Philadelphia Pepper Pot
intro
A hearty, peppery tripe and root vegetable stew with colonial Philadelphia roots, thick, warming, and packed with bold savory flavor for cold winter days.
Ingredients
Steps
Boil Tripe and Marrow Bone
Place cut tripe and split marrow bone in a large heavy-bottomed stockpot, cover with 1.5 liters cold water, and bring to a rolling boil over high heat (8-10 minutes). Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, skim any gray foam that rises to the surface, add 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt and the bay leaf, cover, and simmer for 90 minutes until tripe is tender when pierced with a fork.
Remove Tripe and Marrow
After 90 minutes of simmering, use tongs to transfer the cooked tripe to a clean plate, and remove the marrow bone to a small dish. Scoop the soft, creamy marrow from the bone center, discard the hard bone shell, and set both tripe and marrow aside. Strain the cooking broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large heatproof bowl, discarding any small sediment, and set aside.
Sauté Vegetables in Butter
Return the empty stockpot to the stovetop over medium heat, add the 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, and melt until foamy (about 1 minute). Add diced onion, celery, and carrot, sauté for 5 minutes until soft and translucent, then add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes to form a light golden, nutty-smelling roux.
Add Broth and Cubed Vegetables
Slowly pour the reserved strained broth into the pot, whisking constantly to avoid lumps from the roux. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat (about 4 minutes), then add the cubed parsnip, russet potato, reserved tripe, scooped marrow, coarsely crushed black peppercorns, cayenne pepper, dried thyme, and remaining 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir fully to combine all ingredients.
Simmer Stew Until Tender
Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to prevent sticking on the pot bottom, until the potato and parsnip are fork-tender and the stew has thickened to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Taste and add a small pinch of extra salt if needed.
Garnish and Serve Stew
Turn off the heat, fish out and discard the bay leaf, then ladle the hot stew into warm serving bowls. Garnish each bowl with 0.5 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley, and serve immediately with crusty bread for dipping if desired.
Tips
2.Coarsely crush whole black peppercorns right before cooking (using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a chef’s knife) instead of using pre-ground pepper for the bright, sharp pepper heat that defines this dish; do not cut back on the pepper amount, as it is the signature flavor of the recipe.
3.For a thicker, heartier stew, mash 1/4 of the cooked potato cubes against the side of the pot during the last 5 minutes of simmering to release natural starch; avoid adding extra flour, as this can create a pasty, raw-flavored broth if not cooked fully.
OMG I made this for my Sunday family dinner last weekend and everyone went back for seconds! I was a little intimidated by the 2.5 hour cook time but it was so worth it. The pepper flavor is perfectly balanced, not too spicy at all.
As someone who grew up eating pepper pot at every family holiday in Philly, I was skeptical a random online recipe would hit right. LET ME TELL YOU. This is dead on. Tastes exactly like the version my great aunt used to make. I added a tiny extra dash of cayenne because my family likes extra heat, but didn’t mess with anything else. Game changer.
Made this for my grandkids when they visited last week and even my pickiest eater who hates all soups asked for a second bowl! The tripe was tender, the veggies were perfectly cooked, no weird bitter aftertaste like other pepper pot recipes I’ve tried. Will absolutely be adding this to my regular rotation.
Took me a minute to track down all the authentic ingredients but it was so worth the effort. Cooked it on a lazy Saturday while I watched football, the whole house smelled amazing by halftime. My only note is I’d recommend skimming the broth a couple times while it simmers to get that perfectly clear, rich texture.
Wait a second, this doesn’t have the little dumplings my pop used to put in his pepper pot? Am I missing something in the instructions? I followed everything step by step and it tasted great but I was really looking for that dumpling texture I remember.
Meal prep win! I made a big batch of this on Sunday, portioned it out into containers, and it held up perfectly all week for lunches. The flavors actually got better each day as the spices melded. So much better than grabbing takeout on my lunch break. Will be making this once a month for sure!
I was worried this would be too complicated for a weeknight cook until I realized most of the cook time is hands-off simmering! Prepped all the veggies the night before, threw it all in the pot after work, and it was ready in time for dinner. My roommate thought I ordered takeout from a fancy soup spot lmao.
First time ever cooking tripe and I was so nervous I’d mess it up! The prep instructions for cleaning and tenderizing the tripe were so clear, I didn’t have any issues at all. The soup came out incredible, my boyfriend said it’s the best thing I’ve ever made. Only thing is I wish I’d made cornbread to go with it, next time for sure!
Made this in my dorm’s shared kitchen with a couple friends, we split the cost of ingredients and it fed all 4 of us plus we had leftovers for the next day. Only messed up once by adding way too much black pepper at the start, but we added a little extra broth and it evened out. SO good, will be making this again when it gets cold out.
Made this for my office potluck last week and people were asking me for the recipe before I even left the break room! I was worried the tripe would turn people off but most folks had never tried it and loved it. The only person who didn’t like it is my weird coworker who puts ketchup on everything so that tracks.
Went into this thinking I’d hate tripe because I’ve only had it once at a bad restaurant, but y’all were right. Slow cooking it for that long makes it so tender and it soaks up all the pepper and herb flavors perfectly. I’m a total convert now.
I’ve been searching for a proper pepper pot recipe ever since my favorite Philly-style soup spot closed down a couple years ago. This is 100% the real deal, tastes exactly like what I used to order on cold winter days. I brought a pot to my neighborhood block party last weekend and it was gone in 20 minutes flat.
Solid recipe, but I swapped the beef tripe for oxtail because my grocery store was out and it still slapped. Not totally authentic I know, but the broth base is so flavorful it worked perfectly. Would recommend if you can’t get your hands on tripe for whatever reason.
My husband is from Philly and he’s been bugging me to make pepper pot for years but I was always intimidated by how long it takes. I finally bit the bullet this weekend and he teared up a little when he took the first bite. Said it tastes just like his mom’s. I’m calling that a massive win for wife of the year lmao.
Took me two tries to get this right! First time I didn’t let the tripe simmer long enough and it was too chewy, but the second time I followed the cook time exactly and it was perfect. Don’t cut corners on the simmer time y’all, that’s not a suggestion.
Great base recipe! I added a handful of chopped kale the last 20 minutes of cooking to sneak in some extra greens for my kids and they didn’t even notice. It paired so well with the peppery broth I’m going to do that every time I make this from now on.
As a self-proclaimed soup obsessive, this is top 3 soup recipes I’ve ever made. The depth of flavor is unreal for how straightforward the steps are. I’ve already passed this along to three of my friends who are also soup fiends. SO good on a cold rainy day.