Feijoada
A comforting Brazilian black bean and pork stew.
Servings: 8
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.