Mexican Bigos (Smoky Chipotle Hunter's Stew)
Sauerkraut and chipotle have more in common than you think — both are tangy, smoky, and deeply savoury. Both add acidity that cuts through rich, fatty meat. Both improve with time. When I realised this overlap, I knew bigos — Poland's legendary hunter's stew — could handle a Mexican makeover.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chorizo, casings removed, crumbled
- 1 pound beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 cups sauerkraut, drained keep some brine
- 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes 14oz
- 1 can black beans, drained 14oz
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced + 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh cilantro, sour cream, tortilla chips for serving
Method
Brown the Meat
- Brown the chorizo in a skillet until crispy, 5-6 minutes. Transfer to the crockpot. In the same fat, sear the beef cubes until browned on all sides, 3-4 minutes. The browning creates Maillard reaction flavour — same principle as browning meat for traditional bigos. Transfer to the crockpot.
Build the Stew
- Add sauerkraut, fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, chipotle peppers with adobo sauce, diced onion, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, beef broth, and bay leaves to the crockpot. Stir everything together. The colour should be deep red-orange, and the aroma should be smoky, tangy, and promising.
Slow Cook
- Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 5 hours. Like all bigos-style stews, this gets better with time — the sauerkraut mellows, the chipotle deepens, and the beef becomes fork-tender. Taste and adjust seasoning. If it needs more tang, add a splash of the reserved sauerkraut brine. If it needs more heat, add more adobo sauce.
Serve
- Ladle into bowls. Top with sour cream, fresh cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips for crunch. The sour cream bridges both cuisines — Polish and Mexican both love sour cream as a richness-and-acid element. Serve with crusty bread (the Polish way) or warm tortillas (the Mexican way). Both are correct.