Is there anything more glorious in this world than a plate of rice and beans? It was always my go-to meal in college during senior year, when I was way lazier and tended to just pop open a can of black beans, dump it in a pot along with some salt, pepper, chicken stock, and one of those neon orange Sazón seasoning packets, and just boil it for 20 minutes while my rice was bubbling away in the rice cooker. The thing is, even the laziest possible version of rice and beans is good.
Which brings me to the subject of feijoada.
If you’ve never heard of this dish before, think of it as…a major upgrade from my spartan college meal, but without much more effort involved. It’s a Brazilian dish––Brazil’s national dish, I believe––and it involves not only beans, but also…pork. Lots. of. pork.
There are a ton of different ways to make feijoada. I’ve seen recipes that involve lots of different types of smoked meats, and recipes that use much more, let’s say, adventurous parts of the pig. I’ve even had a family friend from Brazil who made her Feijoada with kielbasa. Most versions are served with rice or farofa, as well as orange slices (to cut the richness of the dish). You may also see sautéed greens on the side. I totally intended to make some for this post, but I was too distracted by the pot of beans boiling away on the stove that I totally forgot. #derp
This feijoada recipe is a relatively simple one, and I think it has a good balance of smokiness (from the addition of smoked bacon and ham hocks) and meatiness (two words: pork. shoulder). Ideally, if you cook your feijoada low and slow enough, everything––the meat, beans, onions, and garlic––will all meld together perfectly.
ONE caveat before we begin: please, for the love of all that is holy, do not use canned beans in this feijoada recipe. Use dried beans (that have been soaked overnight). I can’t exactly explain it, but dried beans will always result in a better feijoada. As someone who’s made the mistake before and used the canned stuff, just trust me.
You’ll need:
- ½ pound smoked bacon, chopped
- 4 pound bone-in pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 2 onions, chopped
- 10 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pound dried black beans, soaked in water overnight
- 2 smoked ham hocks
- 5 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- cooked rice and orange slices, to serve
In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the bacon and cook until the fat has rendered out a bit.
Add the pork shoulder and cook until browned.
Then stir in the onions and garlic and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
Rinse and drain your beans, and add to the pot, along with the ham hocks and bay leaves.
Cover with water and simmer (without a lid) for about 1 ½ to 2 hours, until the stew has thickened and the meat is falling part. Skim any foam off the top of the stew if needed.
Season with black pepper (and salt, if needed) and serve over rice, with orange slices.
Feijoada
Ingredients
- ½ pound smoked bacon (225g, chopped)
- 4 pounds bone-in pork shoulder (1.8 kg, cut into 2-inch chunks)
- 2 onions (chopped)
- 10 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 pound dried black beans (450g, soaked in water overnight)
- 2 smoked ham hocks
- 5 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- cooked rice and orange slices (to serve)
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the bacon and cook until the fat has rendered out a bit. Add the pork shoulder and cook until browned. Then stir in the onions and garlic and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- Rinse and drain your beans, and add to the pot, along with the ham hocks and bay leaves. Cover with water and simmer (without a lid) for about 1 ½ to 2 hours, until the stew has thickened and the meat is falling part. Skim any foam off the top of the stew if needed.
- Season with black pepper (and salt, if needed) and serve over rice, with orange slices.
Notes
Nutrition
Tim says
I’m excited to try this recipe! Do you have any tips for making Brazilian rice as far as seasoning goes?
Sarah says
Hey Tim, I like to add a little bit of oil and salt to my rice when I make this dish––it just adds a little extra something to the experience I find. Not sure if that’s how they do it in Brazil, but there’s my two cents. :)
Kevin says
Made this yesterday, a 1.5x batch actually (that makes a LOT of Feijoada!) in a large dutch oven. Aside from increasing the recipe, followed it precisely.
It took the full two hours for the beans to begin to break down enough to thicken the dish to the stew like consistency the recipe called for.
This was amazing. The flavors were bigger than I thought they would be and the entire family loved the dish. We not only ate it for lunch, but again for dinner (with plenty left over still!).
Sarah says
Awesome, Kevin! Leftover idea: I really like making Feijoada into tacos and burritos. All you need is some avocado, tomato/onion, maybe a little hot sauce. Some people might fault me for that, but they’ve never tried a feijoada taco.
Footloose says
A chiffonade of collard green is conspicuous with its absence.
Sarah says
Hahaha i know! I don’t know if you read the entire post, but I did mention that I’d totally intended to do greens and completely forgot. Alas!
Barbara says
Try this topped with a dollop of sour cream and sliced banana! Sounds a little weird but is delicious and, I believe, traditional.
Sarah says
Interesting! I’m not sure if it’s traditional at all, but I would love this with fried sweet or savory plantains.
Sara says
This sounds glorious. Adding it to the menu queue.
Sarah says
Haha you’ll love it, Sara!
J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats says
I like to throw beef jerky in my feijoada to approximate the carne seca (like a dried meat that is halfway to jerky) that is supposed to be in there. And could not agree more with the no canned beans disclaimer.
Gina says
I love that idea! Can you give some more details such as when you add it and what kind/flavor? Thanks!!
Sophia says
This looks so simple! I’ll definitely try it as I love feijoada! A couple of questions:
Do you drain off the bacon grease or use it to brown the pork?
About how many servings? 8-10?
Thanks for the recipe!
Sarah says
Hey Sophia, I didn’t drain off the fat, since I generally…don’t. Haha But you can if you want!
As for the serving amount, I would say that it’s about 10-12 servings!
Tina says
This recipe looks YUMMY. However I don’t eat pork. Is there something else I can substitute pork for? Thanks.
Sarah says
Hey Tina, you could substitute beef––I would try chuck steak (like what you would use to make a pot roast or beef stew).
Madeline says
What does Feijoada mean and in what language?
How is it pronounced?
Pete says
It’s Portugese for “bean stew”. I”ll try my best to spell the pronunciation: fay – zhou – ahdtha
Catarina says
Portuguese girl here. Fay-jus-ada (like Adam without the m)
Tina says
Thanks Sarah. What about the ham hocks? What can I substitute for that?
Marcy says
Tina, I’ve know people to use smoked turkey wings to sub for ham hocks in other recipes.
Sarah says
Great idea, Marcy!