Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Griot
Haiti's beloved fried pork: shoulder washed in citrus, marinated in epis, simmered tender, then fried until the edges crackle, served with fiery pikliz.
Haitian · medium · serves 6
prep 30 min · cook 90 min
~738 cal · 64g protein · 20g carbs · 44g fat · 5g fiber · 7g sugars · 13g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Griot (also griyo) is Haiti's most beloved plate of meat and, to many, the national dish. Cubes of pork shoulder are washed in sour orange, marinated for hours in epis, the green herb seasoning base, simmered until they give way, then fried until the outside shatters. It marks an occasion as much as it feeds one, appearing at weddings, baptisms, New Year, Sunday dinners, and from steaming aluminium pans at the roadside.
Two steps are non-negotiable. The citrus wash, sour orange or lime and orange together, cleans and brightens the pork the way Haitian cooks always begin with meat. Then epis, a blend of parsley, garlic, peppers, , and thyme, carries flavour deep into the meat in a way no dry rub can. Simmering first and frying second is what gives griot its signature contrast of tender inside and crackling crust.
On the plate, griot is never alone. It comes with pikliz, the fiery pickled cabbage slaw whose vinegar and heat cut the richness, plus bannann peze (fried ) and rice.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, nut- and egg-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
3 lbs pork shoulder, cut in 2-inch cubes
1/2 cup sour orange juice (or lime and orange mixed)
2 lime, juiced (to wash the pork)
1/2 cup epis (blended parsley, scallion, garlic, peppers, thyme)
1 pepper, left whole
3 cups green cabbage, shredded (for pikliz)
1 carrot, grated (for pikliz)
1 cup white vinegar (for pikliz)
3 cups vegetable oil, for frying
to taste salt
to taste black pepper
Instructions
1
Wash the pork with the lime juice, drain, then rub in the epis, sour orange juice, salt, and pepper. Cover and marinate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
✎ Chef’s note
The citrus wash and the overnight epis marinade are the steps Haitian cooks never skip; they are what make griot taste like griot.
2
Make the pikliz: pack the shredded cabbage, carrot, and a sliced piece of the scotch bonnet into a jar and cover with the vinegar and a little salt. Set aside at least a few hours.
3
Transfer the pork and all its marinade to a heavy pot with the remaining whole scotch bonnet, add water to nearly cover, and simmer covered for 60 to 90 minutes until tender and the liquid has reduced.
4
Lift out the pork and let it dry for 10 minutes so it will crisp.
5
Heat the oil to about 350F and fry the pork in batches until deep golden and crackling, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and serve hot with the pikliz and fried plantains.
Port-au-Prince celebration tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Ouest (Port-au-Prince). Epis is made ahead and kept in the fridge: parsley, thyme, scallion, garlic, peppers and citrus blitzed into a green paste that starts nearly every pot. Pikliz is its opposite number, cabbage, carrot and scotch bonnet left in vinegar until they sharpen, spooned over fried food to cut the fat.
🗺️
Haiti. Soup joumou is drunk on 1 January and means what it is drunk for. The squash soup was associated with French colonists and became, after independence in 1804, the dish that marks the anniversary of freedom, eaten by everyone that morning. UNESCO inscribed it in 2021, Haiti's first inscription.
🌍
North America. Almost every regional cooking here records who arrived and on what terms. Enslaved West Africans brought rice, okra, black-eyed peas and the techniques behind Lowcountry and Creole food; Chinese railway labour and later Italian, Jewish, Mexican and Vietnamese arrivals built the way the cities eat; and Indigenous foodways sit underneath all of it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Haiti
Diri Kolé ak PwaHaiti’s national rice and beans: red beans cooked into coconut-scented rice with thyme, clove, and Scotch bonnet.
Espageti AyisyenHaiti's famous breakfast spaghetti tossed with smoky herring, onions, peppers, and a hit of epis and ketchup, savory morning comfort.
Soup JoumouA golden squash soup with beef, pasta, and root vegetables, Haiti's soup of freedom, eaten every New Year's Day.
Browse all Haiti recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.
Make it a Haiti meal
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LegimLunch
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Frequently asked questions
What is Griot?
Haiti's beloved fried pork: shoulder washed in citrus, marinated in epis, simmered tender, then fried until the edges crackle, served with fiery pikliz.
Where does Griot come from?
Griot is a Haitian dish from Ouest (Port-au-Prince), Haiti.
Can Griot be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Griot recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Griot safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Griot take to make?
About 120 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 90 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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