Polish Bigos

Start by heating two skillets on medium heat. Into each skillet add half of the canola oil. Let this come up to temperature.

Into one skillet add the pork shoulder and sliced polish sausage. Brown on all sides, then remove to a plate.

Into the other skillet add the onions, mushroom, and garlic. Stir and let these cook down for about 8 minutes.

During this time, heat the water to a boil in a small saucepan then add in the mushroom bouillon cube. Break that down until the cube is dissolved. Turn off the heat.

When the onion mixture is cooked down, add the tomato paste, and stir that into the mixture. Cook the paste for about 5 minutes. The tomato paste might stick to the pan due to the heat, but that’s OK because we are going to use the beer to deglaze the mixture.

After the tomato paste is cooked through, add the beer, and use your wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the skillet. Add the washed and drained kraut and give that a good stir. Toss in the salt and pepper.

Into a medium or large pot, add the sauerkraut mixture then add the semi-cooked pork. Add the mushroom stock, and stir. Bring this to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer, cooking for about 3 hours on low heat.

To serve, you can scoop the Bigos onto a plate and serve with roasted potatoes, or get a bit creative and do what I did and add it to a baked potato!

The end result is a dish that has a slight bit of sourness to it. But trust me, you’ll want to keep coming back for more. The sausage and pork just falls apart and is a perfect pairing with the kraut. It almost reminds me of Filipino adobo. If you are looking for a great, comforting Polish recipe, give this one a try. It’s perfect for this time of year!