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Loading...A hearty Jamaican classic simmered slowly with dried kidney beans, salted pigtail, and smoked beef for deep umami richness. Scotch bonnet, thyme, and allspice perfume the broth while yam and flour spinners make it a filling Sunday meal.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time100 mins
Total Time115 mins
Servings6
Yield6 hearty bowls
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (estimated)
- 480 kcalCalories
- 22 gFat
- 8 gSaturated Fat
- 42 gCarbs
- 9 gFiber
- 4 gSugar
- 28 gProtein
- 950 mgSodium
- 850 mgPotassium
- 90 mgCalcium
- 5 mgIron
- 14 mgVitamin C
- 150 mcgVitamin A
Ingredients
For the Beans & Smoked Meats
- 2 cups (400 g) dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
- 1 lb (450 g) salted pigtail, rinsed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 8 oz (225 g) salted beef or stew beef, cut into chunks
- 10 cups cold water, plus more as needed
Aromatics & Spices
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper (left whole)
- 1 tsp whole pimento (allspice) berries
- 1 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Vegetables & Finishers
- 8 oz (225 g) yellow yam, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced thick
- 1 medium white potato, peeled and cubed
- 1/2 cup flour spinners (dumplings), optional
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour whisked with 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
Directions
- Place the soaked kidney beans, pigtail, salted beef, and 10 cups of cold water in a large heavy pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then skim any gray foam that rises to the surface.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer partially covered for 45 minutes, or until the beans are just tender and the pigtail meat loosens from the bone. Skim excess fat if desired.
- Stir in the onion, garlic, scallions, thyme sprigs, whole scotch bonnet, pimento berries, and black pepper. Continue simmering uncovered for 20 minutes to let the aromatics bloom.
- Add the yam, carrots, and potato and simmer 15 minutes, until the root vegetables are fork-tender.
- Drop the spinners into the pot (if using) and cook 5 minutes more.
- Slowly stir in the flour slurry and simmer 8 minutes, until the broth thickens to a creamy, gravy-like consistency. Fish out and discard the scotch bonnet for milder heat, or prick it with a fork for more kick.
- Season with the salt, remembering that the cured meats are already salty; taste before adding more. Lift the pigtail pieces from the pot, strip the meat from the bones, and return the meat to the soup.
- Ladle into warm bowls, making sure each serving has plenty of pigtail meat, yam, and beans. Serve hot with buttered hard-dough bread, fried plantains, or a scoop of white rice.
Cook’s Notes
- Soak the beans overnight in 6 cups of water with 1 tsp baking soda to soften them faster and shorten the simmer by about 20 minutes.
- Always taste before salting; pigtail and salted beef vary in saltiness, so adjust at the very end.
- Leaving the scotch bonnet whole infuses fruity aroma without extreme heat—slice it open only if you want serious burn.
- For an even thicker, creamier soup, mash about 1 cup of the cooked beans against the side of the pot and stir them back in.
- To make spinners from scratch: mix 1 cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/3 cup water into a stiff dough, knead briefly, then pinch off marble-sized pieces and drop straight into the simmering soup.
