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Guyanese garlic pork
Portuguese-Guyanese Christmas pork, pickled in garlic, thyme and vinegar, then fried
Garlic pork came to Guyana with Madeiran Portuguese settlers in the 1800s and is still made for Christmas breakfast in Georgetown, alongside pepperpot and bread. This dish contains pork. Pieces of pork are packed into a jar with a pickle of vinegar, lots of garlic, thyme and wiri wiri pepper and left in the fridge for at least three days, then fried until browned and slightly crisp. The mistake is leaving the jar on the counter, as was once done: always keep it in the fridge. Chef's tip: pat the pork very dry before frying, or the vinegar makes the oil spit.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Blend 2 heads of garlic, 10 thyme sprigs and 3 wiri wiri peppers or 1 scotch bonnet with 100 ml of the ½ cup white vinegar to a coarse paste.
Step 2: Put 3 ⅓ lb boneless pork shoulder in a large clean glass jar or bowl. Add the paste, the rest of 2 ½ cups white vinegar, 1 tbsp salt and 4 cloves and mix. The pork must be fully covered.
Step 3: Cover and keep in the fridge for 3–5 days, stirring once a day.
Step 4: Lift out the pork and pat it completely dry. Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.
5 minStep 5: Fry the pork in batches for 12–15 minutes, turning, until browned, crisp at the edges and cooked through: whole pieces must reach at least 145°F and rest for 3 minutes.
25 minStep 6: Serve hot with bread for Christmas breakfast. Discard the used pickle.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 460 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 36 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does guyanese garlic pork take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of heads of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of white vinegar?
- Cider vinegar or rice vinegar, same amount.
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