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A Bigos recipe · BBQ (AUD)
Bigos, the BBQ way
Same hunter's stew, moved outside. The smoke off the grill does a lot of the work a Polish kitchen usually leaves to hours over a low flame — and a cold beer in the pot doesn't hurt either.
What you'll need
- Pork belly, cut for the grill
- Lamb shoulder chops
- Beef sausages ("snags")
- Sauerkraut
- Fresh white cabbage, shredded
- Smoky BBQ sauce
- Tinned tomatoes
- Dried mushrooms
- A splash of brown sugar
- A cold lager or pale ale
- Beef stock
- Butter
- Onion, garlic, smoked paprika, bay leaf
Why the beer: it does the same job red wine does in the other versions — cutting through the richness — but it plays a lot nicer with anything that's spent time over charcoal.
Method
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Fire up the grill or kettle BBQ for direct, medium-high heat. Sear the pork belly, lamb, and snags until well charred on the outside — you're not cooking them through yet, just building smoke and colour.
A kettle BBQ with the lid down for the last few minutes adds real smokiness here.
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Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water while the meat's on the grill. Strain and chop, keeping the liquid.
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Melt the butter in a large pot (camp oven if you've got one) over the BBQ's side burner or a stovetop. Soften the onion and garlic, then add the fresh cabbage until it wilts down.
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Slice the grilled meat and add it to the pot along with the sauerkraut, tinned tomatoes, chopped mushrooms and their soaking liquid, smoked paprika, and bay leaf.
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Pour in the beer and enough stock to cover everything. Bring to a simmer, then cover and let it go low and slow for at least 2 hours — right on the BBQ with the lid down if you've got the room, or inside on the stove.
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Stir in a splash of BBQ sauce and the brown sugar in the last 20 minutes. Taste, adjust the salt, and let the smoke and the sourness find their balance.
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Rest it for 10 minutes before serving. Good with crusty damper on the side to mop up the pot.