hunter's Stew". It is a staple in my family's cooking and my mother makes the best (as I pretty much say about any of my mother's recipes I post, lol!) Bigos is best when it is ready a few hours ahead of serving, so it has time for the flavors to "meld". For the meat choice, you can use pork, venison, chuck steak, kielbasa... whatever you like, as long as you make it tender! This is best eaten with some bread on the side to sop up the sauce. This is great to make on a chilly day.

(3 ratings)
yield 8 -10
prep time 20 Min
cook time 2 Hr 15 Min
method Stove Top

Ingredients For bigos - polish hunter's stew

  • 2
    yellow onions, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 c
    dried or fresh mushrooms
  • 1/4 c
    flour
  • 2 lb
    sauerkraut: canned or in the bag
  • 4
    tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp
    ground cloves (or 4 whole cloves)
  • 3 Tbsp
    olive oil
  • 1 tsp
    dried dill
  • 1
    bay leaf
  • 2 1/2 c
    beef stock
  • 1 tsp
    salt and pepper each, and then more to taste
  • MEATS: YOU CAN USE ANY COMBO OF THESE
  • 8 oz
    boneless pork
  • 16 oz
    chuck steak
  • 8 oz
    kielbasa

How To Make bigos - polish hunter's stew

  • 1
    If using dried mushrooms, put in bowl and cover with hot / boiling water. Let sit for 30 minutes to soften. Drain.
  • 2
    Cube meat. Toss in flour.
  • 3
    Use your heavy stock pot or big pot. Sautee onions in olive oil until carmelized. Remove from pot.
  • 4
    Add meat to pot(may have to do batches). If pot has dried out, add a little more olive oil. Remove meat from pan.
  • 5
    Deglaze pot with wine or balsamic vinegar. Return meat to pot and add onions as well as all the rest of the ingredients.
  • 6
    Bring to a boil. Then, cover and let simmer for 2 hours, or until meat is very tender. Turn off heat and halfway uncover the pot. Let it sit like that for 30-40 minutes for flavors to combine, meat to rest, and sauce to thicken.
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