Feijoada
Ingredients
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- 1 pound dried black beans
- 1 pound carne seca – cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 pound pork hock (~2 n/a smoked ham hocks)
- 1 1/2 pounds pork spareribs – cut into individual ribs
- 1 pound pork shoulder – cut into 1.5-inch chunks (~1.5 n/a pork shoulders)
- 6 ounces bacon – chopped
- 2 cups yellow onion – finely chopped (~2.5 medium yellow onions)
- 6 cloves garlic – minced
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- 1 orange orange – halved
- 12 cups water
- 12 ounces linguiça calabresa sausage – sliced 0.5-inch thick (~3.5 n/a linguiça calabresa sausages)
- 12 ounces paio sausage – sliced 0.5-inch thick
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- cooked white rice – for serving
- farofa – for serving
- collard greens – thinly sliced, sautéed (for serving)
- orange wedges – for serving
- molho de pimenta – for serving
Instructions
1. The night before, rinse the dried black beans and place them in a large bowl; cover with plenty of cold liquid by at least 2 inches and soak 8–12 hours.
2. Rinse the carne seca (Brazilian salted beef), cut into 1-inch pieces and soak it in cold liquid 8–12 hours, changing the liquid 2–3 times; to finish desalting, cover with fresh liquid in a saucepan, bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then drain and set aside.
3. In a large heavy pot (at least 7 quarts) over medium heat, cook the bacon until the fat renders and the pieces are golden, 8–10 minutes; add the yellow onion and cook until translucent, 5–7 minutes, then stir in the garlic for 1 minute.
4. Drain the soaked beans and add them to the pot along with the water, bay leaves, and the orange; stir in the pork hock, pork spareribs, cut into individual ribs, and pork shoulder, cut into 1.5-inch chunks. Bring to a gentle boil, skim any foam, then reduce to a bare simmer and cook partially covered until the meats begin to turn tender and the beans start to soften, 1 hour 30 minutes–2 hours, stirring occasionally; if the level drops, top up with more hot liquid to keep everything just submerged.
5. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the linguiça calabresa sausage and paio sausage until lightly rendered, 6–8 minutes; scrape them into the pot and continue simmering until the beans are creamy and the meats are fully tender to the bone, 30–40 minutes more.
6. Fish out and discard the citrus halves and leaves; skim excess fat, then season the stew with kosher salt (start with 0.5 teaspoon and add up to 1 teaspoon) and ground black pepper to taste. Let rest off heat for 10 minutes to settle and thicken.
7. Ladle the feijoada into warm bowls and serve with cooked white rice, farofa, collard greens, orange wedges, and molho de pimenta (Brazilian hot sauce).
Feijoada is Brazil’s beloved black bean and pork stew, a hearty, smoky-savoury pot that delivers silky beans and meltingly tender meats in every spoonful. The broth turns inky and rich as the beans break down, while ribbons of rendered pork and sausage perfume the pot with depth. It’s traditionally served with plain white rice, farofa (toasted cassava meal), sautéed collard greens, fresh orange wedges, and a bright pepper sauce, creating a complete, balanced plate of textures and temperatures.
Originating from Portuguese bean-and-pork cookery and evolving in Brazil over centuries, feijoada became a weekend ritual and a symbol of regional hospitality. The Rio and São Paulo traditions often include a spectrum of cuts—fresh and salted—while the Bahia table leans into robust seasonings and accompaniments. Today, feijoada completa is a social meal, simmered slowly and shared with friends and family, its sides and sauces as essential to the experience as the stew itself.