Pepperpot is what every Guyanese family has on Christmas morning. It’s a stew that doesn’t spoil because of cassareep — bitter cassava juice that’s both seasoning and preservative. A good pepperpot pot lives on the back of the stove for the whole holiday week, getting reheated, getting deeper, feeding whoever walks in.
Ingredients
- 3 lb mixed meat (beef chuck, oxtail, pork hock — or just beef if simpler)
- 1 cup cassareep
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 stalks scallion, chopped
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 wiri-wiri peppers (or 1 scotch bonnet, whole)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Water to cover (about 6 cups)
- Optional: orange peel from 1 orange
Instructions
Prep the meat. Cut beef and pork into 2-inch chunks. Leave oxtail in cross-cut pieces. Rinse, pat dry.
Combine in a heavy pot. Place all meat in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Add cassareep, garlic, scallion, cinnamon, cloves, thyme, peppers, brown sugar, salt, and black pepper.
Cover with water. Pour in enough water to just cover the meat, about 6 cups.
Bring to boil, then simmer. Bring to a hard boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Add orange peel if using.
Cook slow. Simmer uncovered 2.5 to 3 hours, stirring every 30 min. The liquid will reduce and darken to a glossy black-brown sauce.
Test the meat. Pieces should be fork-tender. The oxtail should release from the bone. If not, cook longer.
Reduce to a glaze. When meat is tender, taste the sauce. It should be glossy, slightly sweet, deeply spiced. If it’s still watery, simmer uncovered 20 more min.
Rest overnight. Pepperpot is best the next day. Cool the pot, refrigerate. Reheat the next morning.
Serve. With plait bread (homemade Guyanese bread) or thick-cut white bread for sopping up sauce. A small bowl per person. The sauce is the point.
Notes
- Cassareep is non-negotiable. It’s what makes pepperpot pepperpot. Available at any Guyanese or West Indian grocer, or online. Do not substitute soy sauce, browning, or molasses.
- A traditional pepperpot pot keeps on the stove for days during Christmas week. Each day it gets re-boiled (this is the preservation). Add water and re-simmer if reheating, but it shouldn’t need more salt or seasoning — it gets deeper, not flatter.
- Wiri-wiri peppers are tiny round Guyanese peppers. If you can’t find them, scotch bonnet is fine. Keep peppers whole — they flavor the pot without making it dangerous.