Bigos Recipe #369866
Polish "Hunter's" Stew. Mine's not absolutely traditional--there's no venison. Perfect for cold weather. This only gets better with reheating. I recommend making a large batch and then freezing some of it (it'll last a couple months frozen).
This has many ingredients--but many are spices! Overall, this is pretty easy to make, and a good portion of the cooking time is just letting the stew simmer.
I hope you enjoy it!
by LMCski
3¾ hours | 40 min prep
SERVES 10 -12
- 4 slices bacon
- 2 lbs stewing beef, cubed (or 1 lb. pork stew meat, cubed)
- 2 lbs kielbasa, sliced 1/2 inch
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (if needed)
- 6 minced garlic cloves
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 carrots, sliced 1/4 inch
- 2 cups mushrooms, halved
- 1 green cabbage, shredded
- 1 lb sauerkraut, drained (if you like a tangier flavor, don't rinse the sauerkraut. If you don't like tangy-ness, rinse it onc)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried marjoram
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper (more to taste)
- 1 pinch cayenne (add more for a spicier stew)
- 1/2 cup red wine (recommended ( merlot or cab sav)
- 6 cups beef stock
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- In frying pan, cook bacon over med/med-high heat until fat is rendered and bacon is golden brown.
- Remove bacon (slotted spoon is helpful). Place in a large (10 quart or larger) pot.
- Add kielbasa to bacon fat. Brown on each side.
- Remove kielbasa, place in pot with bacon.
- Dredge cubed stew meat in flour, brown on all sides in frying pan (do not fully cook). Add vegetable oil as needed. (Usually the bacon grease is enough).
- Remove browned stew meat from pan and add to quart pan.
- Lower heat on frying pan to medium. Add garlic, onion, carrots, mushrooms, shredded cabbage, and cook until softened--roughly 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Do not brown vegetables. If you do not have a large enough frying pan, saute in batches.
- Add vegetables to pot.
- Add all spices, tomatoes, tomato paste, and beef stock to frying pan. Cook over med-high/high heat, stirring constantly until liquid boils. (Scrape up all the delicious browned leftovers from the meat as you stir!).
- Pour contents of frying pan into pot. Turn heat off under frying pan.
- Add red wine and sauerkraut to pot. Turn heat to med-high. (if it looks like you don't have enough broth, add water as desired).
- Once liquid begins to boil, turn heat to low/med-low. Cover pot and simmer for 2.5 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. (taste and adjust spices as desired).
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5 stars