Chef's Table

Brazilian Feijoada

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.

CourseComfort, Entrée | Main, Family Style, Lunch, Main Dish, Pork
CuisineBeer Cuisine, Brazilian
Cooking Beer StyleAmerican Brown Ale, American Porter, American Stout, Bock, English Old Ale, European Dark Lager, European Pale Lager, Foreign | Export Stout, Märzen | Oktoberfest, Munich Dunkel Lager, Rauchbier, Robust Porter, Smoked Beer, Smoked Porter, Vienna Lager
Pairing Beer StyleAmerican Porter, American Stout, Bock
SeasonalFall Seasonal, Spring Seasonal, Summer Seasonal, Winter Seasonal, Year Around Seasonal
Food SectionBeans, Chili, Pork, Stew
Cooking MethodBraising
BreweryBeer Advocate, Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
KeywordCooking with Beer

Servings	Prep Time
12guest	45minute

Cook Time	Passive Time
5hour	24hour

Servings	Prep Time
12guest	45minute

Cook Time	Passive Time
5hour	24hour

Ingredients

Feijoada Bean Ingredient:

2pound beans, dried,such as Ayocote Negro, Midnight Black Bean or Moro Bean

Feijoada | Meat Stock Ingredients:

1tablespoon oil, olive
3each carrots,peeled and sliced
2each onions, large, yellow,peeled and sliced
2each celery, stalks,washed and sliced
1tablespoon salt, kosher
1each ham hock, smoked,asking your Butcher to slice into 5 pieces with a band saw, increasing the surface area
1each pig trotter, freshcut lengthwise on a band saw, to expose the marrow and increase surface area
2pound bones, pork or beef,fresh or thawed
2 1/2pound meat,such as pork shoulder | butt and/or beef brisket or chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes
1pound bacon, slab (not sliced), smoked,cut into 1 inch cubes
10each garlic, clovespeeled and chopped
4each bay leaves, preferably fresh
24ounce beer,such as a American Stout, Smoked Porter, Rauchbier or Bock
2tablespoon soy sauce | tamari | liquid aminos | shoyu

Feijoada | Bean Stew Ingredients:

2pound sausage,such as Portuguese linguiça or Spanish style chorizo, sliced
1each pig trotter, freshcut lengthwise on a band saw, to expose the marrow and increase surface area
4each garlic, clovespeeled and sliced
3each bay leaves, preferably fresh
2each kombu, seaweeddried, optional ingredient but increases the umami of the beans, such as Emerald Cove Silver Grade Pacific Kombu
3tablespoon oil, olive
2each onions, yellow, large,peeled and chopped
4each garlic, clovespeeled and sliced
2each bay leaves, preferably fresh
1each tomato, heirloom,such as a beefsteak, cored and chopped
1teaspoon hot sauce,your favorite brand
salt, kosherto taste
peppercorns, black, freshly crackedto taste

To Serve Feijoada Ingredients:

3each oranges, navel or Valencia,peeled, and sliced, then arranged onto a serving plater
1pound 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
1recipe Garlic Rice,recipe here
1recipe Sautéed Greens,recipe here

Instructions

Feijoada | Bean Directions:

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.

Feijoada | Meat Stock Directions:

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.

Feijoada | Bean Stew Directions:

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.