Chefs Binge · Polish · Serves 6 people

Bigos Królewski - Polish Hunter's Stew Recipe

Three meats, sauerkraut and fresh cabbage, dried mushrooms and a glass of red wine, cooked slowly and eaten on the second or third day, when it tastes best.

Prep

30 min

Cook

5 hrs

Total

5 hrs 30 min

Serves

6 people

Per serving

496 kcal

Ingredients

400 g Beef - Stewing Cut - cut into large dice, chuck, skirt, leg, or flank works well

250 g Kielbasa - smoked Polish sausage, such as Podwawelska

150 g Lardons - or chopped bacon instead

500 g Sauerkraut - drained from liquid

500 g White cabbage - sliced

1 Large onion - diced

1 Apple - peeled and diced

50 g Dried mushrooms - porcini or boletus

1 Prune

2 Bay leaves

4 Allspice berries - or Juniper

1 tsp Marjoram

1 tsp Caraway

1 tsp Honey

2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1 pinch Nutmeg

500 ml Boiling water - for mushroom soaking

240 ml Red wine

1 tbsp Tomato puree

Equipment

Slow Cooker · Hybrid Non Stick Frying Pan · Fine Mesh Sieve

Method

Hydrate the Mushrooms. Pour 500 ml of boiling water over the dried mushrooms and allow them to soak for about 15 minutes. After they are hydrated, remove the mushrooms from the water and chop them smaller if you like, so they spread through the pot rather than turning up in lumps. To remove any grit or sand, strain the mushroom-infused water through a fine-mesh sieve. Add the strained water to the slow cooker, leaving the last of it behind so the sediment stays out. The cabbage releases plenty of liquid of its own as it cooks and a slow cooker loses none of it, so the pot should not be swimming at the start. If it looks tight after a couple of hours, top it up with a little hot water.

Sear the Meats. In a frying pan over high heat, sear the lardons and sausage until browned. Once browned, transfer the meat to the slow cooker, making sure to leave the fat in the frying pan for the next step.

Brown the Onions. In the same pan, sauté the diced onions until they become soft and attain a light brown colour. Afterward, transfer the onions to the slow cooker.

Brown the Beef. Brown the diced beef in the same pan in two separate batches to ensure even browning. After each batch is browned, transfer the beef to the slow cooker.

Combine Ingredients in Slow Cooker. Combine all remaining ingredients, including the rehydrated mushrooms, in the slow cooker. Stir well to ensure even mixing. Place the lid on the slow cooker. Set to high heat and cook for 5 hours, or set to low and cook for 7 hours. If possible, stir after the initial hour and then hourly thereafter to evenly distribute flavours. However, if you're not at home, it's okay to skip the stirring.

Serve. After the Bigos has finished cooking, take out the bay leaves. Serve warm, ideally with sourdough bread or boiled potatoes. Smacznego!

Reheating. Day two is when bigos becomes bigos. Let it cool, cover it and refrigerate it overnight. The next day reheat it on the hob until it is bubbling right through, then let it tick over gently for at least two hours before serving. It is edible on day one, properly good on day two and better again on day three. Do not reheat it from cold in the slow cooker, which takes too long to bring it up to temperature.

Chef’s notes

Why a slow cooker. Bigos catches on the bottom of a pot. On the hob you are tied to the kitchen, stirring every half hour for four or five hours, and if it catches even once that burnt taste runs through the whole batch. A slow cooker has no hot spot, so there is nothing to scorch and nothing to stir. You can still make it in a heavy pot on the hob or in a low oven if you prefer, but keep the heat as low as it will go and stir regularly.

On the liquid. The pot should not be swimming at the start. Cabbage gives up a lot of water and a slow cooker loses none of it, so bigos loosens as it cooks rather than tightening. If it looks tight after a couple of hours, top it up with a little hot water. If it looks loose at the end, take the lid off for the last half hour.

Season at the end. Sauerkraut and kielbasa vary enormously in salt, and the pot changes a great deal over five hours. Taste it before serving and adjust then, with salt, pepper or a little more honey if it needs rounding out.

To serve. Sourdough bread or boiled potatoes.

Per serving Calories 496 kcal · Protein 25.4 g · Carbs 24.9 g · Fat 33.7 g · Saturates 12.4 g · Fibre 7 g · Sugar 10 g · Sodium 1941 mg

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