Griot (Haitian Fried Pork)

About This Recipe

Griot is the heartbeat of Haitian celebration cooking: chunks of pork shoulder marinated in epis (a green herb-and-citrus paste), braised in their own juices until fork-tender, then fried hot and fast in their own rendered fat until the outsides shatter into mahogany crust. The dish is always served with pikliz, a fiery cabbage-and-scotch-bonnet pickle that cuts the richness, plus rice or fried plantains. Griot is what you make for weddings, baptisms, and Sunday lunches that stretch into the evening. The technique — marinate, braise, fry — is what gives griot its unmistakable contrast of crackling exterior and butter-soft interior.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1.5 kgpork shoulder, cut into 4 cm chunks
• 1large orange, juiced (sour orange if you can find it)
• 2limes, juiced
• 1 bunchfresh parsley
• 6 sprigsfresh thyme, leaves only
• 1green bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 8 clovesgarlic
• 1shallot
• 3scallions
• 1scotch bonnet pepper, seeded
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 1 tbspsalt
• 1 tspground black pepper
• 1 tspground cloves
• 250 mlwater or stock
• neutral oil for frying

Instructions

1. 1

   Make epis

   Blend parsley, thyme, bell pepper, garlic, shallot, scallions, scotch bonnet, and olive oil to a coarse green paste. This is epis — keep a jar in your fridge always.

2. 2

   Marinate

   In a bowl, rub pork with orange juice, lime juice, salt, pepper, cloves, and 4 tbsp epis. Massage well. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

   The citrus tenderizes and brightens; skipping this step makes flat griot.

3. 3

   Braise

   Tip pork and all marinade into a heavy pot. Add water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 75 minutes until fork-tender. Uncover and reduce liquid until almost dry and pork is glazed in its own juices, about 20 minutes.

4. 4

   Rest

   Let pork cool 10 minutes — frying cold-from-warm pieces gives the best crust. Pat each chunk surface-dry.

5. 5

   Fry

   Heat 3 cm of neutral oil to 190°C in a deep pan. Fry pork in batches, 4–5 minutes per batch, turning, until deeply mahogany and crackling on every side.

6. 6

   Drain

   Rest on a rack — paper towels steam the crust soft. Sprinkle with a pinch of flaky salt.

7. 7

   Serve

   Pile griot on a platter with pikliz, white rice or diri ak djon-djon, and fried plantains. Squeeze fresh lime over.

Variations

• •

  Griot de poulet: use bone-in chicken thighs, reduce braise time to 35 minutes.

• •

  Add a splash of dark rum to the braise for festival-style griot.

• •

  Air-fry the final step at 200°C for 12 minutes for a lighter (less traditional) version.

Storage

Refrigerate fried griot up to 3 days. Reheat in a 200°C oven for 8 minutes to revive the crust — never microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions