Haitian Griot is a Unique Way to Cook Pork
NEW YORK, NY - Like many Caribbean nationals in the Diaspora, Haiti is on my mind now, and as I get my donations together to help the victims there of Hurricane Matthew, I am also thinking about the wonderful cuisine of Haiti.
My favorite Haitian dish is griot (gree-o) with rice and peas, fried plantains and lettuce and tomatoes.
The reason I love this dish is it’s a unique way to cook and serve pork.
Pork as we all know – for those of us who eat it – is a delicious meat when it is seasoned properly and cooked stewed, grilled or roasted. So try to imagine the taste of Griot, which is cooked by two different cooking methods, served with a homemade Vinaigrette sauce, and then pared with fried plantains, rice and peas – it’s mouth watering! Good caan dun as we say in Jamaica!
This dish is very popular among Haitians and when this dish is served at a Haitian party, it’s the first to finish as it a favorite!
The following is the recipe for my version of Haitian Griot.
Ingredients
2 pounds pork shoulder, chopped in cubes
Juice of 3 sour oranges
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of chopped scallion
I sprig of thyme
1/4 teaspoon of parsley
1/4 teaspoon green pepper
1 scotch bonnet pepper
Method
Take the sour oranges, cut them in half. Make one cup juice from the Sour oranges. Do not discard.
Place cubed pork in one bowl. Add salt to the meat. Rub the oranges over the pork. Marinate 4 hour to 8 hours.
Rinse the meat with water to make sure it’s not salty.
Add the juice and all the other ingredients to the pork in the bowl.
(If you like spicy cut the scotch bonnet pepper. If not, leave the pepper whole.)
Put all the ingredients in a Dutch pot.
Add enough water to boil everything. (Only enough to cover the meat in the pot.)
Boil the Pork until tender.
Drain the water off the pork.
In a separate Dutch pot heat 1/2 oil
When the oil gets hot place the pork in some heated oil; cover the pot and simmer for half an hour over low heat.
Then turn the heat up again and brown pork until the chunks of pork become golden brown.
Serve hot as is or sprinkle Vinegrette saucer pickles over meat.
Side dishes recommended: rice and peas, fried plantains and lettuce tomato salad!
Bon Appetite
Minna LaFortune is a trained Caribbean caterer and also president, Society for the Advancement of the Caribbean Diaspora (SACD).
