Pressure Cooker Feijoada
I’m celebrating the Olympics with Brazil’s national dish, Feijoada, a stew of black beans and meat.3
I learned about Feijoada the first time I went to Brazilian churrascaria restaurant – the kind where they bring skewer after skewer of meat to your table. There was a large buffet in the middle of the restaurant, and the centerpiece of the buffet was a huge platter of black beans. It was the one dish from the buffet that stood out against the tidal wave of meat; now, when I go to a churrascaria, I try to save some of my appetite for some Feijoada. 4
Now, a bean stew may sound like a vegetarian option, but Brazilians love their meat. This stew reminds me of chili – meat and beans in about equal measure. Feijao is Portuguese for beans, and the black beans make up the base of the stew. After that, the mix of meats varies from cook to cook. They almost always include smoked pork (I’m using bacon), fresh pork (pork shoulder), beef (I’m going with chuck roast, but salted beef is also common), and sausage (I’m using smoked sausage as a substitute for Brazilian linguica sausage).
Looking for a taste of Rio de Janeiro from your pressure cooker? Try some Feijoada
Recipe: Pressure Cooker Feijoada – Brazilian Black Bean and Meat Stew
Equipment
- 6 quart or larger Pressure Cooker (I love my Instant Pot Electric PC)
- Slotted spoon or tongs
- Flat edged wooden spoon (for scraping the bottom of the pot)
Video
Video: Pressure Cooker Feijoada Time Lapse [Youtube.com]
Pressure Cooker Feijoada – Brazilian Black Bean and Meat Stew
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Pressure Cooker Feijoada – Brazilian Black Bean and Meat Stew recipe. Brazil’s national dish, sped up in the pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces diced bacon
- 1 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound boneless beef short ribs, cut into 1 inch chunks (or carne seca – salted beef – if you can find it)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound smoked sausage (linguica sausage if you can find it)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1 pound (2 1/4 cups) dried black beans, sorted and rinsed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Minced fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Brown the meats: Put the pressure cooker pot over medium heat (use sauté mode in an electric PC) and add the bacon to the pot. Cook until the bacon is browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pot to a large bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving as much bacon fat behind as possible. Add the pork to the pot in a single layer, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Move the pork to the bacon bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the beef to the pot in a single layer, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Move the beef to the bowl of meat with a slotted spoon. Add the smoked sausage to the pot in a single layer, and brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Move the sausage to the bowl of browned meat with a slotted spoon.
- Sauté the aromatics: Add the diced onion and smashed garlic to the pot, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Let the onion cook for a minute to start releasing liquid, then scrape the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon, loosening all the browned bits of meat into the onions. Keep sautéing the onions and garlic, occasionally scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits, until the onions soften, about 5 more minutes.
- Pressure cook for 40 minutes with natural pressure release: Stir in the dried beans, then the bowl full of meat and any juices, Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and the baking soda, then pour in the water and add the bay leaves. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 40 minutes in an electric PC, 35 minutes in a stovetop PC, and then let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes.
- Taste, season and serve: Carefully remove the lid on the pressure cooker – the steam will be hot – and discard the bay leaves. Taste the stew for seasoning; it will need pepper, but probably not any more salt. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
Notes
Serve with rice and orange slices. (Yes, orange slices are a traditional accompaniment.)
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Brazilian
Pressure Cooker Feijoada
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
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This looks great. Think I’ll try it next weekend.
One question: for each of the meats, the recipe instructs to “brown on one side”
Usually when I’m browning the meat for a stew-type recipe, I brown all sides. Is there a benefit to browning on only one side – maybe different texture? Or is it that browning one side is all that is necessary to get the necessary yummy brown meats bits on the bottom of the pan for the deglazing? It certainly is easier to not have to turn over the meat in the instant pot – so if you get the same result browning only one side, I’m all for it.
It’s “browning on one side gets the yummy brown meat bits on the bottom”. You get slightly better results if you brown all sides…but it is such a small difference that I don’t think it’s worth all the extra browning time. You can use your own judgement, of course, but I’m moving away from browning all sides when I’m cooking.
Made a half recipe of this today for lunch. My wife from Ecuador was blown away by the flavor. Said it tasted like something her mom makes but it takes her an entire day to make it. This recipe is definitely going into the regular rotation.
Thanks for sharing!!
The ingredients list calls for ‘baking POWDER’ but Step 3 in the instructions calls for baking SODA. Does it matter which is used? Also, what does the baking powder/soda do for the stew?
Thank you! Should have been baking soda in both places – fixed. It adds a little alkalinity to the liquid, which helps tenderize the beans.
I just made this recipe and it was DELICIOUS! Thank you so much for sharing. Salt level was perfect for pairing with some coconut rice.
★★★★★
It was serious amazing, I did add some cilantro just for more flavor and it was amazing. Thank you so much! I have made this now twice in one week!
★★★★★
I made this and it was DELICIOUS! It tasted exactly like when I lived in Brazil. Served with some homemade farofa & vinagrette (2 very traditional side items for Feijoada). However, my beans were still a bit crunchy. What might have gone wrong or how do I adjust the recipe?
The beans might need more time under pressure. It seems to depend on the age of the beans – older beans are drier and need to cook longer. If the beans aren’t done at the end of cooking, lock the lid and cook at high pressure for another 5 minutes.
Made this tonight and both my husband and I loved it. I lost track of the timing for the natural release so just did a quick release and everything was tender and fine. Going to NYC tomorrow and will try to pick up some linguine, carne seco and farofa to make it even more authentique.
I’ve made this one several times, it has become a family favorite. It takes a little bit of extra time for browning all the meats, but well worth it. Other than that, it’s really easy to make. The effort : result ratio is highly in favor of the cook! 🙂 Thanks for another great recipe.
★★★★★
Quick question your recipe does not call for soaking the dried beans. Is that correct? I have always been told that dried beans need to be soaked is water for a time … overnight. Can you confirm?
You do not need to soak the beans, and the recipe timing assumes un-soaked beans.
The baking soda releases the “gas” from beans and make them soft for cooking. Make sure to clean them.
Ok, this recipe is amazing!!! My friend from Brazil spent all day making this for a party and I had to find a recipe for it. Lucky me I found this Instant Pot recipe that didn’t take all day, and score…it tastes exactly like hers!!! My grocery store carries linguica and I think that makes a big difference in getting the authentic flavor. We love this recipe so much we are making it today for family coming into town.
★★★★★
I’m from Brazil and love the recipe you posted. I do make my own dry beef (so easy!) and I also use ham hocks on the feijoada.
I also serve it with farofa (yucca/ cassava flour) and collard greens (thinly slices and quickly stir-fried).
And of course, I do serve it with some lime caipirinha and hot pepper!
Thank you!