Feijoada is a bean stew built on time more than technique: chouriço, pork, black or kidney beans, simmered low until the smoke from the sausage has worked its way through everything in the pot. The Portuguese inland version, feijoada à transmontana, comes from Trás-os-Montes, the rugged region just north and east of the Douro. Different valley, same stubborn hills.
The dish shares its temperament with this week’s grape. Nothing in the pot is trying to be the whole meal. The chouriço brings smoke and pimentón. The beans bring body and quiet starch. The long simmer is what turns separate ingredients into one dish, the way a Douro blend turns separate grapes into one wine.
This is an easy rustic and flavorful dish - and it has an amazing payoff. This one is going in our regular rotation, we loved it that much!
And if you're unfamiliar, chouriço is simply the Portugese spelling of chorizo.
Feijoada (Chouriço & Bean Stew)
Ingredients
- ● 1 lb Spanish or Portuguese chouriço (chorizo) sliced into rounds
- ● 1 lb smoked pork shoulder or linguiça cut into chunks
- ● 1 lb dried black or kidney beans soaked overnight (or 2 cans, drained)
- ● 1 small yellow onion diced
- ● 3 cloves garlic minced
- ● 1 bay leaf
- ● 1 tsp smoked pimentón
- ● 1 cup diced tomato
- ● 4 cups water or light stock
- ● Salt and black pepper to taste
- ● Fresh parsley chopped, for finishing
- ● Crusty bread to serve
Instructions
- In a heavy pot, brown the chouriço and pork over medium heat until the fat renders, about 8 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pot, soften the onion and garlic in the rendered fat, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the pimentón, tomato, and bay leaf; cook 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Return the meat to the pot. Add the soaked (or canned) beans and water or stock.
- Bring to a simmer, cover partially, and cook 1 to 1½ hours (25 to 30 minutes if using canned beans), until the beans are tender and the broth has thickened slightly.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard the bay leaf.
- Finish with fresh parsley and serve hot, with crusty bread alongside for the broth.
Notes
Notes
Feijoada improves with a day's rest; the flavors settle and deepen overnight. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water or stock if the stew has thickened too far in the fridge.Wines That Love This Dish
Douro red (Touriga Nacional blend): the pairing at the heart of this stew's Week 37 feature. Firm tannin and dark, violet-edged fruit cut cleanly through the dish's smoke and fat. As this hub grows, additional pairings from future weeks will be added here, each with a short note on why the match works.
Why the Pairing Works
Pour a Douro red beside it and the match makes itself. Touriga Nacional’s black fruit and firm tannin meet the stew’s smoke and fat head-on; the wine’s structure cuts through the richness instead of getting lost in it. Nothing here needs explaining twice. Taste it, and the pairing does the talking.
| This is the kind of match that is easier to feel than to describe. Cook it once, and you will not need the note again.A quiet echo for anyone tasting along all year: the sherry-and-tapas table from three weeks ago carried the same unhurried, shared-plate spirit. Feijoada belongs at the same kind of table.
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If this resonated, you might also enjoy:
Low and Slow: Old-Vine Zinfandel & Beef Brisket
Barolo and Osso Buco alla Milanese
Ripasso and Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs
Flavor: Savory – Umami - The beans and sausage are building umami. Here's what that means for the pairing.
Flavor: Sour – the Power of Acid to be Bold and Tangy - The wine's acidity cuts the richness of the braise. This is how it works.
Last Updated: Sep 17, 2026
Post Created: Sep 17, 2026
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