Sometimes, all you need to do is see a bowl of food and you know that it is going to be fabulous.
A few months back, my husband and I went to Vegas to train with our jiu jitsu professor. He is Brazilian and knows that we both appreciate great food, so he took us to a small Brazilian restaurant with a limited menu of authentic scratch made Brazilian food.
The menu was in Portuguese, so we left our choices to him. My husband had churrasco and loved it, but Fredson ordered me feijoada and as soon as I saw it, I knew I would love it…
Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil and it is a super comforting black bean and pork stew that is traditionally served with couve à mineira (garlic collard greens) and farofa (toasted cassava).
As soon as you begin researching feijoada, it becomes instantly apparent that there are many different traditions that surround this dish. Each Brazilian friend that I talked to told me that feijoada was supposed to be served on a specific day of the week, but the problem is that each one of them said a different day of the week!
Different family recipes call for the addition of different pork cuts from short ribs and lion to pig ears and feet and different regions add more spices or peppers to add a little heat or smokiness to the overall flavor.
There are a few common threads throughout most feijoada recipes though… black beans that are cooked low and slow and are meant to be enjoyed with friends and family. It is the epitome of comfort food and I am so excited to share it with you.
Let’s get started…
The ingredients list is fairly small, but there are 2 items that can be a little challenging to find in the US: carne seca and smoked calabresa or linguica sausage. I have linked places to find both, but will also offer substitutions as we work through the recipe, so you can plan ahead.
Begin by gathering your ingredients. You will need 32 ounces of dried black beans, 16 ounces of thick cut bacon, 16 ounces of carne seca, a large yellow onion, 5 cloves of garlic, 16 ounces of smoked calabresa or linguica sausage, 32 ounces of pork spare ribs, 48 ounces of beef stock, 1 teaspoon of cumin, a cayenne pepper, 3 bay leaves, 2 fresh orange slices and sea salt and black pepper.
Let’s talk substitutions…
-
-
-
-
- The pork short ribs should be easy to find, but you could also use cubed chuck roast or country style ribs. If you do not eat pork, you can use beef short ribs instead.
- The calabresa or linguica sausage is a very flavorful smoked sausage with garlic, peppers and spices. If you need to substitute, chorizo or a smoked kielbasa could be used instead. If you do not eat pork, you could use a smoked beef sausage instead.
- The carne seca will most likely need to be ordered online, but if that sounds like more effort than you are interested in, I get it and you have other options. The easiest option is to simply omit it and if you do, your feijoada will still be delicious. Carne seca is simple dried, salted beef so you could use a different dried beef instead, just be sure that what you use is not flavored in a way that will alter the flavors in your feijoada.
-
-
-
Once you have collected all of your ingredients, it is time to get started.
Feijoada is often looked at as a recipe that takes a lot of time and although it is definitely not a 30 minute meal, it is absolutely worth every minute it takes to bring together.
The first step is to soak the beans and carne seca. Add 32 ounces of dried black beans into a large bowl and cover with cool water. Place the carne seca (if using) in a separate bowl and cover with cool water. Place both bowls into the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours. I like to do this overnight.
Beans that have been soaked will cook better and can be a little easier to digest and the carne seca needs to soak in order to reduce the saltiness.
Now that we have covered all of the ingredients, substitutions and prep work, it is time to start making our feijoada.
Place a 7 quart or larger braiser or dutch oven over medium heat. Chop 16 ounces of thick cut bacon into small pieces, cook until crispy and transfer onto a large plate and set aside for now.
Add a large diced yellow onion and cook in the bacon grease for about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 60 seconds and then transfer them onto the plate with the bacon.
This crispy bacon and the caramelized garlic and onions are the base to a truly flavorful stew. We will be adding them back into feijoada later, but our next step is to begin browning the spare ribs and sausage.
Add the spare ribs into the braiser and brown them on all sides. The pork will actual cook through once everything is combined and simmered, we are just looking for a nice browned sear on the outside for now.
Transfer the seared spare ribs onto the plate with the bacon, garlic and onions and add your linguica.
If you add the spare ribs and sausage all in at the same time, it will be tough to sear them properly, so I like to do them in batches to not overcrowd the hot surface.
Once the sausage has been seared, return the spare ribs, bacon, garlic and onions back into the braiser.
Drain the black beans and finely slice the carne seca (if using) and add them into the braiser along with 48 ounces of beef stock and stir to combine everything.
Last, but not least, add a teaspoon of cumin, 3 bay leaves, 2 orange slices and a small finely minced cayenne pepper. Give everything a good stir and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Cover the braiser and simmer for about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
After a good 90 minute simmer, remove the bay leaves and any orange rind that you can find.
Transfer the short ribs and sausage onto a cutting board and cut into bit sized pieces. If you used bone-in short ribs, discard the bones.
Use a potato masher to smash some of the black beans a bit to thicken the overall consistency of the feijoada.
Return the short ribs and sausage back into the stew along with a big pinch of sea salt, black pepper and 1/2 cup of finely chopped cilantro. Stir and taste to see if additional salt or black pepper is necessary.
Once the feijoada is thick, tender and flavorful, it is time to take a flavorful trip to Brazil…
If you made some garlicky collard greens and farofa then spoon some along the side of your bowls and enjoy!
Feijoada is hearty, comforting and wonderfully flavorful. The beans are tender and surrounded by smoked sausage, shredded short ribs, crispy bacon and a thick, inviting broth.
I hope you make this delicious, comforting Brazilian staple in your own home. You will be so glad that you did…
Feijoada
Ingredients
- 32 ounces of dried black beans
- 16 ounces of thick cut bacon, cubed
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 16 ounces of smoked calabresa or linguica sausage
- 32 ounces of pork spare ribs
- 16 ounces of carne seca
- 48 ounces of beef stock
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 fresh orange slices
- 1 cayenne pepper, very finely minced
- sea salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Instructions
- Add 32 ounces of dried black beans into a large bowl, cover with cold water. If using carne seca, add it into a separate bowl and cover with cool water. Transfer both bowls into the refrigerator and let them soak overnight. Drain and rinse them before adding them into the feijoada
- Place a 7 quart or larger braiser or dutch oven over medium heat, add the cubed bacon and cook until the bacon is browned and has released a good amount of fat
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon onto a plate and set aside for now
- Add the finely chopped onion and cook in the bacon for about 5 minutes and then add the finely minced garlic and cook for another 60 seconds
- Transfer the onions and garlic onto the plate with the bacon and set aside for now
- Add the sausage and spare ribs into the pot and sear on all sides
- Transfer the bacon, onions and garlic back into the pot along with the drained black beans, the drained and thinly sliced carne seca and 48 ounces of beef stock and bring to a simmer
- Add a teaspoon of cumin, 3 bay leaves, 2 orange slices and the cayenne pepper, cover the pot and simmer for 90 minutes
- Discard the bay leaves, orange rinds and slice the spare ribs and sausages into bite sized pieces (discard the short rib bones)
- To thicken the feijoada, use a potato masher to smash some of the black beans
- Add 1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh cilantro and a big pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Mix well and add additional salt, if necessary.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and reheat over medium low heat. Add additional beef broth to thin, if necessary.
