Black beans are a must in this recipe if you want it to be authentically Brazilian. A Portuguese version uses white beans, however.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 grams) dry black beans
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound (450 grams) pork shoulder, cut into chunks
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 1 head of garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1 pound (450 grams) carne seca or corned beef, cut into chunks
- 1/2 pound (225 grams) fresh sausages, such as chorizo or Italian sausage
- 1 pound (450 grams) smoked sausage, such as linguica or kielbasa
- 1 smoked ham hock or shank
- 3-4 bay leaves
- Water
- 1 14.5 ounce can (411 grams) of crushed tomatoes
- Salt
Method
1 Soak beans in hot water: Pour boiling water over the black beans and let them sit while you prepare the rest of the stew.
2 Brown the pork shoulder: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and brown the pork shoulder. When the meat has browned, remove the meat from the pot, set aside.
3 Brown the onions, add garlic: Add the onions to the pot. Brown them, stirring occasionally, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Sprinkle a little salt over the onions and add the garlic. Stir well and sauté 2 more minutes.
4 Add meat, bay leaves, cover with water, simmer: Add back the pork shoulder, and the other meats and add enough water to cover. Add the bay leaves, cover and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 1 hour.
5 Add soaked black beans, simmer: Drain the black beans from their soaking liquid and add them to the stew. Simmer gently, covered, until the beans are tender, about an hour and a half.
6 Add tomatoes and simmer: Add the tomatoes, stir well and taste for salt, adding if it's needed. Simmer this, uncovered, until the meat begins to fall off the ham hock, which will probably take 2-3 hours.
Serve with white rice and hot sauce. A classic side dish would be sautéed collard greens.