Brazilian Feijoada
I recently came back from my second trip to Brazil. From a culinary perspective, it is a fascinating country. Each region has foods that use ingredients found in abundance locally. Additionally, there are culinary influences from Portugal, Germany, and all the indigenous tribes found across Brazil. Because of its geographical location near the equator, the amount of sun and length of its seasons make Brazil rich in fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices. Filtering through everything I tasted in Brazil, I wanted to share these Brazilian Cuisine dishes and recipes. After having Brazilian Feijoada, I was hooked and wanted to share this unique recipe and teach you this cooking technique. The ingredients are fairly easy to acquire and the resulting dishes pair wonderfully with many types of beer.
Originating from Portugal, Feijoada is a stew of beans with beef and pork. Brazilian Feijoada has transformed from this bean stew with the addition of ingredients from the Brazilian countryside. Usually, this dish is made with black beans, but again, depending on where you are in Brazil, some chefs in the south use kidney beans, while others prefer white beans, such as Rancho Gordo Heirloom Marcella Bean. Regardless of which type of bean is used, the base stew is amazing and similar to a French Cassoulet (where beans are stewed with sausage, duck confit, and other vegetables). Usually, Feijoada is served on Saturdays and Sundays. It’s a dish that takes time to make and relies on uncommon parts of pork and | or beef.
Traditionally a peasant dish takes advantage of cheaper cuts of meats from the pig: ears, trotters, shanks, tongues, and hocks. From a cow, oxtail, shank, and other cuts are braised. These cuts benefit from the long cooking and release wonderful gelatinous flavors into the broth. Using different styles of beer to cook with, adds another element of flavor to the dish. The options when it comes to cooking with beer | Beer Cuisine are vast. As this bean dish will benefit from a malt-forward brew, different beer styles will add characteristic flavor note to the dish. Whether it be a smoky Rauchbier or Smoked Porter, the smoked malt will add a ‘cooked over fire’ flavor to the dish. Were as a German Bock would amplify the malty, toffee and caramelized flavors that the meat stock will deliver. An American Brown Ale, English Brown Ale, or Vienna Lager will increase the melanoidins undertones, especially since these styles of beer are lower in hops, both in flavor and overall IBU’s.
Beans, meat and a few vegetables are placed in clay pots and cooked low and slow over a wood fire. To serve this Brazilian Feijoada, bowls of fragrant garlic rice, sautéed greens, slices of peeled orange, local hot sauces, and farofa
Serves: 10–12 people
Adapted from BeerAdvocate Magazine: Cuisine à la Bière | Aug 2014 | Issue #91
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 12 guest | 45 minute |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 5 hour | 24 hour |
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Brazilian Feijoada: A rich and meaty bean stew recipe that might be the national dish of Brazil. It's a delicious slow-cooked, dish that is truly amazing and has to be tasted to fully appreciate its delicacy.
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- 2 pound beans, dried, such as Ayocote Negro, Midnight Black Bean or Moro Bean
- 1 tablespoon oil, olive
- 3 each carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 each onions, large, yellow, peeled and sliced
- 2 each celery, stalks, washed and sliced
- 1 tablespoon salt, kosher
- 1 each ham hock, smoked, asking your Butcher to slice into 5 pieces with a band saw, increasing the surface area
- 1 each pig trotter, fresh cut lengthwise on a band saw, to expose the marrow and increase surface area
- 2 pound bones, pork or beef, fresh or thawed
- 2 1/2 pound meat, such as pork shoulder | butt and/or beef brisket or chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 pound bacon, slab (not sliced), smoked, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 10 each garlic, cloves peeled and chopped
- 4 each bay leaves, preferably fresh
- 24 ounce beer, such as a American Stout, Smoked Porter, Rauchbier or Bock
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce | tamari | liquid aminos | shoyu
- 2 pound sausage, such as Portuguese linguiça or Spanish style chorizo, sliced
- 1 each pig trotter, fresh cut lengthwise on a band saw, to expose the marrow and increase surface area
- 4 each garlic, cloves peeled and sliced
- 3 each bay leaves, preferably fresh
-
2 each
kombu, seaweed dried, optional ingredient but increases the umami of the beans, such as Emerald Cove Silver Grade Pacific Kombu
- 3 tablespoon oil, olive
- 2 each onions, yellow, large, peeled and chopped
- 4 each garlic, cloves peeled and sliced
- 2 each bay leaves, preferably fresh
- 1 each tomato, heirloom, such as a beefsteak, cored and chopped
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, your favorite brand
- salt, kosher to taste
- peppercorns, black, freshly cracked to taste
- 3 each oranges, navel or Valencia, peeled, and sliced, then arranged onto a serving plater
-
1 pound
farofa, such as Seasoned Cassava Flour - Farofa De Mandioca Pronta
- selection hot sauces, a variety of hot sauces for guests to garnish and adjust the heat level to their liking
- 1 recipe Garlic Rice, recipe here
- 1 recipe Sautéed Greens, recipe here
- Bean selection is important in a dish such as Feijoada. Fresh and dried are not synonymous. Some beans might be a year old, others five or six. This radically affects cooking times and the overall flavor of the dish. Most packaged beans do not have a harvested date. When buying beans, I suggest a retailer that has a good turnover of bean products, while also offering heirloom varieties, that are unique and more traditional to regional dishes, that sell very quickly, such as Rancho Gordo, out of Napa, California. They also have an online store for purchasing.
- Rinse beans under cold water, to remove any dirt or dust, place into a container and let soak for at least 8 – 12 hours.
- Creating a rich and decadent stock is key to this dish’s deep character and backbone. Start by placing a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil and sauté the carrots, onions, and celery. Sprinkle with salt to help release any liquid from the vegetables and stir frequently, until they are dark brown and completely caramelized about 12 – 14 minutes.
- Add the ham hock, trotter, bones, cubed meat, bacon chunks, garlic, and bay leaves and deglaze the pot with beer.
- Stir to remove any food from the bottom of the pot, add the soy sauce and top with about 1 1/2 gallons of water. Turn heat to low and slowly bring the stock to a boil. Then, adjust the heat to create a low simmer and let the stock’s flavors infuse for the next 3 – 4 hours. Turn off the heat and strain the stock through a colander into another pot or container. Once the stock is strained, transfer the meat and vegetables to a large bowl and allow to cool.
- When it’s cool enough to handle, pick out all the meat and place it into another bowl; discard all the bones, vegetables, and any other inedible parts. Refrigerate the meat once it is completely cool. Clean the pot to stew the beans. This step may be done a day or two in advance.
- Add the soaked and rinsed beans to a large pot and top with the sliced sausages, trotter, garlic, bay leaves, and kombu (if using). Add enough meat stock to fully cover the legumes by 2 – 3 inches. Place over low heat and bring to a simmer. Let the beans cook low and slow for 2 – 2 1/2 hours. They are done when they are tender but still hold their shape. Add more meat stock if needed.
- As the beans are cooking, add the oil to a large skillet or sauté pan placed over medium heat and sauté the onion for 12 – 14 minutes, until caramelized and just starting to turn golden brown. Add the garlic and bay leaves, cooking for another few minutes. Add the tomato and hot sauce and season with salt, cooking for 6 – 7 minutes more. The onion-tomato mixture should be thick, without sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add the remaining meat stock and reduce until the sauce has a gravy-like consistency. Stir the onion-tomato sauce into the cooked beans, along with the reserved meat. Let the Feijoada cook for 10 minutes, then taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Check for salt and a tiny touch of heat from the hot sauce, to round out all the flavors.
- The Feijoada can be kept warm and served, but if time allows, cool it and refrigerate it overnight to allow all the flavors to meld together.
- For the farofa, lightly toast the flour in a dry pan over medium heat for 5 minutes until nutty and slightly darker in color. Place into a bowl. Use a spoon to sprinkle over the different side dishes.
- To complete this Brazilian dish, it is served with a Garlic Rice, Sautéed Greens, the toasted farofa and slices of peeled oranges.
Brazilian Feijoada served with a selection of hot sauces and a Session-able Caipirinha.
To see my Brazilian Menu, click HERE
More Brazilian Beer Cuisine Recipes Here:
