If you like Polish food, I bet you’ve eaten bigos at least once in your life. This delicious Polish dish made of sauerkraut and meat is definitely worth trying. Did you know that there are many different kinds of bigos though? One of them is bigos myśliwski, the aromatic Polish sauerkraut dish with venison meat. Keep on reading to get my Polish hunter’s stew recipe!
About Polish Hunter’s Stew
The name says it all! Bigos myśliwski has been cooked in Polish homes after hunting.
Depending on what animal has been hunted, the cooks added different kinds of meat to the dish:
- roe meat
- deer meat
- boar meat
- hare meat
- pheasant meat
- partridge meat
- wild duck meat
Tips For Making Polish Hunter’s Stew
Rinse The Sauerkraut If It’s Too Sour.
If your kapusta kiszona is too sour, rinse it with fresh water before or after cooking.
Add Any Kind Of Vension Meat You Want.
You can also mix different kind of meat to make Polish hunter’s stew.
How To Store Polish Hunter’s Stew?
In the fridge for up to 5 days.
In the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, you can pasteurize your Polish hunter’s stew. More info here.
What To Serve Polish Hunter’s Stew With?
- sourdough bread
- proziaki
- potatoes
- kopytka (Polish gnocchi)
- kluski śląskie
- red wine
- Polish vodka
Bigos Myśliwski Polish Hunter’s Stew Recipe
Bigos Myśliwski Polish Hunter's Stew Recipe

Easy recipe for Polish hunter's stew.
Ingredients
- 2.2lbs / 1kg of sauerkraut (kapusta kiszona)
- 3.5oz / 100g of dried mushrooms
- 9oz / 250g of smoked bacon OR 3 heaped tbsps of pork lard
- 3 heaped tbsps of pork lard
- 1lb / 500g of venison meat
- 1 big onion
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 allspice berries
- 8 juniper berries
- salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme
Instructions
- Cover the mushrooms with water. Add bay leaves, allspice and juniper berries, and soak overnight.
- Dice the venison meat and rub it with salt, pepper and herbs. Refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, dice the mushrooms and cook until soft.
- Fry the venison in hot lard. Add a glass of water and simmer until tender.
- Squezze out the sauerkraut to remove the juice. Cover it with fresh water and cook until soft.
- Dice the bacon and melt it in a pan. Alternatively, you can use the pork lard.
- In the meantime, peel and dice the onion.
- When the bacon is melted, take out the greaves (small pieces of meat), add the onion and fry until the onion changes the color to golden brown.
- When the mushrooms are soft, add them to the onion and bacon.
- Add the venison and cooked sauerkraut. If the sauerkraut is too sour, you can rinse it first.
- Mix and fry everything for about 15 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the greaves and mix again.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Recommended Products
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- Bison Steaks - Dziczyzna
- Sauerkraut - Kapusta kiszona
- Polish Dried Mushrooms - Grzyby Suszone
- Smoked Bacon - Boczek wędzony
- Smalec - Pork Lard
- Yellow Conventional - Cebula
- Bay Leaf - Liść Laurowy
- Allspice Whole - Ziele Angielskie
- Juniper Berries - Jałowiec ziarna
- Ground Black Pepper - Pieprz czarny
- Iodized Table Salt - Sól
- Stainless Pot - Garnek duży
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 378Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 1470mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 7gSugar: 4gProtein: 35g
These data are indicative and calculated by Nutritionix
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