Brazilian recipe

Feijoada

Name: Feijoada
Prep time: 8 h 30 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 11 h 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Brazilian cuisine
Ingredients: 450 g dried black beans; 150 g desalted carne seca or salted beef, in chunks; 600 g pork shoulder, in large chunks; 250 g smoked pork sausage, sliced; 180 g thick-cut bacon, diced; 180 g white onion, finely chopped; 8 garlic cloves, minced; 2 bay leaves; 1 orange, quartered; 1800 ml water, plus more for soaking; 14 g fine salt, divided; 600 g cooked white rice, to serve; 250 g collard greens, finely sliced; 30 ml neutral oil, for the greens; 2 limes, cut into wedges

A deep, slow-simmered black-bean stew with salted beef, pork, smoked sausage and bacon, served with rice, collard greens, orange and farofa.

Rio de Janeiro and southeastern Brazil

Prep: 8 hr 30 min
Cook: 3 hr
Total: 11 hr 30 min
Servings: 8

Feijoada with black beans, pork, sausage, rice and collard greens — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by raphaelstradaSource page · Original file · CC BY 2.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

450 g
dried black beans
150 g
desalted carne seca or salted beef, in chunks
600 g
pork shoulder, in large chunks
250 g
smoked pork sausage, sliced
180 g
thick-cut bacon, diced
180 g
white onion, finely chopped
8
garlic cloves, minced
2
bay leaves
1
orange, quartered
1800 ml
water, plus more for soaking
14 g
fine salt, divided
600 g
cooked white rice, to serve
250 g
collard greens, finely sliced
30 ml
neutral oil, for the greens
2
limes, cut into wedges

Method

01
Soak and desalt
Cover the black beans with plenty of cold water and soak for 8 hours. In a separate pan, cover the carne seca with cold water, bring to a boil for 5 minutes, drain, and repeat once.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Brown the meats
Heat a heavy pot over medium heat. Brown the bacon, pork shoulder, desalted beef and sausage in batches so the pieces colour rather than steam; remove them to a tray.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Build the aromatic base
Add the onion to the rendered fat and cook until soft. Add the garlic and bay leaves and cook for 1 minute, scraping the browned bits from the base.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Add beans and liquid
Drain and rinse the soaked beans. Return all browned meats to the pot, add beans, orange, remaining salt and 1800 ml water, and bring just to a boil.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Simmer until tender
Lower to a gentle simmer, cover partly, and cook for 120 minutes, stirring from the bottom every 30 minutes, until the beans are tender but still recognisable.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Thicken and adjust
Remove the orange. Mash a small ladleful of beans against the pot wall and stir them back in. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes until the broth lightly coats a spoon, then adjust salt.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
07
Sauté the greens
Heat 30 ml oil in a wide skillet. Add the sliced collard greens and cook for 3–4 minutes until vivid green, tender at the stems and still slightly crisp.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
08
Serve the complete plate
Serve the hot feijoada with white rice, collard greens, lime wedges and farofa. Keep the beans, meat and broth together in each serving.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Build the aromatic base before adding liquid, then hold the pot at a quiet simmer so beans and meat soften without breaking apart.
Taste only after salted meats, stock and reduction have contributed their seasoning; add acid or fresh herbs at the end for lift.

Common mistakes

A hard boil can split beans, toughen meat and evaporate the broth before the flavours have melded.
Adding all salt at the start makes the finished pot difficult to correct once cured meat and stock reduce.

Substitutions

Use unsalted stock where possible so the final seasoning remains under control.
If a regional dried chile or cassava product is unavailable, use the closest mild, unsalted alternative and expect a changed regional accent.

Storage

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours at 0–4°C for up to 3 days. Reheat only the portion needed until piping hot throughout.

Cultural context

Feijoada is a beloved Brazilian gathering dish with regional variations. Its familiar table companions—rice, greens, citrus and toasted cassava flour—balance the stew’s richness and texture.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Feijoada à brasileira.jpg — Photograph by raphaelstrada; CC BY 2.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Brazilian recipes

Feijoada

Ingredients

Method

Soak and desalt

Brown the meats

Build the aromatic base

Add beans and liquid

Simmer until tender

Thicken and adjust

Sauté the greens

Serve the complete plate

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

More Brazilian recipes

Moqueca Baiana

Pão de Queijo

Coxinha de Frango