A dark, oven-braised feijoada with fall-apart beef chuck, smoked pork belly and merguez or chorizo, with fewer beans.
After 7 hours in the oven at 160 °C, this feijoada becomes a dark, glossy stew with a subtle smoky note and warming spices. The meat shreds with a fork, the juices coat it without feeling heavy, and the black beans add body without dominating. This makes 4 servings; plan ahead to soak the beans for 12 to 24 hours the day before. This recipe joins my collection of keto main dishes.
What is feijoada with a twist?
This version departs from classic Brazilian feijoada, made with black beans, salted or smoked pork, carne seca and linguiça, without tomato. It combines beef chuck, smoked pork belly, merguez or chorizo and a little tomato passata, with just 150 g of black beans for 4 people.
In classic feijoada, the beans form the backbone of the stew, giving it its color and thickening the juices. Here, the quantity is kept down to avoid a very starchy dish. The recipe card lists 7 g of net carbs per serving, but taking the onions, garlic and chosen products into account, a range of 20 to 30 g per serving is a more cautious estimate, well outside a strict ketogenic diet.
The origins of this version
In Brazil, feijoada is a generous dish made for sharing, served with rice, farofa, sautéed collard greens and orange wedges. This oven-braised version keeps that slow-cooked spirit while deliberately taking a different direction.
It replaces the salted meats, carne seca and linguiça with ingredients that are easy to find in France: beef chuck, smoked pork belly, merguez or chorizo. It adds a little tomato passata, which is absent from the original flavor profile, and reduces the proportion of beans.
Using the oven follows a simple logic: steady heat, no initial searing and very little hands-on attention during cooking.
The main ingredients
The 400 g of beef chuck are rich in collagen, which slowly breaks down into gelatin during moist cooking: the meat becomes tender and easy to shred, and the sauce thickens on its own. The 150 g of smoked pork belly add fat, salt and a distinct smoky note; use unsmoked pork belly for a milder flavor. The 100 g of lamb merguez or chorizo add spicy heat or a rounder paprika flavor.
The 150 g of dried black beans, weighed before soaking, add body without dominating, provided they are soaked for 12 to 24 hours and then rinsed. The 300 ml of beef stock form the cooking liquid and keep the beans submerged. The 100 ml of tomato passata add acidity and umami without turning the dish into a tomato sauce.
One tablespoon of paprika adds color and gentle warmth; smoked paprika is not essential. Half a tablespoon of coriander seeds brings a citrusy note that balances the fat, while the same amount of chili flakes livens up the juices, with the heat varying by brand. Five bay leaves add background aroma, two red onions soften the smokiness and saltiness, and six garlic cloves give depth to the beef and pork belly.
Cooking pointers and serving suggestions
Cooking is slow, at 160 °C, for a total of 7 hours. The dish stays covered for most of the braising time, with the aluminum foil tightly sealed to limit evaporation, then finishes uncovered to concentrate the juices. The soaked and rinsed beans must stay submerged; if they rise to the surface, a little water will help prevent uneven cooking. Look for these signs: the meat yields to a fork, the beans are tender all the way through with no hard center, and some sauce remains at the bottom.
To keep carbohydrate intake moderate, serve with grated or puréed cauliflower, collard greens sautéed with garlic, or spinach. Yellow rice with garlic, farofa and orange echo the classic accompaniments but add carbs. Leftovers cool quickly in shallow containers; the juices set in the fridge, then loosen when reheated with a splash of water. For freezing, portion the meat together with its juices.
For everyday keto cooking, here are all my low-carb recipes.
Oven-Cooked Feijoada with a Twist
Ingredients
- 400 g beef chuck
- 150 g bacon smoked, or slices of pork belly (from free-range pigs)
- 100 g lamb merguez or chorizo
- 150 g black beans weighed dry
- 300 ml beef stock (or beef bone broth)
- 100 ml tomato passata
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 0.5 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 0.5 tablespoon chili flakes
- 5 bay leaves
- 2 red onions
- 6 cloves garlic
Instructions
- Soak the beans in plenty of water, starting no later than the evening before. They need a total of 12 to 24 hours at most.150 g black beans
- Let the meat come to room temperature. In any case, avoid using it straight from the refrigerator.400 g beef chuck
- Mix the ground spices together. Rub them into the meat.1 tablespoon paprika, 0.5 tablespoon coriander seeds, 0.5 tablespoon chili flakes
- Place the meat in the ovenproof dish.
- Peel and cut the onion into large pieces. Peel and halve the garlic. Place both around the meat.2 red onions, 6 cloves garlic
- If the bacon is in one piece, cut it into slices. Do the same with the chorizo. Arrange around the meat.150 g bacon, 100 g lamb merguez
- Mix the stock with the passata. Preferably use them at room temperature or slightly warmer, not straight from the refrigerator. Pour over everything.300 ml beef stock (or beef bone broth), 100 ml tomato passata
- Tuck the bay leaves between the ingredients. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 5 hours.5 bay leaves
- Rinse the beans. Take the meat out of the oven and remove the aluminum foil. Distribute the beans in the dish. Check that everything is submerged. If it is, replace the aluminum foil and return to the oven for another 1.5 hours. If not, top up with a little water first.
- Remove the aluminum foil for the last half hour to let the liquid reduce a little. The dish will then have spent 7 hours in the oven.
