Feijoada - Brazilian Savory Meat & Bean Stew

Feijoada, Brazil's national dish. The Brazilian feijoada that I made my own version of (feijoada brasileira) is typically prepared with black beans (also white, pinto and red beans), a variety of salted pork or beef products, such as pork trimmings (ears, tail, feet), bacon, smoked pork ribs, and at least two types of smoked sausage and jerked beef (loin and tongue). This stew is traditionally prepared over low fire in a thick clay pot. The final dish has the beans and meat pieces barely covered by a dark purplish-brown broth. The taste is strong, moderately salty but not spicy, dominated by the flavors of black bean and meat stew. As dictated in my notes, I streamlined the tradition to facilitate what was readily available in a typical North American supermarket. I will revisit this dish at a later date and make it Old-School style!

Category: Soups, Stews and Chili

Cuisine: Brazilian

2 reviews 
Ready in 3 hours
by Firebyrd

Ingredients

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Pound Beef Stew Meat seasoned with salt and pepper

1 Pound Pork Shoulder seasoned salt and pepper; left whole and shredded at the end of cooking, or cut into chunks

1 Package Thick Sliced Bacon (12 ounce) cut into small pieces

2 Large Onions sliced

1 Bunch Cilantro chopped

1 Can Diced Tomatoes (14 1/2 ounce)

freshly ground white pepper

5 Cloves Garlic minced

7 Ounces Cured Hard Chorizo Sausage (Spanish Chorizo or other cured sausage); sliced

1/2 Pound Smoked Sausage such as linguica or kielbasa, sliced

1/4 Cup Orange Juice

2 Cans Black Beans (15 ounce)

4 Bay leaves

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Salt to taste

2 Beef Bouillon Cubes

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar

Water

Hot sauce according to heat preference

1 Whole Orange washed and cut into slices


Directions

In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and brown the seasoned pork shoulder until caramelized on each side. Remove the pork and set aside. Repeat with seasoned beef. In the same pan, add the bacon and cook until slightly crispy. Add the onions, garlic, cilantro, tomatoes and pepper to taste, stir to combine, and cook the onions until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the cured and the smoked sausages and cook until the smoked is no longer pink, stirring in the orange juice a little at a time to deglaze the pot. Return the beef stew meat to the pot along with the pork shoulder. Add the black beans to the pot. Add the bay leaves, black pepper, salt, beef bouillon cubes, chili powder, and red wine vinegar. Cover the contents of the pot with water until the meat is just barely covered (about 2 quarts). Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and let cook for 2 hours, or until the beans are soft. About 1 1/2 hours into the cooking time, if using whole pork shoulder, remove it, shred it, and return it to the pot. If the feijoada is too liquidy, uncover the pot and continue to cook for another 20 minutes or so to allow some of the liquid to evaporate. Add more salt to taste, if needed. Add some hot sauce, like Tabasco, according heat preference. Discard the bay leaves. Serve with rice and orange slices.

Reviews


A family favourite - I make it in big batches for the freezer. Nicknamed in our house - Thunder Stew.

MamaDolson

Lots of flavour. High protein treat. Leftovers eat very well.

MamaDolson

Review this recipe »

Related Recipes

Get the BigOven app!

Find any recipe, add your own, make grocery lists easily from recipes. Enter any 3 ingredients and BigOven will tell you what you can make. It's free! (4.5/5 stars)