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A bowl of dark bigos with sausage, sauerkraut, and mushrooms, and a slice of rye bread
Stewing

Bigos (Polish hunter's stew)

Prep 30 min Cook 3 hr Total 3 hr 30 min Servings 10

By Lukasz Jagiello

Published Oct 11, 2026 · Updated Oct 11, 2026

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About this recipe

I only post recipes that I have tried and verified and are good to my taste — all taste may vary.

Bigos is a stew that improves with repeated cool-and-reheat cycles; the cabbage keeps softening and the flavors marry.

Techniques in this recipe

Ingredients

Method

  1. 01

    In a large Dutch oven render bacon over medium, 6 minutes. Brown pork in batches in the fat, 8 minutes; remove.

  2. 02

    Brown kiełbasa 4 minutes, then onions 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste 1 minute and deglaze with wine.

  3. 03

    Add sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, chopped porcini and their strained liquid, prunes, bay, allspice and caraway. Return pork.

  4. 04

    Cover and cook on the lowest heat (or in a 300°F oven) 2 1/2–3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes and adding a splash of water if it catches.

  5. 05

    Stir in marjoram, season with salt and pepper. Cool, refrigerate overnight and reheat; repeat for even deeper flavor.

  6. 06

    Serve with rye bread or boiled potatoes.

Notes & swaps

  • Bigos is a stew that improves with repeated cool-and-reheat cycles; the cabbage keeps softening and the flavors marry.

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