Feijoada

  • (2 lbs.) dried black turtle beans, sorted and rinsed
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  • 12 – 14 (3lt)cups water (1.5lt is plenty)
  • 3 large bay leaves
  • 1 ½ pounds pork ribs*
  • 1 pound pork stew meat, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
  • ¾ pound chorizo in casing, cut into 1 ½ to 2 inch pieces**
  • 1 to 2 fresh chiles – serrano or habanero, optional
  • 2 teaspoons sweet smoked Spanish paprika (use less if using smoked meat)
  • 2 to 4 teaspoons salt (use less if using salted/cured meat)
  • Black pepper

*I bought some short pork ribs at the Mexican market that were the perfect size. Look for them under the name costillas de puerco picadita.

**Many traditional Brazilian recipes call for Portuguese chorizo but I couldn’t locate it as easily so I substituted with a Mexican chorizo, which are more readily available.

If you opt to use carne seca/beef jerky, salted pork ribs or Portuguese chorizo, presoak the meat in a separate bowl in water for at least 8 hours, changing the water several times to remove excess salt.

I had a hard time finding the smoked/salted versions and opted to get smokiness from the smoked paprika. Next time I make this dish, I’m going to substitute some apple wood smoked bacon.

  1. Sort and clean beans; prep remaining ingredients.
  2. In a large, heavy pot (big enough for 6 quarts) saute onion in oil over medium-high heat until onion becomes soft and translucent (about 5 to 8 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes more, until the aroma is released, but garlic does not brown. Add the black beans, meats, 12 cups water, and bay leaves to the pot. Bring slowly to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and simmer covered for 2 hours until beans are near done.
  3. Add the smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning and add more water if beans are low on liquid. Simmer for about 1 hour or longer (if time allows) until beans and meat are very tender. Remove about two heaping cups of beans with some liquid and no meat to a separate bowl. Puree using a hand emulsifier or a blender (careful to puree in small batches with a blender). Return beans puree to the pot, stir to incorporate, and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning.
  4. Serve hot with steamed white rice, greens such as collards or kale, slices of orange and farofa/farinha.