Brazilian recipe
Classic Feijoada: A Complete Homemade Recipe (Feijoada)
Master the art of an authentic Feijoada, featuring tender pork cuts, a rich, dark broth, and creamy black beans. Follow this ultimate guide to create an unforgettable, hearty feast.
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Ingredients
1/2 orange, with peel
400g pork spare ribs, desalted and cubed
150g bacon, chopped
300g fresh or desalted pork loin, chopped
2 paio sausages
1 onion, finely chopped
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
2 linguiça calabresa sausages
1 desalted pork knuckle
400g desalted pork tail
1kg black beans, soaked for at least 4 hours
2 bay leaves
1 desalted pig's trotter
300g desalted carne-seca
400g desalted pig's ear
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
400g pork spare ribs, desalted and cubed
150g bacon, chopped
300g fresh or desalted pork loin, chopped
2 paio sausages
1 onion, finely chopped
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
2 linguiça calabresa sausages
1 desalted pork knuckle
400g desalted pork tail
1kg black beans, soaked for at least 4 hours
2 bay leaves
1 desalted pig's trotter
300g desalted carne-seca
400g desalted pig's ear
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Where to find ingredients
You can find black beans, pork cuts, and specific Brazilian staples like carne-seca, paio, and calabresa at Latin American specialty grocers or independent butchers. Large supermarkets often stock pork ribs and loin; if you cannot find authentic Brazilian sausages, high-quality smoked garlic sausage or chorizo are the best substitutes.
Preparation method
- Ensure all salted meats are properly desalted before beginning.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, sear the pork loin and ribs until golden brown for about 6 minutes.
- Remove the meat and set aside.
- In the same pot, fry the bacon until crisp and it has rendered its fat.
- Add the onion to the bacon, sautéing until translucent while scraping the bottom of the pot to release the flavour.
- Stir in the garlic and bay leaves, and sauté for another 5 minutes.
- Add the drained beans to the pot and mix thoroughly.
- In a separate saucepan, boil the tougher cuts (trotter, knuckle, tail, ear, and carne-seca) to remove impurities.
- Drain the boiled meats and transfer them into the pot with the beans.
- Cover the ingredients with water, season with salt to taste, and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat, cover partially, and simmer for 3 hours, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface regularly.
- After 1 hour and 15 minutes, remove the carne-seca, cut it into cubes, and set aside.
- At the end of the 3-hour cooking time, stir in the reserved loin and ribs, the parsley, and the half orange.
- After an additional 30 minutes, remove the orange from the pot and discard.
- Once the loin is tender, remove it from the pot, slice into cubes, and set aside.
- Simmer the sausages whole for 15 minutes, then slice into rounds and return to the pot.
- Return the cubed carne-seca and loin to the mix, simmering until the beans are tender and the broth has thickened.
- Add boiling water as needed throughout the process to maintain the consistency.
Observations
Feijoada is a cornerstone of Brazilian cuisine, marrying the heartiness of various pork cuts with the deep, earthy flavour of slow-cooked black beans. This preparation relies on patient, low-heat cooking to ensure every ingredient retains its ideal texture while the broth develops a silky, thick consistency. It is a celebratory dish, perfect for large family gatherings that demand a substantial, aromatic, and deeply comforting meal.
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