This Polish hunter’s stew warms a cold day

Polish hunter's stew
Polish hunter’s stew, aka bigos, is a warming, satisfying and filling meal.

This hearty recipe will warm things up

Happy New Year to everyone, and I hope you’ll try this Polish hunter’s stew. I wish you the best in following your resolutions and in achieving the goals you set for yourself. One of mine is to eat less and enjoy it more. And this is a good start. This month’s recipe is a from Bob Syzymakowski of Winston-Salem, N.C. You may remember him from several recipes he has shared in the past. All were excellent.

I have called Bob the best crock-pot cook I know. This takes a little preparation before reaching the crock pot. But it will help further that reputation. If you don’t remember his earlier contributions, after trying this one, you’ll probably spend some time going through past issues and looking them up.

Bigos is a Polish hunter’s stew. Bob describes it as a recipe for cleaning out your freezer. But it is much more than that. While it certainly works well combining small quantities of a variety of game, I think it is a recipe to use anytime. And it especially shines when the winter weather is cold, wet and dreary. It is flavorful, hearty and filling.

January is a mixed month for hunters. Deer and bear seasons have ended. But feral pig season is open year-round, and many big-game hunters switch to them to continue spending time in the woods. Most waterfowl seasons continue into January. Many small-game seasons continue into February, but hunting them, while challenging, fun and certainly capable of supplying tasty meals, just isn’t the same as hunting big game.

Use feral pig roast as prime ingredient

The feral pig population is growing across the Carolinas, and many biologists say it is nearly out of control. Pigs are surprisingly intelligent and quickly become primarily nocturnal if there is significant hunting pressure. Bob capitalizes on the abundance of feral pig by using a feral pig roast as one of his primary ingredients.

I don’t know how many of you have spent much time outside after dark in January and February, but it is usually pretty cold. A pair of my intended uses for a big pot of bigos is a warm meal before heading out for an evening of pig hunting and as a nice warming snack upon return. I might even have a thermos of it packed in my hunting bag.

To those sportsmen who like to cook, this is a recipe I recommend for everyone to try. It isn’t spicy like many of my favorite recipes. But it’s still a favorite. It is an interesting mixture of ingredients, and the taste far exceeds my expectations. Of course, that’s become the norm for recipes received from Bob Szyzmakowski. This is an excellent recipe and I’m thrilled Bob is willing to share it with Sportsman readers.

Bob’s bigos

It is my understanding that bigos is a generic name for Polish hunter stews that include sauerkraut. With a quick look online, I found many different recipes that were regional or family specials. Over the years, I have come to trust Bob Szyzmakowski’s taste and that he likes many of the same things I do.

Bob’s version of bigos is meat-intensive, and that requires a little more preparation than most of the recipes featured here. The reward is in the taste. You’ll forget about the time and effort when you taste it. The components work together to create a finished stew that is better than its ingredients and offers a little something for everyone.

Bob said that by the end of hunting season, most hunters would have the meat ingredients in their freezers, and it would be a matter of gathering the vegetables. At the risk of sounding like I’m trying to perpetuate a Polish stereotype, I have to ask if that sounds a little backwards to anyone else? Bob said he often made it when he had vegetables that were approaching the end of their freshness and needed to be used. He admitted most stews are made to use several small quantities of meat before they “expire” and called it ironic. I guess that’s a nice way to say it.

However you say it, find the time to make a big pot of bigos this winter. It requires a few more steps and more preparation time. But the end result is well worth it.

Sauerkraut? Ohhh yeah….

Don’t question the sauerkraut in a stew. Sure, you can taste it in the final mix, but it isn’t overpowering. The extra cabbage mellows it. This recipe combines ingredients that aren’t often used together and especially in a stew. There is a little edge, but after you familiarize your taste buds with a few bites, it becomes a nice, pleasant taste you just haven’t enjoyed before.

This recipe for Bob Szyzmakowski’s bigos stew is a good starting point, and I believe you will like it. Everyone knows I like to tinker with recipes, and I suggest you should experiment with it some too. Bob won’t be offended — in fact, he expects it. Once you have the base line, you can use different meats, adjust the mixture of sauerkraut and cabbage, and make other small changes to better suit your personal tastes. That’s the way it’s been done in Poland for centuries.

Except for the first few tastes to get used to the sauerkraut, this recipe is mild and should satisfy a variety of tastes. It is filling and healthy and may well become a favorite recipe for using small quantities of a variety of game. I usually like to spice things up a little, but I haven’t felt the need to add anything during the preparation. It works well for me as it is. I simply keep bottles of Texas Pete Hot Sauce and Cha Sauce on the table to allow anyone to kick it up a little.

Thank you to Bob Szyzmakowski for sharing his recipe. I believe most people will enjoy it.

INGREDIENTS:

Small venison roast

1 duck breast

1 small feral pig roast

1/2 pound venison burger

4 slices smoked bacon, cut in small pieces

1 package smoked kielbasa

Smoked ham hock

1 can beef broth

1 can chicken broth

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced and fresh.

1/2 head of green cabbage, cored, chopped

32 ounces of sauerkraut, drained

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes

1 white onion, chopped

Cook’s choice mixed hard vegetables (carrots, potatoes, corn, onion, zucchini and such, plus a leafy vegetable like spinach and/or kale)

1 cup red wine

20 black peppercorns

4 bay leaves

1 tbsp steak sauce

1/2-cup hickory smoked BBQ sauce

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

PREPARATION:

Cook the bacon to not-quite-done in a skillet. It will finish cooking in the vegetables and crock pot. Place the cabbage, onions, mushrooms, cooked soft bacon pieces, steak sauce, BBQ sauce, red wine vinegar and broths into a large pot to reduce the cabbage.

Set to high and cook while preparing meats/veggies. Once the cabbage has  reduced, add the sauerkraut. Cut the vegetables into pieces, but leave the tomatoes whole.

Cut the venison roast, duck breast, and feral pig roast into chunks. Slice the kielbasa. Cook each meat separately in vegetable oil until gray/white and put aside in one large bowl to combine. When all the meats are cooked, add the drippings to the mixing bowl.

Place all the meats, reduced cabbage and kraut, cooked vegetables, tomatoes, cinnamon and wine into a crock pot and mix and stir them well. Turn the crock pot to low and cook for 6 to 8 hours.

Serve hot. Bigos can be served alone or over freshly cooked rice. The author of the recipe, Bob Szyzmakowski said that warm, buttered dark rye bread is a must and completes the meal.

About Jerry Dilsaver 1168 Articles
Jerry Dilsaver of Oak Island, N.C., a full-time freelance writer, is a columnist for Carolina Sportsman. He is a former SKA National Champion and USAA Angler of the Year.

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