In Memory Of Karen Nicole Smith, 1972 - 2016

A Zesty Souse Recipe Inspired By A Cure For Hangovers.


trinidad pig foot souse (6)

I’m not much of a drinker, though I do enjoy a good Scotch ever so often and I do appreciate a Guinness or two when I’m on the islands (stronger than the ones we get here in North America). So having to deal with hangovers is something that’s completely foreign to me. I recall my uncle making this dish quite often, as he was a true connoisseur of the “rum” and dealing with hangovers were part of his routine. Aside from souse, he also made a deadly fish broth, that I still crave to this day.  Souse is traditionally made with parts of the pig that’s not really glamorous, but when I asked the butcher if she had any pig’s feet left, she told me they were all sold out. Imagine that!

Souse is basically a cold pickled soup, that’s marinated for a couple hours after you assemble it and it’s full of flavours from the peppers and pickling process. I guess it could be considered a light soup by our standards, especially since it’s not really filling (you’d have to eat a bucket full).

* Since I was unable to get the pig feet I went looking for I opted for the next best thing I could find, which was pork hocks. But I’m sure you could use pork bones or rib ends to make this with success. And if all fails, you can always use chicken feet.

You’ll Need…

1lb pork hocks
1/2 medium red onion sliced thin
juice of 4 limes
1 hot pepper sliced thin (use habanero or scotch bonnet for best results)
dash fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt (but do taste after marinating to adjust to your liking)
2 cloves of garlic crushed
4 cups water
1 cucumber sliced thin
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (traditionally shado beni is used, but I didn’t have any)

Wash the hocks or whatever parts you were able to source, then place in a deep pot with water – add the couple cloves of garlic and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and allow it to cook for a couple hours covered – until the meat starts falling off the bones. If you have a pressure cooker, do your thing.

trinidad pig foot souse

trinidad pig foot souse (2)

Then drain the cooked meat and give it a good rinse under cool water and set it aside to cool down. Now prepare all the ingredients for the sort of pickling process. Slice the onion, pepper, cucumber and cilantro. if you’re using shado beni, use about 4-6 leaves.

trinidad pig foot souse (3)

By now the meat should be cooled enough to work with. Strip away the meat off the bone in small pieces and place in a large bowl. Traditionally the skin is also added in some instances, but I’m trying to live a little healthier, so out with the skin… but I did keep the bones. Then add all the stuff we sliced, the salt, fresh ground black pepper, lime juice and water and give it a good stir.

trinidad pig foot souse (4)

trinidad pig foot souse (5)

trinidad pig foot souse (6)

Now here’s where you’ll need a little patience, since the smell will be alluring and you’ll be tempted to dig in right away. The combination of the lime juice, fresh sliced cucumber and hot pepper gives this an amazing aroma. Cover this and allow it to marinate for a couple hours. I’ve seen some people add the garlic just before the marinating process with the other fresh ingredients, but I much prefer to add it during the boiling of the meat, just to infuse the meat with it’s flavor and not over-power the main dish.

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33 Comments

  1. Andrea
    February 15, 2019 / 7:07 pm

    Hi Chris! I love your recipies. I use your recipes as a base. Then I add my twist. Ypu are awesome dude! No matter what I add or delete from yout recipies…. It comes out AWESOME… !!!

  2. Sonya
    December 12, 2018 / 3:15 pm

    My dads from barbados use to make this with pork hock also finely chopped cucumber onions etc very tasty alot of my english friends loved dads souse xx

  3. Diana Moe
    September 15, 2018 / 6:22 pm

    Greetings. I am a Trini living in Barbados. This is a popular dish on Saturdays. The only difference is, instead of slicing the peppers,onions and cucumber they chip them small. Tasty dish. Peace and blessings.

  4. Andre
    April 1, 2015 / 5:04 pm

    Great recipe I tried it a few weeks ago for a B-Day party in Fl. I used salted pig feet and it was a success everyone loved it Trinis and Americans Thanks for putting it up.

  5. D. Singh
    March 14, 2015 / 3:51 am

    Hi Chris, great recipe boy! My souse recipe is almost like yours. I use pig feet and I clean it properly then squeeze a few drops of lime/lemon juice and pressure it. I then make my pickling sauce with garlic, onions, hot peppers, black pepper, water-cress, cucumbers and a few drops of lime/lemon juice.
    I learnt to make this from one of my neighbours in San Fernando and whenever she visits Toronto we make it together. In my parents home we couldn’t even mention the name pork or beef. We never ate those two things but when I lived on my own I then started eating pork but I still don’t eat beef (religious reasons).
    Thanks Chris for the wonderful recipes. Btw I tried your sugar cake and Toolum and it came out perfect! Thank you again, do have a wonderful day and God bless.

  6. Ian Abraham
    February 2, 2015 / 9:02 am

    Instead of parsley I use water cress

  7. steven gruber
    January 29, 2015 / 4:00 pm

    This seems to be the most straight forward and honest souse recipe ive ever encountered. Great Job, thanks amillion, already have quite a few converts.!!

  8. Deborah
    November 5, 2014 / 7:05 pm

    I am not familiar with this dish and would like to try it. After allowing this to ‘sit’ for a couple of hours, then how is this served? Hot/ cold ? Is it a Soup? What would you accompany it with? Thanks for any feedback.

    • Natasha
      May 24, 2015 / 12:16 pm

      This is not a soup. It’s a dish used when people are hanging out & drinking alcohol in my country Trinidad. Its like a snack or (cutter- to cut the alcohol). Don’t get me wrong it can be enjoyed without the use of alcohol. If made correctly it is absolutely delicious. We usually use pig feet to make this dish. Make sure you add enough limes,fresh green seasonings and hot raw peppers.

  9. PatG
    May 4, 2014 / 10:35 pm

    We use “totters” or pigs feet obtained at T&T in Port Coquitlam, BC – which is a suburb of Vancouver (T&T is a President’s Choice/Loblaws subsidiary) but one can also use pigs ears and pigs face/snout) both also available at T&T. In his youth my husband used it as a “cutter” (to prevent one from getting drunk/soused) and it was served at the local rum shops. It was also served at home during the holiday season/Xmas. In those days it was important to use wiri-wiri peppers because they have a wonderfully floral fragrance and also to use “Guyanese thyme” but those are both difficult to source in Canada so we make do with “bird”/Thai peppers and scotch bonnet peppers and “regular” thyme.

  10. February 15, 2014 / 11:22 am

    In Barbados souse is an every weekend dish and we eat it with breadfruit or sweet potatoes. We diced (fine) everything,onions, cucumber, scotch bonnet, sweet pepper however we use parsley (curly leaf is better).

    With that pickle minus meat and less water you can eat it on breadfruit coucou and with green bananas. Delicious.

    If you put some saltfish (codfish) in the pickle even better.

    We souse pork, the tongue and ears are great, and we use chicken feet or wings sometimes pigtail. I LOVE ALL KINDS.

    ps try pickle with less water and lime as side dish with food especially rice and peas and beef stew.

  11. Marlene Turner
    November 22, 2013 / 3:25 am

    I haven’t had spouse in years since I’m vegetarian but I do crave the taste of that broth soaked up with fresh baked bread. I’ve had all the versions mentioned here but growing up in my household we used pig head, unbelievable amounts of meat from it.

  12. Septembre
    October 12, 2013 / 9:21 pm

    Great recipe! Souse is one of my favourite Trinidadian dishes. I don’t eat pork so I grew up on chicken foot souse and swapped the pork hocks for the chicken. My only tip is to rinse the chicken foot really, really, really well to prevent congealing when you put it in the fridge.

    • Ameer Ahmad
      September 9, 2022 / 4:59 pm

      I highly recommended Washing the meat with fresh SQUEEZED lemons

  13. Joyce Taylor
    August 8, 2013 / 10:32 pm

    I grew up with an Adventist father who forbade me to eat pork.(Sin)So my first taste of souse I was 16yrs old and it was made from pig’s head. Lots of meat

  14. Debbie
    January 21, 2013 / 10:23 pm

    One of the best souse dish I have ever tasted. I used cow skin instead. My husband loved it very much. Thank you.

  15. Guest
    March 26, 2012 / 4:18 pm

    In Louisiana, vinegar is used, with meat from the head and other "hog" features. But then the whole think is put in a cloth bag and hung from a tree to drain. The whole thing would get dense enough to slice. Some people call it hogs head cheese. They said you need to use the pig or cow foot or else it won't set.

  16. trini
    March 3, 2012 / 7:01 pm

    My father used what he called the "hog features" that is cheeks, snout and ears. I have no idea where you would get that here. This is one of the closest recipes I've seen to his. We also would get goat skin souse in Tobago. I can't imagine finding that here either.

  17. January 15, 2012 / 6:02 pm

    I have been making souse for a while very nice I will try different meats!!! 😉

  18. Trini 2 De Bone
    January 7, 2012 / 11:25 pm

    Thanks for this one Chris. I love souse, but don't like soggy cucumbers, I add them to the souse just before serving

  19. Donna
    December 14, 2011 / 10:32 pm

    Love the recipe, Chris. My uncle from St. Vincent always substituted vinegar for some of the water,but I don't know how much. Have to experiment. Thanks.

  20. Lauren
    November 7, 2011 / 11:45 am

    I am so craving souse. When we are visiting our friends in Antigua we go every Saturday morning down de road to a lady that sells it by the side of the road. I miss it. I am going to try your recipe this weekend. My husband is not a fan, but that is his loss no?

  21. LaFleure H Allick
    July 17, 2011 / 10:05 am

    Chris, Man, how are you? I have been searching, and searching for a good pigs feet recipe,nothing I found I wanted to try, just didnt seem the same as on the island where I grew up, then today, just today, 17th July,2001, I give one more shot, and BAM' there you go, I am right now cooking the pigs feet, smell so good the cloves filtering the air in my apt, just like home, where I live now in,NE couldnt fine cilantro, or the peppers, but thats alright I will make do, with black,pepper,paprika,and cayenne, oh and chili powder, I am so grateful to you right now for making my sunday. Thx a MILLION Chris, and keep the island recipes coming….Much love and respect to you….

  22. Paula
    May 13, 2011 / 6:47 pm

    Nice recipe. You should try grating the cucumber on the large side of the grater, gives the souse a better consistency, and also finely chop the peppers and mix it all in with chopped parsley

  23. Nikki
    March 20, 2011 / 5:40 am

    Great recipe! My mom usually uses pig feet or cow feet & she adds water crest. I’d love to try it your way with the pig hocks since there seems to be a bit more meat.

  24. Alison
    March 12, 2011 / 11:31 am

    This is the most authentic recipe I've come across on the net. Good Work and Thanks.

  25. sandy
    March 2, 2011 / 9:50 am

    This dish is a usually made in Barbados every Fri/Sat. We use a parsley as an alternative to shado beni. This is served along with black pudding. Mouth watering stuff.

  26. Helen
    January 18, 2011 / 10:50 pm

    I was searching for a pig-foot souse recipe when I found yours. I grew up in Tobago, and wonder if it's served differently in Triniwonderland? I ask because I've never seen the meat shredded up like you did it. My yummy memory is of holding onto a pigfoot and eating the jelly-like meat and skin right off the bone. Now I'm drooling….

    • jumbieg
      January 19, 2011 / 7:52 am

      Yes, (I think I did mention that) pig's feet are used traditionally in the recipe.

  27. Reesha
    January 17, 2011 / 11:24 am

    Hey Chris I love your recipes, keep up the good work. I would relly like when you post a recipe put what side dish would compliment the recipes. Thanks again.

    • Sarah Larrier
      February 25, 2012 / 6:42 am

      I grew up eating souse, to what I know it's an appetizer, very good with a cold beer.

  28. Mandy
    December 31, 2010 / 4:57 am

    Oh! I tried this recipe and I was lovely. Never really knew how to make souse. Will be making it for myself from now on. Thanks, Chris and Happy New Year to you and yours! Much love from T &T!!!!

  29. rayray
    December 30, 2010 / 11:11 am

    Love eating Souse hot or cold. Was very disappointed a week ago where I attended a party at which Souse was served up. There was no hint of either Cucumber or lime in the dish. In my opinion Cucumber is an absolute must. It gives Souse it's unmistakeable aroma and taste.

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