Pepper Pot

I usually cook this dish for carnival Sunday and keep some for Monday after playing mas.

Ingredients

 * 1 lb cow heel
 * 1 lb oxtail
 * 1 lb beef, cubed
 * 1 lb pork, cubed
 * 1 lb salted pigtail, pre-cooked to get excess salt out
 * 1 lb beef shin with bone in
 * 5 cloves garlic, crushed
 * 2 tbsp brown sugar
 * broadleaf thyme, chopped up ( to taste)
 * fine leaf thyme, chopped up ( to taste)
 * a few leaves of fresh basil
 * 5 hot peppers
 * ¾ cup cassareep ( extract from cassava root)
 * 1 small piece of spice
 * 3 cloves
 * salt to taste
 * black pepper to taste
 * 1 large onion
 * oil for frying

Directions

 * 1) Wash cow heel - mix with all the other meats, except the salted pigtail.
 * 2) Season meats with salt, black pepper, thymes, garlic, onion, brown sugar, cloves, basil and piece of spice.
 * 3) In a large heavy pot, like an iron pot, heat up oil ( about 3 tablespoons) and fry meat for about 5 - 10 minutes, turning it with a pot spoon until all pieces are "browned" ( they do not actually have to look brown at this stage, but should not be looking pink again ).
 * 4) Boil salted pigtail for 5 – 10 minutes, drain and add to other meats.
 * 5) Pour cassareep over meat and stir through- cook for 5 minutes more, then add water to cover and simmer meat for about 6 hours or until meat is very soft and comes off the bones.
 * 6) About 1 hour before finishing the pot, float the hot peppers on top of the meat, one at the time- keep tasting the meat for hotness - some people like it hotter than others.
 * 7) Bursting these peppers will result in a very hot pepper pot, so watch out.
 * 8) Serve with root vegetables.