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Pepper Pot Soup

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soups•american•contains meat, contains pork, contains gluten
3 hours 30 minutes•6 servings•

Ingredients

  • 1 each calf's foot – rinsed
  • 12 cups water
  • 2 pounds honeycomb tripe – cut into 0.5-inch pieces
  • 4 ounces salt pork – small dice
  • 8 ounces onion – diced (~1.5 medium onions)
  • 2 ribs celery – diced
  • 6 ounces carrot – diced (~3 medium carrots)
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 each bay leaf
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 1/4 pounds potatoes – peeled and diced 0.5-inch (~3.5 medium potatos)
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp black pepper – freshly ground
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley – chopped (~0.5 n/a parsleys)
Pepper pot soup

Instructions

1. Prep all ingredients as indicated.

2. Combine the calf's foot, water, and tripe in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim foam, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook until the tripe is tender and the broth is gelatinous, 2–2.5 hours.

3. Set a strainer over a large bowl and strain the broth, reserving both the broth and the tripe; discard the calf's foot. If any large pieces of tripe remain, cut them to 0.5-inch.

4. In a heavy soup pot, cook the salt pork over medium heat until the fat renders and the bits turn golden and crisp, 8–10 minutes.

5. Add the onion, celery, and carrot to the pot and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, 6–8 minutes.

6. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour smells toasty and turns pale blond, 2–3 minutes.

7. Gradually whisk in the hot reserved tripe broth. Add the bay leaves and dried thyme, then stir in the tripe. Bring to a simmer and cook 30 minutes to marry flavors.

8. Add the potatoes and simmer until the potatoes are tender and the soup has lightly thickened, 20–25 minutes; the cubes should pierce easily with a knife.

9. Season with the kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Remove the bay leaves, stir in the parsley, let stand 5 minutes, and serve hot.

Pepper pot soup is a hearty, peppery tripe soup with a silky, gelatin-rich broth and tender cubes of potato. Rendered salt pork and a light flour thickening give it body, while black pepper and a hint of cayenne bring warmth without overwhelming heat. The result is a deeply savory bowl that balances richness, gentle spice, and herbaceous notes.

Often associated with Philadelphia, the dish evolved in the early United States under strong Caribbean influence, where pepper pots were robust, pepper-forward stews. By the 19th century, the Philadelphia version, built on tripe and a calf’s foot stock, had become a signature street food and later a staple of home kitchens and diners. Its legacy persisted well into the 20th century, even inspiring commercial canned versions that popularized its distinctive flavor beyond the region.