Feijoada Brasileira (Brazilian Black Bean and Pork Stew)

About This Recipe

Feijoada is Brazil's most celebrated dish and its unofficial national symbol. It is a slow-cooked stew of black beans with an array of smoked and cured pork products — chouriço sausage, smoked pork ribs, bacon, dried beef and pork trotters or tail — seasoned with onion, garlic, bay and orange peel. The stew cooks for hours until the beans absorb the fat and smoke of the pork, turning the broth deep mahogany and intensely flavourful. Feijoada is traditionally served on Wednesdays and Saturdays in Brazilian restaurants and at weekend family gatherings, accompanied by white rice, sautéed collard greens (couve refogada), farofa (toasted cassava flour), fried banana, orange slices and a tiny cup of cachaça. It is a meal, not a dish — an event.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 600 gdried black beans, soaked overnight
• 400 gsmoked pork ribs
• 300 gchouriço or linguiça sausage, sliced
• 200 gsmoked bacon, in a piece
• 200 gdried or cured beef (carne seca, or substitute beef jerky)
• 1pork trotter or tail (optional)
• 2white onion, finely diced
• 6garlic cloves, minced
• 4bay leaves
• 1orange peel strip
• 3 tbsplard or vegetable oil
• to tastesalt and black pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak and pre-cook meats

   Soak dried/cured meats overnight in cold water, changing water once, to reduce saltiness. Drain.

2. 2

   Start the beans

   Drain soaked beans and place in a large pot with 2 litres cold water. Add all meats, bay leaves and orange peel. Bring to a boil, skim foam, then simmer covered for 1.5 hours.

3. 3

   Sauté soffritto

   In a separate pan, fry onion in lard until deeply golden, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add a ladleful of beans and mash some into the pan to thicken. Return everything to the main pot.

4. 4

   Continue cooking

   Continue simmering uncovered for another 1.5 hours until the beans are very tender, the broth is thick and dark, and the meats are falling off the bone. Season with salt and pepper.

5. 5

   Serve

   Remove large bones. Serve the stew in a deep earthenware pot alongside white rice, sautéed collard greens, farofa, sliced oranges and fried banana.

Variations

• •

  Vegetarian feijoada: omit all meat and add extra smoked paprika, liquid smoke and mushrooms for a plant-based version.

• •

  Feijoada light: use fewer types of pork and less fat for a simpler weeknight version.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

• •

  Lighter: reduce the fat by a third and finish with a squeeze of citrus or a splash of vinegar to keep brightness without losing body.

Storage

Improves overnight. Keeps in the fridge for 5 days or freezes for 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions