This recipe for pepper pot comes from Guyana, and it is a Christmas specialty. I was lucky to be able to try it while visiting Georgetown in late November 2025. Pepper pot is a stew made with beef, pork or lamb cooked in a fragrant and spicy sauce with many ingredients. One of the key ingredients is casareep, which is not easy to find outside of Guyana. Casareep is a caramelised cassava root syrup.
Although this recipe takes some time and patience, the end result is delicious. I looked at many different recipes online and then adapted to ingredients that I could find. Additionally, I used a leaner and cleaner type of meat. In Guyana, we had pork chunks with skin and fat, and I opted for beef sirloin instead. Luckily the sauce is the important part so I think as long as the meat becomes tender, it will be delicious. Enjoy the recipe for pepper pot and serve it with either bread or rice.
Ingredients
Meat Marinade
Meat marinade
5 pounds boneless beef top sirloin
1 c Fresh green seasoning (recipe below)
1 Tbsp Complete seasoning
1 Tbsp Seasoned salt
1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Sauce
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 c cassareep
2 cinnamon sticks
8 cloves or another 1/2 tsp ground cloves
Sprig of fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Hot peppers to taste, minced
1 Tbsp seasoned salt
1 Tbsp beef bouillon
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp brown sugar
Zest from 1 orange
Green Seasoning
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 hot chili, de-seeded and to taste
3 stalks of spring onions
1 tsp fresh thyme, without the stems
Handful fresh parsley
Handful of fresh basil
1 tsp salt
Juice from 1 lime
Instructions
Meat Marinade
First, cut the beef into large chunks. Then put the meat into a large container or bag. Next, add all of the seasonings and marinate in the fridge overnight.
Sauce and cooking
First, in a large stock pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Next, sear the beef chunks until they are browned on all sides. You can keep all of the marinade to add to the sauce, as it gives good flavour.
Next, add all of the sauce ingredients to the pot. Then add water to just cover the meat. Bring to a boil then lower to simmer for about 3 hours. Stir occasionally. Eventually, the sauce should start to thicken and become darker. Test the meat for tenderness.
Finally, when the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened, the pepper pot is ready to serve. You can serve it with rice or fresh bread.
Green Seasoning
First, peel and cut the onion into chunks.
Next, peel the garlic. Cut the root ends off of the spring onions. Then add all ingredients into a food processor. You may need to add a few Tablespoons of water to make a paste.
Set the green seasoning aside until ready to marinate the meat.
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