Summer and a Souse recipe (2024)

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by Jehan Powell on Aug 14, 2012 8 comments »

Some of you have noticed my absence and I apologize but sometimes summer gets in the way. The past few weeks have been filled with BBQs, Festivals, Luncheons, days at the pool and hosting family from out of town so I took a much needed break.

While I have not been blogging, boy have I been cooking and eating!! The 5 lbs gained in the last month is proof of the excess. My brother and his family were in town, and whenever his wife and I get together we go overboard with food and alcohol.

What can I say, it’s just our thing. Some of the times I actually documented my recipes with the intention of sharing with you guys so new recipes will be coming soon!

The first recipe I have for you guys is souse. Don’t be fooled by the humble ingredients in this dish, it is highly coveted in Guyana and parts of the Caribbean and often kept under watch at parties. Similar to a ceviche, pig’s feet are cooked until soft then added to a spicy, vinegar based sauce with lots of onion, pepper and cucumbers. Don’t be afraid of the scotch bonnet, the cucumber soothes the heat and makes for the perfect summer night snack! Enjoy!

I separated the recipe into two parts. Part one are the ingredients that you will cook with the pigs’ feet and part 2 are the ingredients that you will use to make the liquid that you will add the cooked pigs’ feet to.

Pig Feet Souse

Part 1:

2 lbs pigs’ feet

1 whole onion, coarsely chopped

20 sprigs thyme, a nice handful

1 tsp salt

Enough water to cover the pigs’ feet.

I highly recommend using a pressure cooker to cook the pigs’ feet as it will reduce the cooking time tremendously. I pressured mine for 15 minutes BUT each pressure cooker is different and some will work faster while some may take longer so adjust accordingly. Place all ingredients in the pressure cooker and cook until tender. Remove pigs’ feet from the liquid and set aside. Discard the liquid. Traditionally Souse is made with large pieces with bone in, but I cut away the bone for presentation purposes. You may have to double the quantity in Part 2 if using pigs’ feet with the bone.

Part 2:

1 tbsp crushed garlic

½ red onion, thinly sliced

½ scotch bonnet pepper

Juice of 2 limes

1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

1/3 cup vinegar

1 cup water

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

Place all ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine. Add pigs’ feet and stir. Let sit for at least four hours and no more than six before serving. I find that when souse sits for too long it becomes too it tastes a bit too briny for my liking.

originally published on Aug 14, 2012 (last updated Oct 30, 2014)

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