Griot (Haiti)

• Epis (Haitian Seasoning)

• 2/3 green bell pepper (chopped roughly, stems removed)
• 1 shallot
• 2 scallions
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 1 handful parsley
• 1 habanero pepper (seeds + stem removed)
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth yet with subtle texture. Set aside.

• Marinating Pork (Overnight)

• 1 lb pork chop
• 0.25 tbsp salt
• 1.5 limes (juiced)
• 1 chicken bouillon cube (crushed)
• 5 stems parsley
• 5 stems thyme
• 0.5 cup Epis (Haitian Seasoning)
• 0.25 tbsp Adobo salt

Coat pork with lime juice and salt. Mix to combine. Let sit for an hour.

Rinse pork to remove juice and salt. Add to a large bowl and add chicken bouillon, parsley, thyme, Adobo, and Epis. Mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

• Cooking Pork

• Marinated pork
• 2.5 cup vegetable oil

In a separate pan, simmer the pork with the marinade for 5-6 minutes, or until the pork is just cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside on paper towels. Pat dry.

Don’t overcook it!

In a deep fryer, heat the vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Add the pork to the oil and fry for 3 minutes, or until the pork is golden brown and crispy. Remove from heat and set aside on paper towels to let the oil drain.

Fry in batches so the pork can be cooked thoroughly.

• Fried Plantains

• 2 plantains (ripe/blackened)

In a separate pan, heat 0.5 cup oil from deep frying over medium heat.

In the meantime, slice the plantains across into 1/2 inch thick slices. Add the plantains to the oil and fry for 5-6 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside to dry.

Serve the pork (griot) with the plantains while hot. Enjoy!

Reflecting on this recipe and after discussing with a Haitian local, I realized that using pork chops was the reason of the recipe being too dry. A good replacement would be a fattier cut of pork, such as pork shoulder to make a much more juicier finish. The plantains came out so well, however!