Feijoada: Brazil's National Dish, Made at Home

Saturday in Brazil, especially in Rio, often means feijoada. Markets fill in the morning. Families cook through it. The stew goes on the stove early and stays there until lunch, when everyone sits down to plates of black beans, rice, and smoked meat with cold caipirinhas nearby.

This dish requires time. It does not require skill.

The beans

Soak a pound of dried black beans overnight. Drain and rinse in the morning. They do not go in yet.

The meat

Use a combination of smoked sausage — linguiça or chouriço — smoked pork ribs, and cured pork loin. If you can find smoked pork trotters or ear, add them for body. The more variety in the smoked pork, the more complex the stew.

Rinse any heavily salted pieces in cold water first and taste before adding to judge how much additional salt will be needed later.

Brown the meats in a large heavy pot in batches until colored on the outside. Remove and set aside.

Building the stew

In the same pot, soften a large onion and six garlic cloves in oil until golden. Add the drained beans and cover with water by about ten centimeters. Bring to a boil, then add the browned meats back in. Reduce to a low simmer, cover partially, and cook for two to three hours, checking and adding water as needed.

The beans are ready when they are completely soft and the broth has thickened to a deep dark liquid. Remove the ribs, pull the meat from the bones, and return it to the pot. Adjust salt.

The table

Serve over white rice. Put the stew in the center of the table. Set out farofa, sliced oranges — the acidity cuts the richness — and a bottle of hot sauce for those who want it.

A small glass of cachaça before the meal is traditional and optional. A long afternoon after the meal is mandatory.