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1
Pressure-cook the carne seca
30 minutes
High pressure (120°C / 250°F)
Put the soaked carne seca in a pressure cooker, cover with fresh water and cook at high pressure for 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then open, lift out the meat and let it cool just enough to handle.
If you have no pressure cooker, simmer the meat in a covered pot for 40 minutes instead — it must be tender enough to shred with two forks.
Done when: Meat is tender and shreds easily with two forks.
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2
Shred the beef
5 minutes
No heat
Pull the cooked carne seca apart into thin shreds with two forks, discarding any hard fat or gristle. Set the shreds aside in a bowl.
Shred while the meat is still warm — cold dried beef turns stiff and is hard to pull apart.
Done when: Beef is in thin, even shreds with no large lumps.
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3
Fry the bacon and calabresa
8 minutes
Medium-high heat (200°C / 400°F)
Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced bacon and sliced calabresa and fry for about 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the bacon is crisp at the edges and the sausage is browned and has given up its fat.
Let the meats brown properly before stirring — the browned bits on the bottom of the pot are the flavour of the whole dish.
Done when: Bacon is crisp-edged, sausage is browned, and the pot smells smoky.
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4
Soften the vegetables
6 minutes
Medium heat (175°C / 350°F)
Lower the heat to medium and cook the onion in the same pot for 3 minutes, scraping up the browned bits. Add the garlic, red pepper and tomato and cook for 3 minutes more until soft and fragrant.
Scrape the bottom as the onion cooks — those browned bits dissolve into the dish and colour the rice.
Done when: Vegetables are soft, the oil is orange-red, and the pot smells sweet and smoky.
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5
Add the rice and water
6 minutes
Medium-high heat (200°C / 400°F)
Stir the shredded carne seca into the pot, then add the rinsed rice and stir until every grain is coated in the fat. Pour in the 700 ml of water, add the black pepper, stir once and bring to a boil.
Stir only this once — stirring rice while it cooks makes it gummy.
Done when: Pot is boiling, rice is evenly mixed through the meat and vegetables.
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6
Simmer until the rice is tender
20 minutes
Low heat (95°C / 200°F)
Cover with a tight lid, lower the heat to the barest simmer and cook for 20 minutes without lifting the lid. Taste a little rice for salt before serving and add the salt only if it needs it — the carne seca usually seasons the pot on its own.
If the lid does not seal well, lay a clean tea towel under it to trap the steam.
Done when: Rice is tender and has absorbed the water; grains are separate, not mushy.
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7
Rest, fluff and serve
10 minutes
No heat
Take the pot off the heat and rest, lid on, for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice gently with a fork, spoon generous mounds onto plates and scatter with grated parmesan and chopped parsley. Serve at once.
Fluff with a fork, never a spoon, to keep the grains separate.
Done when: Plates are steaming, golden-brown and scattered with cheese and parsley.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Spoon generous mounds of the smoky, meat-flecked rice onto plates, scatter with grated parmesan and chopped parsley, and pass farofa and hot sauce at the table.
Brazil
1h 5m
