Ingredients:
- 1½ to 2 pounds bone-in pork country ribs or 1
- rack baby back ribs
- ½ teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon plus ¾ teaspoon
- fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin, preferably toasted and freshly ground
- 1 large smoked ham hock or 1 pound smoked slab bacon
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 extra-large sweet onions, roughly chopped
- 4 ounces hard chorizo, thinly sliced (or substitute 2 teaspoons smoked paprika)
- 8 garlic cloves, minced, plus 2 heads garlic
- 5 dried red chiles
- 2 wide strips orange peel
- 3 pounds dried black beans, soaked overnight in water to cover generously
- 5 bay leaves
- 1¾ pounds beef short ribs or brisket
- 1 pound smoked pork sausages, cut into 2-inch lengths
Directions:
If using baby back ribs, cut the ribs between the bones to separate them. Put the ribs (country or baby back) into a bowl and toss with ½ teaspoon of the salt and the cumin.
If using slab bacon, cut it into 2-inch cubes. Heat a large frying pan over medium-low heat and add the bacon cubes. Cook until the edges brown and the fat begins to render, about 10 minutes, then remove from the pan.
Add the olive oil, butter, onions, and 1 teaspoon of the salt to the same pan (or to a new pan if you're not using the bacon) and raise the heat to medium-high. When the onions start to darken at the edges, reduce the heat to medium and add the chorizo (or smoked paprika), and garlic. Continue to cook the onions slowly until they're soft and brown, another 20 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, if cooking the feijoada in a large (nonelectric) roaster, preheat the oven to 325°F.
To make the sachet, rub off the loose papery skin from the heads of garlic, scrape the root ends with a paring knife to remove any grit, and lop off the top ½ inch of each one to expose the cloves. Put the garlic, chiles, and orange peel on a square of cheesecloth and tie the four corners into a tight bundle. (If you don't have cheesecloth, just add the aromatics to the beans, loose, and be sure to remove them before serving.
The orange peel might be hard to find, but since it's a particularly unpleasant accidental bite, do make the search.)
Scrape the onions into your chosen cooking vehicle: the insert of an electric countertop roaster or a large two-handled turkey roaster. Add the drained beans and add enough water to cover the beans by 3 inches. Set the pan of beans on the stovetop, across two burners, and bring to a simmer. (I know that it may sound a bit unconventional to heat the pan from an electric roaster on the stovetop, but I do it all the time without any trouble. Slow cookers always need a kick start.) When the foam rises, skim it off and discard. Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, the bay leaves, the sachet, short ribs or brisket, and browned chunks of bacon or the ham hoc. and bring the liquid to a simmer.
Transfer the roaster insert to the electric roaster, cover, and set the heat to 325°F; adjust the heat as needed to maintain a slow, continuous burble. Or cover the roasting pan with foil and put it in the oven. Cook the feijoada, stirring occasionally and checking to make sure the liquid remains just above the level of the beans, until both the meat and the beans begin to soften, about 2 hours.
Add the sausages and continue to simmer until the beans and the meat are very tender and the thickened sauce covers the meat in a thick purplish-black blanket, 1½ to 2 hours longer. (The total cooking time runs between 3½ and 4 hours, but feijoada can be kept warm on a very low setting or in a low oven for up to 2 hours. If shooting for a 7:00 p.m. dinner, start making the beans by 1:00, and start cooking them by 2:00.)
Before serving, remove the sachet (or aromatics) and bay leaves. Serve the feijoada ladled over the garlic rice.
Lorelei's Tip: I really like it with flour tortillas
