Portuguese
Cozido à Portuguesa
A grand Portuguese platter of tender meats, smoky enchidos, winter vegetables, golden broth, and savory broth-cooked rice.
8 servings · 45 minutes prep · 250 minutes cook
Ingredients
Meats and broth
- 1 smoked, cured pork hock, about 1¼ lb, Soak before cooking to moderate its salt.
- 2 lb, Boneless and tied into one compact roast.
- 1½ lb, Bone-in and cut into 3 large pieces.
- 1½ lb, Use meaty spareribs cut into 3- to 4-rib sections.
- 5 qt, plus more for soaking, At least 2 additional quarts (1.9 L) are needed for soaking.
- 1 large yellow onion, about 10 oz, Peeled and halved.
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp
- up to 1 tsp, Use Diamond Crystal kosher salt only after tasting the recombined broth; it will often need none.
Enchidos
- 1 link, about 10 oz
- 1 link, about 8 oz, Keep the casing intact.
- 1 link, about 8 oz, Keep the casing intact.
Vegetables
- 1 large Savoy cabbage, about 3 lb
- 3 lb, Use medium Yukon Gold or another waxy potato.
- 1½ lb
- 1 lb, Use small white turnips.
Broth rice
- 1½ cups
- 3 cups, Measure after the enchido cooking liquid has been strained back into the main broth and the vegetables have cooked.
- 1 tbsp
Directions
Soak the cured pork
- Place smoked ham hock in a nonreactive {{tool:mixing-bowl}} and cover it with at least 2 quarts (1.9 L) of additional cold water. Refrigerate for 8–12 hours, changing the soaking water once halfway through. Drain and rinse.
Build the meat broth
- Put the soaked smoked ham hock, beef chuck, pork shoulder, and pork ribs in a {{tool:large-stockpot}} of at least 12-quart capacity. Add the measured 5 quarts (4.75 L) cold water. Bring slowly to a bare boil over medium-high heat, about 25 minutes, skimming foam and excess surface fat as they collect.
- Add yellow onion, bay leaf, and black peppercorns. Reduce the heat to maintain a quiet simmer at 190–200°F (88–93°C); the liquid should tremble with only an occasional bubble. Partially cover and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes. During this simmer, wrap the enchidos and prepare the vegetables as directed below; only these preparation tasks overlap, while the remaining cooking stages stay sequential.
- Check the meats and continue simmering until each is tender, removing pieces individually as they finish. The ribs and pork shoulder usually need 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes total; the beef and hock may need 2 to 2¼ hours. A {{tool:skewer}} should enter the thickest part with little resistance, and the hock meat should pull readily from the bone. Transfer each finished piece to a rimmed {{tool:sheet-pan}}, spoon over a little hot broth, and cover tightly. Hold in a 170°F (75°C) {{tool:oven}}, or at the oven's lowest reliable setting, and use an {{tool:instant-read-thermometer}} to verify the meat remains at least 140°F (60°C) until slicing.
Cook the enchidos
- While the meats simmer, wrap morcela and farinheira separately in {{tool:cheesecloth}} and tie them loosely with {{tool:kitchen-twine}}. Leave portuguese chourico unwrapped.
- When the meats have been removed, skim the main broth well and discard the onion and bay leaves. Measure 5 cups (1.2 L) of that broth into a {{tool:large-saucepan}}. Add the chouriço, morcela, and farinheira and bring to a very gentle simmer.
- Cook without a rolling boil, turning once: remove the farinheira after 15–18 minutes, the morcela after 18–20 minutes, and the chouriço after 20–25 minutes. Each should feel firm and register at least 160°F (71°C) on the {{tool:instant-read-thermometer}}. Transfer to a plate and rest for 10 minutes before unwrapping. Pass all 5 cups of the reserved enchido cooking broth through a {{tool:fine-mesh-strainer}} and return it to the main stockpot.
Prepare and cook the vegetables
- While the meats simmer, use a {{tool:chef-knife}} on a {{tool:cutting-board}} to quarter savoy cabbage through the core, then halve each quarter to make 8 wedges, leaving enough core attached to hold each together. Peel yukon gold potatoes and keep them whole. Peel carrot and cut crosswise into 3-inch (7.5 cm) lengths, halving very thick pieces lengthwise. Peel turnips and halve any larger than 2 inches (5 cm).
- Bring the recombined broth in the main pot to a steady simmer. Add the potatoes and turnips; cook for 10 minutes. Add the carrots and cook for another 8 minutes.
- Nestle the cabbage wedges into the broth. Cook for 12–18 minutes more, carefully turning them once, until the potatoes and turnips are easily pierced through the center, the carrots are tender but intact, and the cabbage leaves are silky while the cores remain firm enough to hold the wedges together.
- Lift the vegetables onto the {{tool:sheet-pan}} with a {{tool:slotted-spoon}} and keep warm. Only now, after the enchido broth has been recombined and the vegetables have cooked, taste the broth. Add up to kosher salt if it tastes flat; it will often need none.
Cook the rice
- Pass the recombined cooking liquid through a {{tool:fine-mesh-strainer}}, then combine long grain white rice, strained meat cooking broth, and extra virgin olive oil in a medium {{tool:saucepan}}. Bring to a boil, stir once, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15–17 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the grains are tender.
- Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff gently with a {{tool:fork}}. If the broth is notably salty, replace up to 1 cup (240 ml) of it with water before cooking the rice.
Slice and arrange the cozido
- Remove the hot-held meats from the oven and confirm they are still at least 140°F (60°C). Remove the {{tool:kitchen-twine}} from the beef. With the {{tool:chef-knife}}, cut the beef across the grain into ½-inch (1.25 cm) slices. Slice the pork shoulder into thick pieces and separate the ribs into individual portions. Remove the skin and bone from the hock as desired, then divide the meat into serving pieces.
- With the sharp {{tool:chef-knife}}, cut the portuguese chourico and morcela into ½-inch (1.25 cm) rounds. Slice the softer farinheira into rounds about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick, wiping the blade between cuts.
- On a warmed {{tool:serving-platter}}, arrange the cabbage wedges down the center. Group the potatoes, carrots, and turnips along one side. Arrange the beef, pork shoulder, ribs, and hock in distinct overlapping sections on the other side. Lay the three sliced enchidos in separate bands across the top.
- Spoon just enough hot broth over the meats and vegetables to give them a sheen. Serve immediately, with the rice in a warm bowl and additional strained broth offered separately.
