Pork Griot (Griot de Porc)

Pork Griot (Griot de Porc) is a popular, easy-to-make Haitian dish that’s spicy, a little sweet and sour, and completely addictive. The combination of citrus, herbs, garlic, and scotch bonnet will have you salivating before it ever hits the table. 

Pork Griot in a serving bowl ready to enjoy

Guys, meet pork griot aka griot de porc Haitien. In this hallmark dish of Haiti, the marinade does all the heavy lifting. You marinate the pork overnight, put everything into a pot, and simmer it until it’s super tender—easy peasy. 😅

Another big win is that it doesn’t involve any frying. That means you get super flavorful pork that’s a tad healthier for you. Honestly, it tastes so good you won’t notice it wasn’t fried.

Content…

A Haitian Classic
Recipe Ingredients
How to Make It
Flavor Variations
Recipe Tips
Make-Ahead Instructions
Serving and Storage Instructions
What to Serve
More Tempting Pork Recipes to Try

Pork Griot with rice and bean with other vegetables

Haitian Griot Pork: A Classic

The Haitian griot pork recipe employs a technique for cooking pork that is common throughout the Islands, not just in Haiti. You brown the meat after it’s cooked, not before. That aroma of browning, marinade-saturated pork will make anyone hungry, and the crispy crust makes it hard to stop at just one serving. 😋

On a side note, many Haitian and Cuban dishes traditionally use sour orange juice. However, it can be hard to find in the States. So most people sub a combination of lime and orange juice to simulate the sour orange taste. 

Recipe Ingredients

  1. Pork – About three pounds of pork shoulder, cut up into bite-sized pieces, is all you need to get this dish going. 
  2. Sour Orange – Juice from sour orange is traditional, but you can use a lime and orange juice mix instead.
  3. Seasonings – Parsley, garlic, thyme, scallions, white pepper, smoked paprika, and chicken bouillon powder are all in this dish’s spice lineup. Feel free to add ground black pepper.
  4. Veggies – Onion, bell pepper, and scotch bonnet pepper for added heat add flavor and texture to this meal. 

How to Make Pork Griot (Griot de Porc)

Marinate meat, cook, and brown

Prep the Pork

  • Marinate the pieces of pork with orange and lime juice, salt, chicken bouillon, garlic, paprika, onions, green onions, parsley, thyme, scotch bonnet pepper, white pepper, and bell pepper. Let it rest in the fridge for about 2 hours in a ziplock bag or airtight container (it’s even better if you marinate overnight). (Photo 1)
  • Stovetop Method – When ready to cook, place the pork and marinade in a large pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender – 40 minutes to an hour or more.
  • Oven Method – Place the marinated pork in an oven-safe pot – preferably a Dutch oven. Bring the pork and marinade to a boil on the stovetop. Then finish cooking it in the oven at 325℉ (165℃) until tender, for about 1½-2 hours. (Photo 2)
Brown the meat and serve in the sauce

Brown the Pork 

  • Pork – When pork is tender, remove it from the liquid and remove any bits of spices or herbs from the pork. Set it aside.
  • Strain Broth – Using a sieve, strain the pork liquid, reserve the liquid, and discard the rest of the herbs and spices.
  • Sauce – Simmer the pork broth in a small saucepan until it thickens a bit or reaches your desired consistency. It takes 10 minutes or more, depending on the initial consistency. Adjust to taste with spices, oil, and salt if needed.
  • Transfer the pork to a broiler pan or a baking sheet covered with foil. Be careful because the pork will be pretty tender, so you might have to use a spatula or tongs.
  • Add a bit of the cooked marinade to the pork and 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Adjust the rack in your oven so that the top of the pork is 4-5 inches below the broiler.
  • Broil on high heat for 3-5 minutes or until the skin is crispy and deep brown, turning frequently to ensure even brownness. 
  • Serve the rest of the cooked marinade with the pork or pour it over the browned pork. Enjoy!
Serving up steaming hot Pork Griot over rice and beans

Flavor Variations

  1. Heat level. To enjoy the scotch bonnet flavor without crying, drop it whole into the cooking pot. However, prick with a toothpick if you want a little more heat. But mince or blend that bad boy if you want a good burn! 👹
  2. Sweet and savory. Balance flavor with a hint of sweetness from brown sugar, honey, or even pineapple juice.
  3. Add some coconut. For a Caribbean flair, add coconut milk to the marinade for a creamy texture and tropical flavor. 🥥

Recipe Tips

  1. Scotch bonnet pepper is extremely hot so please use caution and wear gloves.
  2. Do your best to cut the pork shoulder into even-sized chunks so that it cooks evenly. 
  3. Please don’t walk away from the pork while it is broiling because it cooks quickly and goes from golden brown to burnt quickly.

Make-Ahead Instructions

You can make this dish a day or two ahead of time and store it in the fridge in an airtight container. Or freeze it for up to three months.

To reheat, place the pork griot on a parchment-paper- or an aluminum-foil-lined baking sheet in a 350°F (175°C) oven for about 15 minutes. Cover loosely with foil to keep it from drying out, then remove it for the last few minutes so it crisps up. The microwave works, too. 😜

Serving and Storage Instructions 

Serve pork griot piping hot with lots of sauce drizzled on top. If you have leftovers, refrigerate them in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Reheat as indicated above. 

What Goes With Pork Griot 

Traditionally, pikliz (pickled cabbage, carrot, and hot pepper) goes with pork griot. Tostones and rice and beans are the usual side dishes for pork griot. I love a glass of sorrel drink along with a slice of pineapple upside-down cake for dessert. 

More Tempting Pork Recipes to Try

  1. Crispy Pork Jowl
  2. Pernil (Puerto Rican Roast Pork)
  3. Stuffed Pork Loin Roast
  4. Slow Cooker Jerk Pulled Chicken
  5. Marinated Pork Chops with Mango Salsa

This blog post was originally published in August 2015 and has been updated with additional tips and gorgeous photos

Pork Griot (Porc de Griot)

A popular, easy-to-make Haitian dish that's spicy, a little sweet and sour, and completely addictive. The combination of citrus, herbs, garlic, and scotch bonnet will have you salivating before it ever hits the table. 
5 from 3 votes

Ingredients

  • 1 3-pound (1.4k) pork shoulder, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • ½ cup (120ml) orange juice (1-2 oranges)
  • 2-4 tablespoons (30-60ml) lime juice (1-3 limes)
  • 2-3 tablespoons (8-12g) parsley, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons (10g) minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoon (2g) fresh thyme
  • 2 scallions, white and green parts chopped
  • ½ teaspoon (1g) ground white pepper
  • ½ medium onion, sliced
  • 1 scotch bonnet pepper (optional or replace with jalapenos for less heat)
  • ½-1 bell pepper chopped (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon (3g) smoked paprika
  • ½-1 tablespoon (2-4g) chicken bouillon powder
  • teaspoons salt or more to taste

Instructions

  • Marinate the pieces of pork with orange and lime juice, salt, chicken bouillon, garlic, paprika, onions, green onions, parsley, thyme, scotch bonnet pepper, white pepper, and bell pepper. Let it rest in the fridge for about 2 hours in a ziplock bag or airtight container (it's even better if you marinate overnight).

Stovetop Method

  • When ready to cook, place the pork and marinade in a large pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender – 40 minutes to an hour or more.

Oven Method

  • Place the marinated pork in an oven-safe pot – preferably a Dutch oven. Bring the pork and marinade to a boil on the stovetop. Then finish cooking it in the oven at 325℉ (165℃) until tender, for about 1½-2 hours.

Browning

  • When pork is tender, remove it from the liquid and remove any bits of spices or herbs from the pork. Set it aside.
  • Using a sieve, strain the pork liquid, reserve the liquid, and discard the rest of the herbs and spices.
  • Simmer the pork broth in a small saucepan until it thickens a bit or reaches your desired consistency. It takes 10 minutes or more to reduce, depending on the initial consistency. Adjust to taste with spices, oil, and salt if needed.
  • Transfer the pork to a broiler pan or a baking sheet covered with foil. Be careful because the pork will be pretty tender, so you might have to use a spatula or tongs.
  • Add a bit of the cooked marinade to the pork and 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Adjust the rack in your oven so that the top of the pork is 4-5 inches below the broiler.
  • Broil on high heat for 3-5 minutes or until the skin is crispy and deep brown, turning frequently to ensure even brownness. 
  • Serve the reduced broth on the side or pour it over the browned pork. Enjoy!

Tips & Notes:

  • Scotch bonnet pepper is extremely hot so please use caution and wear gloves.
  • Want scotch bonnet pepper flavor without the burning heat? Use it whole, make sure it doesn’t burst, and remove it before serving. To increase the spice level, prick it with a toothpick or dice it for even more firepower.
  • Do your best to cut the pork shoulder into even-sized chunks so that it cooks evenly. 
  • Please don’t walk away from the pork while it is broiling because it cooks quickly and goes from golden brown to burnt quickly.
  • Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 100g| Calories: 282kcal (14%)| Carbohydrates: 8g (3%)| Protein: 34g (68%)| Fat: 12g (18%)| Saturated Fat: 4g (25%)| Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g| Monounsaturated Fat: 5g| Cholesterol: 111mg (37%)| Sodium: 951mg (41%)| Potassium: 757mg (22%)| Fiber: 2g (8%)| Sugar: 3g (3%)| Vitamin A: 1249IU (25%)| Vitamin C: 41mg (50%)| Calcium: 60mg (6%)| Iron: 3mg (17%)

Similar Posts

20 Comments

  1. This may sound totally bizarre- but I came to your site thru an episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Garcelle was hosting the other wives for a meal & to introduce them to the foods of her Haitian heritage. Being curious I looked up a couple of recipes for things she’d named when in the kitchen sampling.
    This Griot looks right up my alley.
    It may have been a strange way to get here – but I’m so glad I did!
    I’ll check back on some of your other recipes later. After I finish watching RHOBH lol

  2. It’s about 1 orange (about 1/2 cup juice ) . Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Recipe updated.

    1. It’s usually ” sour orange “, not regular sweet orrange. I live in miami and easy to find, it browns the meat so nicely

      1. Thanks for the info, Nadine! Yes, I agree it’s traditionally made with sour orange. But it’s kinda hard to find it here in my area and in most places in the US. I’d surely buy more of it on my next trip to Miami. 🙂

      2. If you have Hispanic stores in your neighborhood they may have the sour oranges, however Badia and Goya sell bottled sour orange juice that you may be able to purchase online.

    2. It looks like the recipe isn’t updated with the orange juice yet? Just a heads up. Also, I haven’t been commenting but I have been trying tons of your recipes, and I haven’t found a bad one yet. Awesome blog!

  3. 5 stars
    Imma, I love this! I am a big fan of the technique of browning meat AFTER it is cooked. 🙂 I use it for things like pulled pork carnitas! The flavour in this looks right up my alley!

  4. Cassandra , I was trying to make it somewhat healthier and still retain it’s fried appeal. Glad you like it.

  5. Imma,
    Your site is so diverse! It’s so nice to see you post on a Haitian dish!!! I love that your version is not fried. Griot was a staple in my household when I was a child. It pairs well with pickles (spicy cabbage slaw) and fried plantains (unripe)!

      1. Yes it is . Then boil with plain water, but you can use pork or chicken broth if you like.

5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Made this? Rate this recipe:




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.