Feijoada is Brazil's national dish, a black bean stew built on smoked and cured pork simmered for hours until the beans break down into a thick, dark sauce. It began in Rio de Janeiro as a way to stretch tough, inexpensive cuts of meat over a long slow cook, and it is still built the same way today, just with easier to find cuts.
The dish reads as heavy, but the actual cooking is patient rather than complicated. You are browning meat for smoke, sweating aromatics for a base, then letting a low simmer do the rest of the work over roughly two hours.
Traditional recipes call for cuts most American kitchens do not stock, like pig's ears, feet, and dried beef. This version keeps the smoked pork character that defines the dish while using sausage, bacon, pork shoulder, and corned beef, all things you can buy at a regular grocery store.
What Actually Matters
The simmer time is what separates real feijoada from a quick bean and sausage soup. You need the beans to break down enough that the broth turns glossy and coats a spoon, and that only happens with close to an hour and a half of low, mostly covered simmering. Rushing this step leaves you with a thin, soupy pot instead of the dense stew the dish is supposed to be.
Feijoada Recipe
Serves 4. Prep time: 20 minutes. Cook time: 1 hour 40 minutes. Total time: 2 hours.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces smoked pork sausage (linguica), sliced
- 4 ounces bacon, diced
- 1/2 pound pork shoulder, cubed
- 4 ounces cooked corned beef, cubed
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups cooked black beans (or two 15 ounce cans, drained)
- 3 cups chicken or beef stock
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Cooked white rice, for serving
- 1 orange, sliced, for serving
- Sauteed collard greens, for serving
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Brown the sausage, bacon, and pork shoulder in batches, about 8 minutes total, then set the meat aside.
- Add the onion to the rendered fat and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and bay leaves and cook 1 minute more.
- Return the browned meats to the pot along with the corned beef, black beans, and stock. Bring to a simmer.
- Partially cover the pot and simmer on low heat for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans break down and the broth thickens into a dark, glossy sauce.
- Season with salt and pepper. Mash a small ladle of beans against the side of the pot if you want the sauce thicker.
- Serve hot over white rice with orange slices and sauteed collard greens on the side.
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
| Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 540 | 36g | 26g | 38g |
These values are a calculated estimate, not lab verified nutrition data.
Tips and Variations
Feijoada keeps and freezes well, and it is genuinely better the next day once the flavors settle into the beans. If you want it thicker straight away, mash more beans against the pot rather than adding a thickener. Swap in kale for the collard greens if that's what you have, and use whatever smoked sausage your grocery store carries.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is feijoada?
Feijoada is Brazil's national dish, a black bean stew built on smoked and cured pork and beef, traditionally simmered for hours and served with rice.
Can I use canned black beans?
Yes. Canned beans work fine here since the long simmer with the meats is what builds the flavor, not the bean cooking itself.
What meats go in feijoada?
Traditional versions use cuts like pig's ears, tail, and dried beef. This version leans on sausage, bacon, pork shoulder, and corned beef for flavor that's easier to source at home.
What do you serve with feijoada?
Rice, sauteed collard greens, orange slices, and farofa are the standard plate.
Can I make feijoada ahead?
Yes, it actually tastes better the next day once the flavors settle.
Is feijoada spicy?
No. The depth comes from smoke and slow cooked pork, not chile heat.
More from Wine Drop Cookery
This recipe belongs on the Brazilian recipes hub. For the toasted side that traditionally rides alongside it, try farofa. Pick up the right pot for a long simmer in Pots, Pans, and Cookware, or browse Kitchen Essentials.
I'm Chef Alan. I have spent 35 years in professional kitchens, I have formal culinary education in New Hampshire, and I have been honored as a 6-Time 4-Diamond Chef. More about me here.
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