Griot ak Pikliz

Ingredients

• 1.5kg pork shoulder, cut into 4cm cubes
• 2 limes, halved, for washing the meat
• 240ml sour orange juice, or 160ml orange juice mixed with 80ml lime juice
• 6 tbsp epis (blended parsley, thyme, spring onion, bell pepper, garlic and shallot)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, pierced but left whole
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 chicken stock cube, crumbled
• 500ml water
• 800ml neutral oil, for frying
• 1/2 white cabbage, shredded fine
• 2 carrots, coarsely grated
• 1 red onion, sliced paper thin
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• 3 Scotch bonnet peppers, thinly sliced, for the pikliz
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 tsp salt, for the pikliz
• 500ml white vinegar
• 3 tbsp lime juice, for the pikliz
• To serve: bannann peze (fried plantains) and rice

Before you cook

• Cut the pork shoulder into even 4cm cubes.
• Rub the pork all over with the cut limes, then rinse it under cold water and pat it dry.
• Shred the cabbage, grate the carrots and slice the onions as thinly as you can.
• Wear gloves to slice the Scotch bonnets.

Steps

1. Pack the shredded cabbage, carrot, red onion, spring onion and sliced Scotch bonnets into a large clean jar.
2. Add the whole cloves and one teaspoon of salt, then press everything down firmly.
3. Pour the white vinegar and lime juice over the vegetables until they are fully submerged.
4. Seal the jar and leave the pikliz at room temperature for at least twenty-four hours, or up to three days, before using it.
5. Put the dried pork into a large bowl and pour over the sour orange juice.
6. Add the epis, sliced onion, minced garlic, thyme, two teaspoons of salt and the black pepper.
7. Turn the pork until it is thoroughly coated, then cover and marinate in the fridge for at least two hours.
8. Tip the pork and all its marinade into a heavy pot.
9. Add the crumbled stock cube, the pierced Scotch bonnet and five hundred millilitres of water.
10. Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for one hour and fifteen minutes.
11. Check that the pork is fork-tender but still holding its cube shape rather than falling apart.
12. Lift the pork out with a slotted spoon onto a tray lined with kitchen paper.
13. Remove the Scotch bonnet and the thyme stalks from the pot.
14. Boil the remaining braising liquid hard for ten minutes until it reduces to a glossy sauce, then set it aside as sòs ti-malis.
15. Spread the pork out and let it dry in the air for fifteen minutes, because surface moisture will stop it crisping.
16. Pour the frying oil into a deep pan to a depth of five centimetres and heat it to 180C.
17. Fry the pork in three batches for five minutes each, until the outsides are deep mahogany and crackling.
18. Drain each batch on kitchen paper and season with a pinch of salt while still hot.
19. Pile the griot onto a platter and spoon over a little of the reduced sauce.
20. Serve with a generous heap of drained pikliz, fried plantains and rice.