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Guyanese Pepperpot
The iconic Guyanese Christmas dish — beef slow-cooked in cassareep with cinnamon, clove and wiri wiri pepper until dark, glossy and deeply spiced. Traditionally served with homemade plait bread.
Pepperpot is the dish Guyanese families wake up to on Christmas morning. Dark, glossy and perfumed with cinnamon and clove, it is built around cassareep — a thick sauce made from cassava that both flavours and preserves the meat. This recipe gives you the traditional slow-simmered version that only gets better each day it sits on the stove.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs beef (chuck, stewing beef or oxtail), cut into large chunks
- 1 lb cow heel or pig trotters, cleaned (optional, for authentic texture)
- 1 cup cassareep
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 6 whole cloves
- 2 whole wiri wiri peppers (or 1 scotch bonnet), left whole
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 strip dried orange peel
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp salt, or to taste
- Water, enough to cover the meat
Instructions
- Wash the beef (and cow heel, if using) with lime or vinegar and water, then drain well.
- Place the meat in a large heavy pot and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.
- Stir in the cassareep, cinnamon sticks, cloves, sliced onion, thyme and dried orange peel. Drop in the whole wiri wiri peppers — keep them whole so the pot gets flavour without too much heat.
- Cover and simmer gently for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is fork-tender and the liquid has reduced to a dark, glossy gravy.
- Add the brown sugar and salt. Taste and adjust — pepperpot should be a balance of savoury, sweet and warm spice.
- Continue cooking uncovered for another 15–20 minutes until the gravy thickens and coats the meat.
- Remove the cinnamon sticks and whole peppers before serving. Rest the pot, covered, for at least an hour — pepperpot always tastes better the next day.
Tips & Notes
- Cassareep is the heart of this dish — it is a thick black sauce made from cassava and is what gives pepperpot its colour and preserving quality. Look for it in Caribbean grocery stores or online.
- Traditionally pepperpot is reheated and eaten over several days; the cassareep preserves it. Always bring it back to a full boil each day before serving.
- Serve hot with homemade plait bread, dense white bread or roti to soak up the gravy.
- You can use pork, mutton or a mix of meats — pepperpot is forgiving and every family has its own version.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cassareep and where can I buy it?
Cassareep is a thick black sauce made from cassava that gives pepperpot its dark colour, flavour and keeping quality. Look for it in Caribbean grocery stores or online — there is no real substitute.
How long does pepperpot keep?
Because the cassareep preserves the meat, pepperpot keeps for over a week. Traditionally it is left on the stove and brought back to a full boil each day before serving.
Can I make pepperpot with other meats?
Yes — beef, pork, mutton, cow heel or a mix of meats all work. Every Guyanese family has its own version.
Nutrition is an approximate estimate per serving and will vary with brands, portion sizes and substitutions. See our disclaimer.
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