Griot (Fried/Baked Pork)

Posted byNathalie JBPosted inDesserts, Native recipe, Red meat, Traditional RecipesTags:, , , , , , , , , ,

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I am just now eating my SOUP JOUMOU (squash soup). We Haitians, traditionally eat our soup joumou on the 1st of January. However, because I have been overwhelmed with cooking for the holidays and party hopping, I didn’t really get the chance to drink some Soup joumou. I will post the recipe in a following posting.

For new year’s eve, my boyfriend and I planned a party with one of our friends. So, I was responsible for cooking my usual tarte a l’ oignon ( I added turkey and mushrooms in it this time), and the GRIOT in the potluck .
I have never cooked a GRIOT in my whole entire life! So I had to call my girlfirend Josie to help me out.

A little warning: Us, Haitians, DO NOT believe in measurements. Your measuring tools are your taste buds and your hands. So, whatever ingredients you find here, they’re all AS NEEDED/ AS WANTED
Also, this meal takes at least 18 hours to prepare! Make sure you save 2 days for that.

Ingredients

2 pork shoulders chopped into cubes
1 gallon of white vinegar
4 Garlic heads
2 green bell peppers
1 white onion
parsley
8 sour oranges/lemons
lime juice
salt
Olive oil
black pepper

Directions

  1. Clean the pork.  Pour vinegar so that it covers all the meat. Add a lot of salt. Don’t be scared to use almost half of your container. Squeeze the sour oranges onto it. Leave for at least 2 hours. This helps the blood drain from the  pork. Fig.1DSC_0455
  2. Prepare your spices. Use a blender or better yet a BULLET. You’re going to blend your spices into a sauce. Add garlic, green bell peppers, white onion, parsley, olive oil, lime juice, salt, black pepper, or any other spices of your choice. Fig.2DSC_0461 DSC_0463
  3. Once your 2 hours have elapsed, drain your vinegar and sour orange juice from the pork. Clean your pork cubes one by one massaging with more sour oranges or lemons cut into halves.
  4. Massage your meat with your spices sauce. Leave for at least 12 hours. This will allow for the meat to absorb the spices. Fig.3 DSC_0467
  5. Put the meat into a deep pot. Let it boil ( DO NOT ADD WATER, the meat will  “sweat” its own juice). Let it boil for 2 hours min.
  6. And at last, you can place them onto a container so that you can bake/roast them in the oven at 350F. Check every 30mns and make sure it has a dark color. Not too dark but just right.
    You can also have them fried. But if it’s your first time preparing this meal, my advice is to put them in the oven and leave them to bake/roast.

Big thank you for sharing the recipe : Josie Gervais

Published by Nathalie JB

Bonjou! My name is Nathalie Jean-Baptiste. Yes! I know, my last name doesn’t get any more Haitian than that! Who am I really? I consider myself a renaissance woman. I looooooove learning new skills in any field possible: Culinary, baking, painting, crafting, designing, writing, knitting, sewing. You name it! I often joke while saying “ I’m a tout bagay”. Which literally translates to “I’m everything”. Most say I'd make a great surgeon due to the agility in my hands. Sure, I can manage any tasks requiring detail and precision. It drives my audacity to venture in the kitchen with absolutely no experience. What better motivation than to share my culinary journey with you? To help you get better at things you probably thought you couldn't do. At least, that was my drive! I guess by now, you’ve already figured out that I'm the cook and photographer behind “Pilon lakay”. This blog started 8 years ago as I realized that I knew absolutely nothing about Haitian cuisine. Back home, I was never taught how to cook nor was I ever interested in being in the kitchen unless it involved baking. Instead, I loved preparing cakes and cookies. (Shhhh! I still do). After a couple of years in the US, like most of us immigrants, I missed food from home. The good stuff, you know! So I decided to take matters into my own hands and make of this a personal exploration of Haitian food. Boy what a journey it has been! While cooking up a storm in the kitchen, I wanted to encourage others like me to actually learn and explore Haiti’s gastronomy. I made sure my instructions were personal and beginner friendly. My recipe directions contain a lot more details than any other regular recipes. With a personal touch, it's a depiction of my thought process when I do these many tasks. I'm sure you can cook anything on here! If I can do it, you can too! Come experience Haiti through your taste buds! Meet you in the kitchen! Love, N.

8 thoughts on “Griot (Fried/Baked Pork)”

  2. I love your cooking blog and the pictures are definitely a plus please put more on here like rice and Lima beans,chicken in creole sauce and how to clean goat and cook it please and thank you.

    Reply

      1. I really enjoyed your blog. Your love for Haitian cooking is undeniable.
        Thanks for sharing and teaching us how to make and appreciate all the great Creole recipes and thanks for keeping Haitian culture alives. Keep up the good work!

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