A Bigos recipe · United Kingdom

Bigos, the UK way

Same hunter's stew that gave this whole project its name — reworked with what's actually sitting in a British pantry. Slow, rich, and better the next day.

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What you'll need

Pork belly
Lamb (shoulder or leg, diced)
Sauerkraut
Fresh white cabbage, shredded
Juniper berries
Caraway seeds
Allspice berries
Tomatoes or tomato purée
Dried mushrooms (porcini if you can get them)
Brown sugar, or a grated apple
Chicken or beef stock
Red wine
Butter
Onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt, pepper

Why lard usually wins: traditional bigos leans on it for a deeper, more savoury base — this version swaps in butter instead, which is easier to find and still gets you most of the way there.

Method

Cover the dried mushrooms in hot water and leave to soak for at least 30 minutes. Strain, roughly chop, and keep the soaking liquid — it goes into the pot later.
This liquid carries a lot of the flavour. Don't tip it out.
Melt the butter in a large, heavy pot. Brown the pork belly and lamb in batches over medium-high heat until well coloured on all sides, then set the meat aside.
In the same pot, soften the chopped onion and garlic in the rendered fat. Add the fresh cabbage and let it wilt down for a few minutes.
Return the meat to the pot. Add the sauerkraut, chopped mushrooms and their soaking liquid, tomatoes or purée, juniper berries, caraway, allspice, and a bay leaf.
Pour in the stock and red wine — enough to just cover everything. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook low for at least 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally so nothing catches on the bottom.
Bigos genuinely improves with time — if you can stretch this to 3–4 hours, do it.
Stir in the brown sugar (or grated apple) in the last 30 minutes to round out the sourness from the sauerkraut. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
Rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. Like most stews of this kind, it's better the next day — make it ahead if you can.