Feijoada is a scrumptious Brazilian meat and black bean stew that’s perfect for the slow cooker. The long slow simmer gets the meat super tender and melds all the wonderful flavors. If you like a meaty dish, you might think Brazilian feijoada (pronounced fey-zhoo-ah-dah) is about the most delicious thing on the planet! Feijoada is a hearty stew of black beans and a variety of meats, braised with onions, garlic and spices until everything is meltingly tender. It’s extremely popular in Brazil. Some consider it the national dish.

This lightened up Brazilian feijoada recipe is adapted from Cooking Light. If you follow Panning The Globe, you probably know that I’m part of Cooking Light’s Blogger Connection.

I’m a long time fan of the magazine. I can count on finding recipe gems in every issue and I appreciate their approach to making recipes healthier by eliminating unhealthy fats and reducing salt and sugar.

HOW TO MAKE BRAZILIAN FEIJOADA

Brown the Meats: You will start by browning the meats to add a layer of delicious flavor to this stew. Traditional Brazilian feijoada recipes commonly include a mix of beef and pork. Salted meats are often used in the mix, as well as less commonly used parts of the pig, like the feet and ears. These parts contribute what some consider to be an important gelatinous component to the stew. I make my feijoada without feet or ears and I am thrilled with the result. But you might want to give it a try with those extras, if you can source the parts. It might be even better!

You will start by browning the meats to add a layer of delicious flavor to this stew. Traditional Brazilian feijoada recipes commonly include a mix of beef and pork. Salted meats are often used in the mix, as well as less commonly used parts of the pig, like the feet and ears. These parts contribute what some consider to be an important gelatinous component to the stew. I make my feijoada without feet or ears and I am thrilled with the result. But you might want to give it a try with those extras, if you can source the parts. It might be even better! Add Everything To The Slow Cooker: Put the browned meats into the slow cooker along with all the rest of the ingredients: onions, garlic, spices, broth and vinegar.Cover and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours until the meat is meltingly tender.

Put the browned meats into the slow cooker along with all the rest of the ingredients: onions, garlic, spices, broth and vinegar.Cover and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours until the meat is meltingly tender. Finish and Serve: Pull out and discard the bones. Shred any large pieces of meat and return them to the slow cooker. Add more broth if you want a soupier consistency. Serve Feijoada hot, with steamed white rice on the side. Sprinkle generously with green onions and cilantro. Serve orange wedges on the side, to squeeze on top.

TIPS FOR MAKING FEIJOADA IN THE SLOW COOKER

Soaking The Beans: If you soak the black beans overnight, which I highly recommend, you’ll need to do that the night before. It’s easy – just rinse the beans and put them in a glass bowl. Cover them with water by an inch or so. Leave the bowl in a cool spot or in the fridge, to soak overnight. Soaking Guarantees that the beans will cook up nice and tender.

Prep Ahead: If you’re planning to throw dinner in the slow cooker before you leave for work in the morning, I suggest that you brown all the meats the night before and store them, covered, in the fridge overnight. That way you can just throw everything into the slow cooker in the morning and turn it on.

My house cleaner Paula is Brazilian. By coincidence, she was at the house when I was cooking the feijoada.

She was excited when she saw what I was making, told me how incredibly delicious it is, that it’s her father’s absolute favorite dish.

She explained that in different parts of Brazil there are variations on what kinds of meats and beans are used for feijoada.

She also explained that many people in Brazil like their feijoada very soupy so they can serve it heaped on top of a big platter of rice to soak up the delicious sauce, and that they love to sprinkle crunchy toasted manioc flour on top.

We ended up talking for a long time about many other amazing-sounding Brazilian recipes, one or two of which you’ll probably be seeing on the blog soon!

If you like using your slow cooker, don’t miss these other delicious Panning The Globe slow cooker recipes:

• Slow Cooker chicken tajine with apricots and chickpeas

• Slow Cook Ropa Vieja: Cuban Shredded Beef Stew with Peppers

• Slow Cooker Chicken with Dried Cherries

Here’s the Slow Cooker Brazilian Feijoada Recipe. If you try this recipe I hope you’ll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I’d love to know what you think!