Rice and Black-Eyed Peas with Dried Beef (Baião de Dois)
Baião de Dois Say it: bah-YOWN deh DOYS
Baião-de-dois is the Northeastern Brazilian comfort dish that marries rice and beans in a single pot. Feijão-de-corda (black-eyed peas) is simmered with carne de sol — sun-dried, lightly salted beef — then rice cooks right in the bean broth until creamy and tender. Queijo coalho and cheiro-verde go in at the end. It is everyday food across Ceará and Pernambuco, tasting of toasted garlic, smoky beef and earthy beans: simple, filling and deeply savory.
Rice and Black-Eyed Peas with Dried Beef (Baião de Dois)
Baião de Dois
Pronounced bah-YOWN deh DOYS
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 hr 10 min
- Level
- Easy
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains milk. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Beans
Rice and meat
Method
Drain the soaked peas and put them in a pot with the bay leaf and 6 cups (1.5 L) water. Bring to a boil, skim the foam, then simmer partly covered for 25–35 minutes, until a pea squashes easily between your fingers but still holds its shape. Scoop out and reserve 2½ cups (600 ml) of the cooking liquid, then drain the peas.
Meanwhile, if using carne de sol, soak the chunks in cold water for 1 hour, changing the water twice, then drain and pat dry — this pulls out excess salt. Skip this step for sausage or bacon.
Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the meat in a single layer and brown for 5–6 minutes, turning, until deep golden and crisp at the edges (bacon and sausage should render their fat and color lightly).
Lower the heat to medium, add the onion and cook for 4–5 minutes until soft and translucent, scraping up the browned bits. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant but not browned.
Stir in the drained peas and the black pepper. Mash about a quarter of the peas against the side of the pot with a spoon — this is what makes the rice creamy.
Add the rice and toast it for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until the grains look glossy and are coated in the fat. Pour in the reserved pea liquid and the water, raise the heat and bring to a full boil, then taste and add the salt.
Cover, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 18–20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender but still separate. Resist stirring; rotate the pot once halfway if your burner runs hot.
Scatter the cheese cubes over the top, take the pot off the heat and let it stand covered for 5 minutes, until the cheese softens and the rice finishes steaming. Fluff with a fork, fold in the butter and cilantro, and serve hot.
Regional variants
In Ceará the dish is made with feijão-de-corda and queijo coalho; in other Northeastern states the same method uses mulatinho or black beans, and bacon or linguiça often replaces the carne de sol. Some cooks stir in a spoonful of heavy cream or extra butter at the end for a richer, softer rice.
Cook's notes
- Cook the peas a little firm — they soften again in the rice, and mushy peas turn the dish sticky.
- A pressure cooker cuts the pea cooking to 8–10 minutes at high pressure; let the pressure release naturally before opening.
- If you use bacon or sausage instead of carne de sol, season with salt a little earlier, since there is no salty meat in the pot.
Serve with
A squeeze of lime, a simple tomato-onion salad (vinagrete) and a cold beer or a glass of cachaça.
Make ahead and storage
Keeps 3 days in the fridge; reheat covered with a splash of water over low heat. Leftovers are excellent fried into small balls (bolinhos) until crisp.
