Feijoada is a traditional black bean stew that dates back hundreds of years – it’s sometime called the national dish of Brazil, among other places. It was generally made with scrap pork…and I mean scraps. I have friends that are always sure to include pigs feet, and even ears (no that’s not a Portobello).
This is my take on Feijoada – it deviates from the traditional cooking method, so I called it “Gringo”.
Gringo Feijoada
Brazilian Black Bean Stew
Equipment
- Extra Large Pot
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1.5 Lbs Black Bean recipe Triple the black bean recipe notes below
- Water As needed – everything should be covered
- 1 Large onion diced
- 6 Bay Leaves
- 1/4 tsp Coriander
- 1 tsp Complete Seasoning recommended
Boiled group
- 1 Lb Country Ham Hock
- 1 Lb Smoked Ham Hock & Neckbones
Baked Group
- 1 Lb Smoked Sausage Sliced into rounds
- 1/2 Lb Thick Cut Bacon Chopped
- 1/2 Lb Chorizo Removed from casing
- 1/3 Lb Carne Seca Chopped
- 1-1/2 Lb Pork pieces Chopped sirloin or boneless country style ribs
Instructions
Beans
- Add the beans to the very large pot and bring to a simmer.
- Add water, onion, Bay Leaves, Corriander and Complete seasoning to beans
Baked Group
- Add Baked Group to a dutch oven
- Bake at 375 for 30 minutes
- Add meat to large pot – discard the rendered fat in the dutch oven.
Boiled Group
- Add the first group to a pot with water and simmer for 2 hours.
- Let cool and separate the meat from the fat and bones. Add the Meat to the large pot
- Strain the liquid and add a cup or 2 to the large pot. Reserve the rest to use if needed. Please note that Country Ham is very salty, so you need to add it according to taste.
Finishing up
- Let simmer for as long as possible – this is actually better the next day, so I usually simmer it today, let it remain on low all night and serve it for lunch the next day. Need careful with this as you need to keep it above the danger zone (150 degrees is recommended).
Notes
Traditionally, this is made in one pot…I use 3 pots because I want to remove a lot of the fat and bones from the final product before I serve it. This also freezes very well, so I make it 3 or 4 times a year and then pull it out when needed…just add a little beef broth to help it return to a stew.
