Dish of Bigos
(click to enlarge)

Bigos


Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus   -   Bigos
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4-1/2 #
***
2-3/4 hr
Best		 A very popular stew in the Commonwealth region: Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Belarus. It is variable, but meat, cabbage, and sauerkraut are essential. See also Comments

1
1
12
2
6
7
2
12
4
1/4
1
1/2
#
#
oz
oz
oz
oz
#
oz

c
t
t

Potatoes (1)
Pork (2)
Kielbasa
Salo or Bacon (3)  
Mushrooms (4)
Onion
Cabbage, white
Sauerkraut (5)
Allspice whole
Dill, fresh
Salt
Pepper
Prep   -   (20 min)
  1. Peel POTATOES and cut into chunks a little larger than the Pork. Place in a sauce pan with water to cover well. Bring to a boil and simmer until just cooked, then drain and set aside. Do Not try to cook them in the stew, acid hardens them. See also Serving.
  2. Slice PORK about 1/3 inch thick and cut into 3/4 inch pieces. Slice KIELBASA about 1/3 inch thick and cut slices in quarters. Mix.
  3. Cut SALO (or Bacon) into quarter inch dice.
  4. Quarter ONION lengthwise and slice thin crosswise.
  5. Slice MUSHROOMS about 1/4 inch thick.
  6. Core CABBAGE and shred fairly fine.
  7. Drain SAUERKRAUT, reserving juice. Pile on the board and make a few cuts at right angles to shorten.
  8. Chop DILL medium. Measure is after chopping moderately packed.
Run   -   (1-3/4 hr)
  1. In a Dutch oven or stew pot (4 quart) heat 1 T Oil. Stir in Salo and fry over declining heat until it has rendered most of it's fat and started to crisp a little.
  2. Stir in Pork and Kielbasa and fry tumbling often until showing a little browning.
  3. Stir in Onions and fry tumbling until translucent but no browning.
  4. Stir in Mushrooms and tumble until they have given up much of their moisture. If soaked Porcinis, just stir in and go on.
  5. Start stirring in Cabbage a handful or two at first, then the rest and tumble well. Turn heat to medium, cover, and tumble often until Cabbage is well wilted.
  6. Stir in Sauerkraut and Allspice. Stir in some of the Sauerkraut Juice. This will probably not be enough, so supplement it with Beer or Water as needed. Bring to a simmer, then set heat to low and simmer covered, tumbling now and then, for about 45 minutes, making sure it doesn't dry out.
  7. Stir in Dill, Potatoes, Salt, and Pepper. Adjust liquid if needed, it should finish with some free liquid remaining. Bring back to a simmer for about another 5 minutes.
  8. Serve hot (see Serving). This is one of those dishes that improves with cooling overnight and reheating, even several times.
NOTES:

  1. Potatoes:

      Use White Rose type or similar that hold shape well. Avoid Yukon Gold type which will turn to mush with longer cooking or reheating. See also Serving.

  2. Pork:

      Use Shoulder or Leg. Loin (where Pork Chops come from) will be dry and stiff.

  3. Salo or Bacon

      Salo is preferred in Eastern Europe. It is salt cured pork fat. Use really fatty Bacon if you don't have it.

  4. Mushrooms:

      In Poland and Ukraine, dried Porcini Mushrooms are usually used (after soaking), but those are very expensive and not easy to find here in Southern California. Regular White Mushrooms work.

  5. Sauerkraut:

      Preferably a Polish brand or home made. It should have plenty of juice. Libby's will do, but is a bit less flavorful than the Polish.

  6. Meats:

      Pork, Smoked Pork, Beef, Ham, Chicken Thighs, Lamb, Kielbasa, Knockwurst, and various game meats are all used in Bigos in various combinations.

  7. Serving:

      For table service, Bigos is very often presented with chunks of Potato on the side, boiled or otherwise prepared. I will usually be serving buffet style, so I cut the Potatoes smaller and mix them into the Bigos. Bigos is also often served in a hollowed out round bread.

  8. Comments:

      this recipe is for a simple Bigos in a Ukrainian style with Dill. Polish will usually have more types of meat and be with marjoram or other flavorings instead of dill, and may include tomato sauce.

    The derivation of the name Bigos is unknown, but it is often translated into English as "Hunter's Stew". This is from the nobility often including a mix of game meats. It is, however, predominantly a middle class and farm dish. Soon after Sauerkraut was made, and still mild, it just Meat and Sauerkraut, but as the Kraut aged and became more tart, more and more Cabbage was added. In today's home and restaurant practice, the ratio of Sauerkraut to Cabbage is varied by preference.

  9. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch tt=to taste ar=as required
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