Feijoada- Brazilian Black Beans

We had guests for dinner on Monday, including a Brazilian. I wanted to make something to remind him of home, so I settled on Feijoada- meaty, smoky black beans, served over rice. I looked up many recipes online, but in the end I used a combo of about 7 recipes, adding my own touches as well. (There are SO many different variations of this dish!) I made this in the crockpot; that cooking method is great for beans, and it makes the meat fall-apart tender as well. I used a smoked ham hock, and it had a ton of meat and added awesome flavor. We all loved this, including our Brazilian guest; he says it tasted just like home, and it's the first "real" Brazilian food he's had since he's been here. :)

We served this with the rice, of course, and fried plantains on the side (and steamed green beans.... although I don't know if that's very Brazilian). For dessert, we had Dulce de Leche ice cream. (Doce de Leite, in Portuguese).

Later I'll have to try the Portuguese version of Feijoada.

Simple Feijoada (My Version)
by What a Dish!

1 bag dried black beans (16-20 ounces) soaked overnight, drained
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4-5 cups water
1 smoked ham hock
3/4 lbs beef, cut up
1/2 lb smoked sausage, sliced

Cook everything in the crockpot (except the smoked sausage) all day on high. After 6-8 hours, remove the ham hock and cut the meat off the bones. Return the meat to crock pot, discard bone. One hour before serving, add the smoked sausage. Drain some of the water (you want some liquid, but you don't want it soupy) and serve over rice with fried plantains on the side. (The leftovers will thicken in the fridge).

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