Brazilian Arroz Carreteiro (Cowboy Rice) with Bacon and Smoked Paprika

The ultimate leftover recipe — born on Brazilian cattle trails and reinvented by Chef Pinto. Use the leftover ribs from yesterday’s Air Fryer recipe and turn them into something even more incredible. Smoky bacon, Chef Pinto’s signature paprika blend, and a rich tomato broth make this a meal you’ll crave all week.

Servings: 2 | Prep: 10 min | Cook: 25 min | Total: 35 min

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup leftover cooked pork ribs, deboned and cut into 1cm pieces
• 1/2 cup white rice
• 2 1/2 cups hot water
• 100g bacon, cut into small cubes
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced into 1cm cubes
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp Chef Pinto’s paprika blend (3/6 smoked, 1/6 hot, 1/6 sweet)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 fresh parsley sprigs, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Wash, dry, and cut the tomato in half lengthwise, then dice into 1cm cubes — seeds and all. Wash, dry, and finely chop the parsley. Remove the meat from the rib bones and cut into 1cm pieces.
2. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon cubes and fry until golden and crispy, rendering all the fat. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside — but keep all that gorgeous bacon fat in the pan. This is liquid gold.
3. In the same pan with the bacon fat, add the olive oil and onion. Season with a pinch of salt and saute for about 3 minutes until golden. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the tomato, season with another pinch of salt, and cook for 2 minutes until the tomato starts to break down.
4. Add Chef Pinto’s paprika blend and stir for 30 seconds to bloom the spices in the fat — you’ll smell the smokiness immediately. Add the tomato paste and stir for about 2 minutes, letting it caramelize and form a dark crust on the bottom of the pan. This “queimadinho” is where all the flavor lives.
5. Add the pork pieces and the reserved crispy bacon back to the pan. Add the rice and mix well. Pour in 1/2 cup of hot water and stir vigorously with a spatula, scraping the bottom to dissolve all the caramelized bits into the broth. Add the remaining water, season with salt and pepper, and increase the heat.
6. Once boiling, partially cover the pan, reduce to low heat, and cook for about 15 minutes until the rice is cooked but still has some broth in the pan. Turn off the heat, stir in the fresh parsley, and serve immediately. This dish should be slightly soupy — that’s exactly right.

Chef Pinto’s Tips

• This recipe was born to use the leftover ribs from the Air Fryer Pork Ribs recipe. Make the ribs on Sunday, make this on Monday — zero waste, maximum flavor.
• The bacon fat is the soul of this dish. Don’t discard it — every ingredient gets fried in it, building layers of smoky flavor.
• Chef Pinto’s paprika blend is the secret weapon: 3/6 smoked, 1/6 hot, 1/6 sweet. Mix a larger batch and keep it in a jar — it works on everything.
• The “queimadinho” when you add the tomato paste is not burning — it’s flavor. Embrace it and scrape it all up when you add the water.
• The rice should finish cooking with some broth still in the pan — this is not dry rice. It’s supposed to be slightly soupy and incredibly comforting.