Brazilian Feijoada
Prep Time: About 11 hours (About 45 minutes hands-on)
Meal Notes: The national dish of Brazil, feijoada is a flavorful pork & bean stew with roots in Portguegese cozidos and traces of influence from Asian, West Indian, and West African cuisine. Feijoada is traditoinally served over rice with orange wedges and a side of collard greens, although you’ll find that it’s more than hearty enough to make a full meal without any sides. The most authentic versions are cooked in a clay pot, but this slowcooker variation removes the need to watch the pot for hours while sacrificing none of the complex, savory flavor that makes this dish so justifiably popular. As an added bonus, this recipe freezes exceptionally well!
Source: Cooking Light, Global Kitchen: The World’s Most Delicious Food Made Easy cookbook by David Joachim
Ingredients
2 cups dried black beans
4 applewood-smoke bacon slices
1 pound boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
3 bone-in beef short ribs
3 cups finely chopped onions
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
4 garlic cloves
1 smoked ham hock
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
Cooked rice
Fresh bay leaves (optional)
Orange wedges (optional)
Instructions
Prep: Place beans in a small saucepan; cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, then cover and let stand for 1 hour before draining. Meanwhile, trim pork shoulder and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Trim short ribs. Chop onion. Mince garlic.
Cook bacon: Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, then remove from pan and crumble. Refrigerate in a small covered container, saving for later.
Cook pork shoulder: Sprinkle cubed pork shoulder evenly with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Increase skillet heat to medium high and add pork shoulder to bacon drippings. Saute until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer pork to slow cooker.
Cook beef ribs: Sprinkled ribs evenly with 1/8 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add to skillet, cooking until browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Place ribs in slow cooker.
Make stew: Add cooked, drained beans, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, onion, chicken broth, garlic, and ham hock to slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until both beans and meat are tender.
Finish: When stew is ready, remove ribs from slow cooker and let stand for about 15 minutes, until cool enough to touch. Remove meat from bones, then shred meet with 2 forks. Discard bones. Discard ham hock. Return beef to slow cooker. Stir in vinegar and cumbled bacon. Serve over rice, garnished with orange wedges and fresh bay leaves if desired.