‘Finally, feijoada (Brazilian black bean stew)!’ as one of my cooking class students will no doubt say. No one was more anxious to see it appear in one of my posts than he…
Let’s start by introducing this hearty dish briefly which has more than one version.
Brazilian Feijoada is a slow-cooked stew prepared with black beans and an assortment of pork and sometimes beef products, all nestled in a rich, dark-colored broth. Its taste is robustly flavorful and savory. It has been Brazil’s national dish for a few centuries. Yes, centuries. Remember? We love beans!!! Feijoada was born of the fusion of Portuguese traditions with African slaves’ superb cooking skills, while modified by their restricted availability of food sources. At that time, all parts of the hog were taken advantage of, including the ears, trotters, tails, etc. However, this dish, like many others, has evolved with the passage of time, and most modern recipes for it avoid the use of these humbler parts of the pig due to some people’s aversion to them.
Feijoada (black bean stew) is a delectable yet heavy dish, commonly served at lunchtime (and then followed by a contented, refreshing nap!). Brazilians love to share feijoada with family and friends on the weekends, just as Americans do with barbecue.
I am pleased to say that both of my daughters (a four- and a five-year old) devoured theirs at dinner time. According to them, no side dishes were necessary to accompany it — not even rice. Ah, my eager little diners…. You cannot imagine how happy I was to watch you appreciating mommy’s love poured into food.
I wish you a great weekend sharing feijoada, Brazil’s beloved dish with your loved ones!
xx
P.S: My hubby asked me to say that my feijoada was even better on the second day. 😉
Feijoada (Brazilian Black Bean and Pork Stew)
Ingredients
- 1 package dry black beans (16 ounce or 454 gr.) soaked overnight and drained 6 - 7 cups wate
- 6-7 cups water
- 6 thick slices smoked bacon medium diced (I used turkey "bacon" in mine to make the dish lighter and less fatty)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil if necessary
- 10 ounces smoked sausage sliced (e.g. Andouille, smoked Kielbasa) in case paio (a traditional Portuguese and Brazilian smoked sausage made from pork loin, bell pepper, garlic, and salt) is not available., about 282 gr.
- 1/2 medium yellow onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1-1/2 pound pork baby back ribs cut, (about 700 gr)
- 2 slices smoked ham, chopped
- 4 ounces beef jerky about 100 gr., similar to carne seca
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons salt plus 1 teaspoon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander*
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar improves taste and reduces gassy elements
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley optional
- Note: * These ingredients are not part of the traditional feijoada. It was added by me to make the dish tastier.
Instructions
- Sort the beans, discarding any shriveled or broken ones. Soak beans in three times their volume of cold water overnight before cooking. Reserve.
- Meanwhile, in a separate, large heavy-bottom pan over medium-high heat, bring the beans with 6 cups of water to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce heat. Let simmer over medium-low heat for 60 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve, covered.
- Cook the diced bacon in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat until lightly browned. Reserve. In the same skillet, brown the sliced sausage in the bacon fat (if you use turkey bacon, you'll need to add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet in order to brown the sausage). Reserve. Then, add the onions and sauté until translucent. Next, add the garlic and sauté both together a bit more (for about 30 to 60 seconds).
- Mix the browned bacon and sausage, and also the sautéed onion and garlic into the cooked beans. Add the ribs, chopped ham, the beef jerky, bay leaves, all the seasonings and spices, the vinegar, and tomato paste, to the beans. Add 1 cup of water more, if necessary. Stir well, cover, and let simmer over medium-low heat for 60 to 70 minutes more. Stir and remove the bay leaves. Adjust the seasonings if necessary. If you would like for the feijoada to be have a thicker consistency, blend 1 to 2 cups of the beans with its sauce in the blender until smooth and add to the beans. Right before serving, sprinkle the chopped cilantro or parsley. Serve feijoada warm with white rice*, farofa, couve , sliced oranges or pineapple, breaded deep-fried bananas , and caipirinha, cachaça or beer (optional). Other common side dishes for feijoada are boiled or deep-fried cassava and pork rinds (torresmo).
- NOTE: In Brazil, it has become more and more common the use of parboiled rice which is available in American supermarkets. Our traditional rice is a white, long-grain one that turns loose (non-sticky) after cooked.
tasteofbeirut
April 13, 2012 at 3:18 pmThis is one dish I fondly remember as my then (now passed) friend Ana made it for us one happy Sunday. What a wonderful meal that was!!! Still mouthwatering when I think of it!
Denise Browning
April 13, 2012 at 3:39 pmJoumana: Thanks so much for your comment. I do appreciate it. I am glad that you have lovely memories of this dish, which was shared by your friend Ana. I am so sorry for her passing. I hope you can make and enjoy feijoada again in the future. Congrats on your Saveur nomination!
Claudio
April 13, 2012 at 5:19 pmDenise adorei a receita, não vejo a hora de poder usar. Obrigado pelas dicas.
Denise Browning
April 13, 2012 at 7:07 pmDe nada, Claudio! Espero que você possa fazer e gostar. A felicidade aqui em casa ontem – e também hoje – foi geral!!! 🙂 Um excelente fim de semana para você e sua família.
Moi
September 2, 2013 at 4:56 pmjust like cassoulet, just black beans instead of white!
Denise Browning
September 2, 2013 at 7:07 pmFeijoada is similar to cassoulet indeed.
Monicalee
October 24, 2013 at 11:55 pmMy mom always served feijoada with fresh sliced peaches and flour of manjoca not sure how it’s spelt. Her and my father are both from Brazil.
Denise Browning
October 25, 2013 at 8:02 amMonicalee: Thanks for stopping by! The flour of mandioca is called farofa. Fresh peaches served with feijoada is a very unusual and personal accompaniment. Traditionally, sliced oranges are served with feijoada. I was born and raised in Brazil and have never ever seen feijoada served with peaches. Wishing you a great weekend!
Chris
December 25, 2015 at 1:00 pmI don’t understand what to do with the ham hocks? So you boil them separately and then put them in with the beans? Not just put the hocks in with the beans from the get-go?
Denise Browning
December 25, 2015 at 8:22 pmHi, Chris!
The ham hocks are cooked in separate because they take longer to cook than the beans — and we don’t want wind up with overcooked beans. In addition, ham hocks smell horrible while cooking. 🙂 It is much better to cook them in separate and then add them to the beans according to the instructions.
Gabriel
August 18, 2016 at 5:46 pmI’m with Chris on this one. The hocks are already smoked so the cooking time should be a similar amount of time as the beans. By cooking the hocks in a separate pot, you waste all those flavors and marrow that seeps out of them. Same with the brown bits from the bacon and the sausage.
Your recipe is fine as is. But i think your recipe is having folks send some great flavor down the drain.
Patricia Cox
August 16, 2016 at 7:44 pmHi Denise,
I was lucky enough to live in Brasil for a year (a long, long time ago). I fell in love with feijoada and farofa. I had to make up what I thought was in it when I got back to the US. Black beans have become a staple in my house. My children loved feijoada too. I LOVE your recipe! I have never been able to find farofa though. Any ideas?
Pat
Denise Browning
August 16, 2016 at 8:21 pmHi, Patricia!
Thank you. I am glad that you enjoy our feijoada recipe. Farofa (or the manioc flour used to make the dish) is available in Brazilian markets or on Amazon.com. Please Google local Brazilian markets in your area or order from Amazon.com under ‘Brazilian cassava flour’. There are 2 types: the white and the seasoned (this latter is a favorite of mine). I don’t recommend American brands because their cassava flour are actually tapioca flour — which contains a much finer grain than the Brazilian cassava flour that makes farofa. I hope this helps. Have a delicious week!!!
Betty loudermilk
August 21, 2016 at 2:24 pmFor 42 years I have searched for this recipe. I visited Rio in ’74. I did not speak Portuguese and the little restaurant I had lunch in every day would just give me Feijoada. They didn’t speak English). I had it with farofa and cooked kale. I loved it and am anxious to try this recipe. Thanks so much!
Denise Browning
August 22, 2016 at 8:47 pmThank you for sharing the experience that you had in Rio, Betty! I hope you try our recipe and enjoy it.
April
March 4, 2019 at 5:10 pmFarofa e feijoada nasceram uma para a outra e fazem a alegria da alma.