Around the World in Foodventures (Guyana: PEPPERPOT)

A little over 3 months ago, I went (only culinarily, of course) to Antigua and Barbuda -- where Pepperpot was a more than viable option.  But since it also turned out to be the actual national dish of Guyana, I decided to make something else for Antigua and Barbuda, and save the Pepperpot for now, with Guyana.

Pepperpot is stewed meat.  You use what you can get your hands on, and make it super tender by boiling it in flavorful liquid -- spiced with....hot peppers (duh! 😉) -- for hours along with the "secret"/special ingredient: Cassareep (sort of like molasses but thinner, and made from cassava root juice -- it has a slight licorice flavor).   I followed the method given in this YouTube video (Simple Guyanese Pepperpot Recipe) using a combination of ingredients from that one and this one (Guyanese Pepperpot || Step By Step Traditional Recipe- Episode 153):

• ~ 4 lbs of Meat (I used pot roast/rump cut into chunks, plus some short ribs for the collagen and bone marrow properties)
• 1 cup of Dave's Cassava Cassareep Sauced
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks
• 1/2 an Orange worth of Peel
• 6 cloves Garlic, smashed
• 3 Habanero Peppers (I couldn't find the traditional 4 Wiri Wiri Peppers called for)
• 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar
• 10+ springs Thyme
• 6 Cloves (optional)
• 1 medium-large Onion, cut into chunks
• 1-2 Tbsp. grated Ginger
• enough Water to cover the meat
• Kosher Salt & Black Pepper to taste

The only real change I made from the cooking method was that I started with only 1 Habanero pepper (because I didn't want it to come out too spicy for the people I was making it for).  About an hour into the boiling, I transferred half the contents to a second pot, taking the first Habanero with that, and added the 2 additional Habanero peppers to the second pot.  So we ended up with one pot that was mild and a second pot that was quite spicy -- though it seems like 90% of the spiciness stayed in the cooking liquid rather than getting into the meat directly (which may explain why this meal is typically served with Plait Bread -- to soak up all that goodness).  Still tasted awesome, though -- and we're going to find a way to use the leftover liquid in a soup or to cook noodles in, etc.

This is what it looked like right at the beginning,
and before I split it into 2 pots.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain