Feijoada

Feijoada

 

 

The national dish of Brazil.

: The Daring Gourmet, 

Ingredients

• 1 lb dry black beans
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb pork shoulder, left whole and shredded at the end of cooking, or cut into chunks
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ pound fresh Italian or other spicy sausage, casings removed and crumbled
• ½ pound smoked sausage, such as linguica or kielbasa, sliced
• ½ pound thick sliced bacon, cut into small pieces
• 1 smoked ham hock
• 4 bay leaves
• Water
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• Salt to taste
• Hot sauce, according to heat preference
• Orange, washed and cut into slices

Instructions

1. Soak the beans in a large bowl of water overnight.
2. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and brown the pork shoulder until caramelized on each side. Remove the pork and set aside. In the same pan, add the bacon and cook until slightly crispy. Add the onions, stir to combine, and cook the onions until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the crumbled spicy and smoked sausage and cook until the spicy sausage is no longer pink.
3. Return the pork roast to the pot along with the smoked ham hock. Drain, rinse, and add the black beans to the pot. Add the bay leaves, black pepper, and beef bouillon cubes. Cover the contents of the pot with water until the meat is just barely covered (about 2 quarts). Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and let cook for 2 hours, or until the beans are soft. About 1½ hours into the cooking time, if using whole pork roast, remove it, shred it, and return it to the pot. If the feijoada is too liquidy, uncover the pot and continue to cook for another 20 minutes or so to allow some of the liquid to evaporate. Add more salt to taste, if needed. Add some hot sauce, like Tabasco, according heat preference. Discard the bay leaves.
4. Serve with rice and orange slices.