Griot is a complicated dish that is an important part of Haitian culture and considered by some to be a national dish. I have no connection to Haitian culture whatsoever, but a fantasy audiobook I was listening to at the time had a Haitian-American main character. Him and his family mentioned the dish several times and it sounded delicious, so I set out on a quest to make some. It went very well.

This is not a quick weeknight meal, it is an undertaking best started at least a day or two before the planned meal, to allow the flavours to blend and the pork to marinade.

• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Saleable glass jar or container
• Food processor/blender
• Large mixing bowl
• Large pot
• Large Cast iron frying pan or deep fryer
• Instant Pot
• Time
• Patience

• 1 cup fresh parsley
• 10 sprigs thyme
• 10 cloves garlic
• 1 shallot
• 1 cup green onions
• 1/2 white onion
• 1 tablespoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup lemon or lime juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp better than bouillon paste
• 2 small Thai Chilies
• A generous grind of salt and pepper

• 2 pounds pork shoulder
• 2/3 cup orange juice with added lime juice, vinegar or citric acid to help it emulate Sour Orange juice.
• 1/3 cup Epis (see instructions)
• A generous grind of salt and pepper
• Vegetable oil for deep frying

• 1 cup dried uncooked red kidney beans
• 2 1/2 cups Jasmine Rice
• 1 can coconut milk
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup Epis (see instructions)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups water

These recipes have a lot of moving parts and many blocks of waiting for things to marinade. Here's an approximate timeline of how I set things out.

• Day 1: Made the Epis and let it settle in the fridge.
• Day 2: Cut the pork, let it marinade in the fridge. Also made the Pikliz, also marinading in the fridge.
• Day 3:
  • Started cooking the pork and pressure cooking the red beans at the same time.
  • I was able to saute the veggies and set the rice and beans to begin cooking at about the same time that the pork was finished simmering.
  • The rice waited in the slow cooker on Keep Warm until the pork was finished deep frying.
  • And I kept the already deep fried portions of pork warm on a cookie sheet in the oven on the lowest available temperature.

This was definitely a long weekend project, especially for a single person. My understanding is that Griot often a festival dish, made in large batches for a community.

Make as per Haitian Pikliz, ideally the day before.

First we are going to make some Epis, a seasoning paste that is used in a lot of Haitian dishes, and will be used in the rest of the meal. It is a versatile flavor that keeps well in the fridge.

1. Remove the stems from the sprigs of thyme, peel the garlic and shallot.
2. Put the parsley, thyme, shallot, garlic, onion, green onions, garlic, cloves and basil into your food processor and blend it as finely as possible.
3. Add the vinegar, lime juice, bullion paste and olive oil, stir well and store in the fridge. Ideally make this at least a day in advance to let the flavours blend in the fridge.

1. Chop the pork shoulder into large cubes, about 1 1/2 inches. This can be made easier by partially freezing the pork first, making it more coherent and easier to slice.
2. In a large mixing bowl or container combine the pork, epis and orange juice, stirring well to make sure everything is covered.
3. Marinate in the fridge over night, stirring or shaking it occasionally to make sure it is properly distributed.
4. Place the marinaded pork in a large pot and add enough water to cover the pork. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30-45 minutes until the pork is tender. Remove the lid about half way through to allow the liquid to reduce as the pork cooks. Stir occasionally to prevent the pork from sticking to the pot.
5. Bring your deep frying oil up to a temperature of 350°F (175°C). While the oil is heating up, remove the pork from the pot and pat it dry with a paper towel. This will help prevent oil splatter while deep frying.
6. Continue to reduce the liquid in the pot to a sauce over medium to low heat.
7. Deep fry the pork in batches, making sure not to crowd out the pan too much. Let the fried pork rest on paper towel.

1. Rinse the dried kidney beans to remove any dirt and debris
2. Add the beans and 4 cups of water to the instant pot, pressure cook on high for 20 minutes and wait 10 minutes before releasing pressure.
3. Remove the cooked beans and save the cooking water, we will use this later.
4. Rinse the rice and set it aside.
5. Clean the instant pot, set it to saute and saute the garlic and onions in the olive oil for 2 minutes.
6. Add the beans and epis and cook for another 2 minutes.
7. Add the rice and cook for another 2 minutes.
8. Add the reserved bean water and the can of coconut milk, cover and set the instant pot to the rice setting.
9. Leave the rice on keep warm until the rest of the dish is ready.
10. Our instant pot is on the smaller size and gave me the dreaded BURN warning, but in spite of that it cooked the rice perfectly. I think next tine we make this I will half the recipe.

1. Traditionally served with fried plantains, but I decided to omit them to save time and effort.
2. I used some of the leftover Epis to marinade a tenderloin and cooked it according to the Char Siu recipe. I mixed peach juice with the marinade as we were out of orange and that flavour profile worked very well.

1. Combine the Rice and Beans, Griot and Pikliz on a plate.
2. Feast!

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