Brazilian Feijoada
Difficulty 4/5 Ingredients 33 Steps 28
Brazilian feijoada or "Feijoada Brasileira" usually includes a bean stew with a spicy sauce, pork meat, white rice, farofa, kale and sliced oranges.
Ingredients
Bean stew
- ½ lb pork ribs
- Salt
- 2 filet mignon medallions
- 1 smoked sausage
- ¼ lb ham steak
- 1 package smoked pork chops (such as Hormell)
- Jerked beef (optional)
- 1 onion, chopped
- Parsley, chopped
- Chives, minced
- 2–3 cans pre-cooked black beans
Rice
- 3 cups uncooked rice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ onion
Collard greens
- Collard greens
- Thinly-sliced bacon (optional)
- Sliced onion
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch sugar
Farofa
- 1 cup sliced bacon
- ¼ cup black olives
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ onion, chopped
- 2 cups white toasted cassava flour
- 2 tsp chicken flavor bouillon
Spicy bean sauce
- Cilantro
- Chives
- Salt
- Olive oil
- A little bit of vinegar
- 1 red hot finger pepper, finely chopped
Additional
- Sliced oranges (1 orange for each person)
- Tabasco sauce
Steps
Preparation
- Three days before serving, place pork ribs in a large stock pot and cover thoroughly with salt. Cut off one salted rib, place in a plastic bag, and refrigerate. Cover the stockpot and refrigerate.
- One day before serving, remove stockpot from fridge. Soak ribs in cold water to remove excess salt, changing water three times at 6-hour intervals. Return covered stockpot to fridge each time. After the third change, refill with water and keep in fridge until cooking.
- On cooking day, cut filet mignon into 1-inch cubes. Slice smoked sausage as thick as desired. Cut bacon into small cubes. Cut ham steak into 1-inch cubes. Cut smoked pork chops into small pieces. Leave some meat on any bones. Cut jerked beef, if using, proportionally to the other meat.
Bean stew
- Remove stockpot from fridge. Discard water. Cut large ribs in half.
- Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large pan. Add sliced bacon and the ribs, including the reserved salted rib (its salt is the basic seasoning).
- Cover. Cook 10–15 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Add sliced onion, parsley and chives. Add the rest of the sliced meat. Cook 15 more minutes.
- Add 2–3 cans black beans and one can water. Cook 30 more minutes, stirring occasionally. When it boils, reduce to medium-low.
- Taste for salt. Do not over-salt.
- Add more hot water for a more liquid feijoada. Ready when meat is soft and loosens from the bones. Bones may be removed. Serve warm.
White rice
- Wash rice. Drain.
- Cook olive oil and chopped onion in a medium pan until soft. Add garlic if desired.
- Add washed, dry rice and a pinch of salt. Stir.
- Add hot water, 2 cups per cup of rice. Cook until boiling.
- Reduce heat. Cover and finish cooking until water has evaporated and rice is soft.
Farofa
- Fry 1 cup sliced bacon in a pan until golden brown.
- Add black olives. Cook.
- Add olive oil and onion. Cook until soft.
- Pour in cassava/manioc flour. Stir to desired consistency. Do not burn the bottom.
Collard greens
- Wash collard greens leaf by leaf. Slice into very thin strips. Set aside.
- Put olive oil and sliced onion in a pan or skillet, enough for the amount of greens. Add sliced bacon if using.
- Add collard greens with a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar (keeps greens green).
- Cover. Cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Sliced orange
- Peel oranges.
- Cut into round slices. Put in a ceramic bowl or on a plate.
Spicy bean sauce
- In a ceramic or metal bowl, combine cilantro, chives, salt, olive oil, a little vinegar, one finely chopped red hot finger pepper and a cup of warm bean broth. Stir.
- Serve with a teaspoon, individually on top of the feijoada.
Serving
- Serve bean stew with sides and orange slices.
Notes from the original
- Feijoada can be eaten the same day, but it will be much more tasty when served the next day.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Brazilian Feijoada” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-06-21, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.