Slow Cooker Pepperpot is my favorite set-it-and-forget-it dish. Imagine setting your pepperpot on Christmas Eve and waking up on Christmas morning to a delicious pepperpot that slow cooked all night.
Guyanese Pepperpot in a Slow Cooker
A few years ago, I left all my Christmas prep for Christmas Eve. So here I was on Christmas Eve baking, cleaning, and thinking, “When am I going to get to this pepperpot?” When suddenly, “ah get a brainwave” (like Guyanese old folks would say).
So I decided to dump everything in the slow cooker and let it cook while I tackled cleaning up, wrapping presents, and sneaking them under the tree. The slow cooker pepperpot was a success!
I’ve made my pepperpot in the slow cooker ever since. Except for when I got my instant pot and decided to cook everything in there for a couple of months, but that’s a different story. You can find the Instant Pot slow cooker recipe here.
Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Pepperpot Recipe
- Hands-off Approach: When you have a lege to-do list during the holidays, you don’t have time to stand over a stove. This cooks for hours with little to no supervision.
- Tastes Like Traditional Pepperpot: The wonderful thing about the slow cooker is that it gives it the flavor of cooking your pepperpot for days without actually having to cook it for days. Each piece of meat is tender, falling off the bone, and full of flavor.
- Traditional Guyanese Meal: Christmas without pepperpot for Guyanese people is like a swimming pool without water. It just doesn’t make any sense! Make it in the slow cooker and no one will be the wiser!
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Pepperpot
For this slow cooker pepperpot recipe, I used all beef, but you can use any combination of meat.
- Beef shoulder or chuck roast: I used a shoulder roast that I cut it into 2 inch cubes.
- Beef neck bones: You can use oxtail instead of the neck bones or other cuts of bone in beef
- Cow heel/feet: The cow heel (or beef feet) I soaked in white vinegar and water until I was ready to add it to the slow cooker.
- White vinegar: Use this to soak the cow heel (a tough cut of beef) before adding it to the slow cooker.
- Oil: Use this to brown the meat before slow cooking.
- Garlic cloves: Chopped.
- Water: Used to soak the cow heel. You will also need water as the base for the sauce the beef cooks in later.
- Cassareep: This preserves the meat so it can sit for days at room temperature.
- Cinnamon Sticks: To infuse the sauce with a spiced flavor.
- Whole cloves: For a warm taste.
- Sugar: This adds a subtle sweetness.
- Seasoning: Season with salt, black pepper, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.
- Wiri wiri pepper: Alternatively, use 1 scotch bonnet pepper for a spicy taste.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Slow Cooker Pepperpot
Brown Beef
Brown the shoulder roast before adding it to the slow cooker. Warm a cast iron skillet on moderate heat, then add 1 tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the meat and let it brown evenly on all sides. Once the meat is brown on all sides, remove it from the heat and set it aside.
Use the same pan to brown the beef neck bones. Since these bones are a thicker cut of meat, it takes about 5 minutes to get each side brown. When both sides have a good sear, remove the neck bones from the pan and set it aside.
Preparing Sauce for Slow Cooker Pepperpot
The next step in this dish is very important. Part of the guesswork of slow cooking is figuring out how much liquid to add to the slow cooker. I make this very flavorful sauce and pour it over the meat. The meat then slowly cooks in this sauce for hours and that’s the key to the slow cooker pepperpot.
To make the sauce, deglaze the pan with 3 cups of water. Then add cassareep, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne pepper, wiri wiri pepper, brown sugar, salt, and some onion powder. Allow it to come up to a boil and then remove it from the heat.
Layer Meat in Slow Cooker
How you layer the meat in the slow cooker is also critical to the success of the dish. I assembled all the meat in the slow cooker, starting with the cow heel that was soaking in the vinegar.
I removed the cow heel from the vinegar and water mixture, rinsed it with some fresh water, and placed it at the bottom of the slow cooker. Because it will take the longest to cook, you want to ensure it gets fully submerged in the sauce and liquids. I sprinkled about 1 teaspoon of salt over the cow heel before adding the other meats.
Then I added all the meat that I browned earlier. I added the neck bones first and then the cubed shoulder meat. Then I poured the sauce over the meat. I pushed the cinnamon sticks down to the side so that it is in the sauce.
This will add additional flavor to the sauce while it slowly cooks. Finally, cover it and let it slow cook for 10 hours on the lowest slow cooker setting.
Skimming the fat
After 10 hours of slow cooking, the pepperpot is perfection! Skim off some of the oil that forms on top then stirred it up. Although pepperpot tastes better with time, this cooked over hours in the slow cooker so it can be eaten immediately.
Step by step youtube video:
Storage
When the slow cooker is done cooking most of them automatically switch to a warmer. So when you wake up on Christmas morning your pepperpot will be warm and ready! You can’t go wrong with that. You can also make this dish a day or two before Christmas and let it sit. It will be even more flavorful by the time you are ready to eat it.
Just remember to warm it up, once in the morning, and once at night to avoid having it go bad. But really I’ve never had an experience with pepperpot going bad. The cassareep is a natural preservative and cooking the meat keeps the meat from spoiling.
Tips for the Best Slow Cooker Pepperpot
- Use tough cuts of meat so that it doesn’t melt away in the slow cooker.
- After you pour the sauce over the meat in the slow cooker, push the cinnamon sticks down to the button. This ensures the flavor seeps into the sauce and not just the meat on top.
- You may need to stir the pot up a halfway through so that the beef on the top gets into the sauce. I’ve only had to do this once, when I added too much beef, but didn’t for this recipe.
Recipe Variations
- More or Less Spicy: For more heat; crush up the cooked wiri wiri peppers. If you don’t want the heat, keep them whole and remove them once the pepperpot is cooked.
- Onions: Instead of onion powder, you can add real onion. Just sauté them first.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use any combination of meat, just be careful to consider the capacity of your slow cooker and not overfill it or the meats may not cook properly.
Making pepperpot in the slow cooker is a convenient way to make the traditional Guyanese dish without standing over the stove for an extended amount of time. After browning the meat and preparing a sauce, everything goes into the slow cooker with little to no manipulation through the 8-10 hour process.
Pepperpot is the national dish of Guyana.
Slow Cooker Pepperpot
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef shoulder or chuck roast
- 2 lbs beef neck bones
- 2 lbs cow heel/feet
- 1 cup of white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 6 cloves garlic chopped
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup cassareep
- 3 sticks cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 wiri wiri pepper or 1 scotch bonnet pepper
Instructions
- Wash and soak cow heel in 1 cup of white vinegar and some water. Let soak until ready to cook.
- Cut beef roast into 2 inch cubes
- Season beef and neck bones with about 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and set aside
- Warm oil in a sauté pan or skillet on medium to high heat
- When the oil is hot, add the cubed beef roast and cook until all sides are brown, then remove from heat and set aside
- Then add beef neck bones and sear on both sides, then remove from head and set aside
- Add 3 cups of water to the sauté pan to help deglaze it. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any beef bits from the bottom of the pan
- Then add the garlic, cassareep, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, onion powder, cayenne pepper, wiri wiri pepper and 1 tablespoon of salt
- Let the sauce come up to a boil and then remove from the heat
- Remove the cow heel from the vinegar and water mixture and rinse clean with fresh water
- Add the cow heel to the bottom of your slow cooker, then sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the cow heel
- Add the neck bones to the slow cooker, followed by the cubed beef then pour the sauce over the mixture
- Cover and let cook on the lowest setting on the slow cooker for at least 8 hours
- When the pepperpot is done cooking, skim some of the oil/fat from the top of the pepperpot before enjoying with some homemade bread.
Notes
2. I know some of you are looking at me cross eyed for not seasoning my meat with more seasoning or green seasoning, but trust me, this is all the seasoning this recipe need. Not every dish needs green seasoning, there I said it!
3. After you pour the sauce over the meat in the slow cooker, push the cinnamon sticks down to the button, so that it can flavor the sauce and not just the meat on top.
4. You may need to stir the pot up a little half way through so that the beef on the top gets into the sauce. I’ve only had to do this once, when I added too much beef, but didn’t for this recipe.
Nutrition
The information listed in the recipe card is an estimate provided by an online nutrition tool. The tool evaluates ingredient names and amounts then makes calculations based on the number of servings listed for the recipe. It is provided as a general guideline and not as a precise calculation. For precise nutrition information please feel free to add the ingredients to your preferred nutrition calculator or consult a doctor or licensed nutritionist.
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Katey Says
I had this same idea this year because of the reasons you initially did this. I love your recipes because they are spot on. Thank for stating that green seasoning has its place.
I was very pleased with the results and don’t think I will make pepper pot any other way from here on. A time savor and flavors have better opportunity to develop.
My thanks and blessings to you for what you have done (and continue to do) to help people who are living so far from our home, but want to recreate so many dishes from our childhood. Your recipes are spot on with not too much fuss and cooked up with lots of love.
Althea Brown Says
Yay. I am so happy you loved the results. And no green seasoning here! Haha
Selina Renfrow Says
I made this for the first time this Christmas and it was so easy and delicious. I love having a slowcooker version – browning the meat and preparing the sauce took no time at all and setting it and forgetting it in the slowcooker was perfect while I made the plait bread and sorrel drink.
Giselle Says
I tried this recipe for the first time and it was a hit and huge success. The family loved it. The guests that tried pepperpot for the first time were hooked! Reminded me of Christmas with my Guyanese in laws. This is one happy Trini 🇹🇹 that has now added Pepperpot to our Christmas dinner tradition 💜
Shamica Says
This is my go to method for pepperpot. I’ve been using this recipe for the last 4 years and it never fails me. This year especially, since moving state and being far from my mother I was really forcing the Christmas spirit. I wasn’t going to make it this year but there is something about waking up to smell of pepper pot on Christmas morning that takes me back to the feeling of home. I knew I needed to do this. I decided on Christmas Eve and even though I made this at 10 pm the slow cooker method ensured that it tasted as if it had been simmering for days. 10/10 as always
Anna Says
This was my first time making pepper pot and I followed this recipe and it came out soooo delicious! Very easy recipe to follow along with! Definitely will be using this recipe on multiple occasions !
Gail Says
I made this for a friend from Guyana who is living in the USA for a few months. Wanted to give him a taste of home. He LOVED it! We also enjoyed it. It smells so lovely while cooking! I used beef ribs and stew beef. Thank you so much for the easy to follow recipe. It made my heart happy to give our friend a taste of home. I’ll never tell him how easy it was in the crock pot..lol
Althea Brown Says
Thank you for trying my recipe and sharing it with your friend. Recipes are sweeter when done with love.
Tamika Derrell Says
If i wanted to use just one meat like the stew beef cause of picky eaters will the cook time be different? Im following the recipe just skipping the parts with the other meats.
Althea Brown Says
For just beef you can cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. Hope this helps.
Kenya Says
Im an American Black woman who for several years in my childhood was practically raised by a Guyanese woman. For all intents and purposes she was basically my grandma! As a result I have a particular palate and craving for all sorts of Guyanese food that NO ONE in my Black American family could possibly teach me, most of them are familiar with the food only because I introduced it to them, lol! Now I’m here looking for a way to make pepperpot at the last hour.. This might be it!!!
Althea Brown Says
You got this.
Kenya Says
Im an American Black woman who for several years in my childhood was practically raised by a Guyanese woman. For all intents and purposes she was basically my grandma! As a result I have a particular pallate and craving for all sorts of Guyanese food that NO ONE in my Black American family could possibly teach me, most of them are familiar with the food only because I introduced it to them, lol! Now I’m here looking for a way to make pepperpot at the last hour.. This might be it!!!
Wendy Says
Thank you for the recipe; I love putting everything in the slow cooker. My Pepperpot is simmering as I type.????. Tomorrow, I will make some plait bread and have my kids take some over to my mom. So, on Christmas morning, we can have breakfast together over Zoom.
Thank you for creating this wonderful blog. Our slice of Guyana, here in the States????
Althea Brown Says
You’re very welcome
Jasmine Says
Thanks! Love pepperPot for the holidays. How did it come out in the instant pot? I just got One and have no clue where to start. Are you going to post that recipe?
Althea Brown Says
I made mine in the instant pot last night. It’s basically this exact recipe but instead of searing the meats first I only seared the beef chunks. I then added the cowheel to the bottom of the pot, followers by the beef bones or oxtail. Added the onion, garlic, wiri wiri pepper, salt, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves. I diluted the cassareep in 4 cups of water. Then poured over the meat, stirred it up a little to get everything some what under the water. Sealed it and cooked on manual for an hour. While that was cooking I seasoned the beef chunks, same as in this recipe and then seared. When the instant pot was done cooking. I released the pressure, added the beef chunks and sealed and pressure cooked on manual for another 45 minutes. It was perfection!!!
Karen Mackowey Says
I work with A GUYANESE WOMAN…IM GOING TOMAKE ONE OF YOUR RECIPES TO SURPRISE HER…SHE MAKES ME SOME OF HER GUYANESE DISHES TO SHARE AT WORK (YUMMY)…SO A CANADIAN GAL ( ME) WILL MAKE SOMETHING FROM YOUR FABULOUS RECIPES AND SURPRISE HER……I LOVE YOUR PICTURES AND STEP BY STEP DETAILS… THE DETAILS WILL HELP ME TO ACHIEVE MAKING THE DISH I PICK…THANK YOU!
Althea Brown Says
You’re very welcome. I’m sure she’ll love it and you for trying something from her home.
Elaine Says
Cant wait to try this recipe for the slowcooker. I am new to making pepperpot for my husband (who grew up eating pepperpot). Can you please tell me why the cow heel is soaked in vinegar? How long should it soak and what ratio of vinegar to water? Thank you in advance and i look forward to making your recipes!!
Althea Brown Says
Soaking the cow heel in vinegar in my opinion is a Guyanese thing. Kind of like washing chicken with vinegar. It takes away some of that rank smell or taste that cow heel can sometimes have.
Althea Brown Says
I typically use about 1 cup of white vinegar and soak it for 20 minutes. Then rinse it out completely with water before cooking. Do let me know how the recipes comes out after you give it a try.
Shauna Says
Pretty much followed this to the tee. No beef foot, added more oxtail. Put in a full onion, added 1 tsp thyme, 2 sprigs basil. No wiri wiri so used 1 tsp scotch bonnet hot sauce. Really good!
Althea Brown Says
Thank you for trying my recipe and making it your own!
Sunny Says
wHAT A GREAT IDEA. I NEVER THOUGHT TO MAKE PEPPERPOT IN A SLOW COOKER.
i LOOK FORWARD TO READING WHAT YOU MAKE WITH YOUR INSTANT POT AS i JUST BOUGHT ONE MYSELF.
Althea Brown Says
I was kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner. It makes the most sense! And once I saw how easy and delicious it is I don’t even bother with the traditional method anymore.
I cook EVERYTHING aim my instant pot. I have a beef curry recipe on the blog that uses an instant pot!
Sunny Says
I will look for it.