Jerk Sauce

[hathor]

I tried googling 'jerk'...and got the most amazing results....however I"m looking for a some ways to make jerk. I know there are lots of variations.

I went to the Greenmarket this morning and they had "Cuban oregano". It was unlike any oregano I've ever seen. These are large, thick, furry leaves on a brittle, almost hollow stock. The leaves are white tipped. The greengrocer told me it was a prime ingredient in jerk.

So now I've got a bunch of Cuban oregano...and I'm on the lookout for a jerk.

Thanks!

[Toliver]

This is a punchline waiting to happen.

Here are some jerk recipes I found:

Jerk Recipes on Epicurious.com

Jerk Recipes from the Food Network site

Funny thing is a lot of the recipes I looked at didn't even use oregano. Hmmmm...

[hathor]

Thanks!

I sifted thru the recipes to find a the common ingredients, and they seem to be:

allspice

cinnamon

nutmeg

garlic

salt or soy

thyme

oil

After that its a pretty wild assortment of ingredients: espresso coffee beans, rum, english mustard, lime or lemon juice...

I think I'll tackle this over the weekend. There was a brand that a Jamacian friend would bring me...looked like home bottled...and that's the taste I want to try and recreate.

I'll have to see how it goes!

[Nathan P.]

I first discovered egullet in a search for jerk

The thread I found is http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST&f=3&t=19276&

Davids recipe worked well for me.

Nathan

[hathor]

Thanks for finding that thread Nathan...I found some extremely weird stuff when I looked...jerk being such a 'common' word.

Now...if only I had an allspice tree!

[jmcgrath]

Thanks!

I sifted thru the recipes to find a the common ingredients, and they seem to be:

allspice

cinnamon

nutmeg

garlic

salt or soy

thyme

oil

←

No Scotch Bonnets? I can't imagine jerk without them.

Jim

[hathor]

No...no consistency with the peppers... although most seem to vary back and forth between either scotch bonnet and habanero, or else just referred to a 'hot pepper'.

[jmcgrath]

No...no consistency with the peppers... although most seem to vary back and forth between either scotch bonnet and habanero, or else just referred to a 'hot pepper'.

←

Scotch Bonnets and Habaneros are essentially the same thing. Scotch Bonnets in the Caribbean and Habaneros in Central and South America. Both are C. chinense.

Jim

[chefgy]

All this talk of jerk and I dont even know what your talking about! Please explain

[Toliver]

All this talk of jerk and I dont even know what your talking about! Please explain

←

From Jamaica/the Caribbean...it's their version of a marinade. It's usually for grilled meat and usually contains a hot pepper of some sort.

[viva]

The Grilled Jerk Chicken that Toliver linked to as part of the Epicurious jerk search results is PHENOMENAL. I make bigger batches and keep it in the fridge for quick marinades. I've been to wonderful local jerk chicken joints in Jamaica, and this recipe is the closest I have come to reproducing it back home. Don't seed the habaneros and it's even closer.

Sort of O/T, there is a jerk joint in Montego Bay called Scotchie's, which is by far the hottest jerk sauce I have ever tasted. It was wonderful and this thread is making me miss it terribly.

[bentherebfor]

I see, makes sense now that I look at the recipes

[jmcgrath]

All this talk of jerk and I dont even know what your talking about! Please explain

←

Helen Willinsky in her cookbook "Jerk: Barbecue from Jamaica" says

Jerk cooking is an authentic way to cook pork, chicken, seafood, and beef over a fire pit or on a barbecue grill. But it is the special seasoning--a highly spiced combination of scallions, onions, thyme, Jamaican pimento (allspice), cinnamon, nutmeg, peppers, and salt--that makes jerk what it is.

She provides recipies for jerk pastes, dry rubs and marinades. It's a good but very specialized book.

Editded for cleaner quoting.

Jim

Edited September 17, 2004 by jmcgrath (log)

[Really Nice!]

Here's something from the family cookbook.

--------------

Jamaican Jerk is not only a spice mixture; it is a way of cooking meat. The Arawak Indians first developed this method in Jamaica. You rub the Jerk sauce into meats (chicken, pork, fish or beef), leaving it to marinate for an hour at room temperature, and then barbecue. You should try it if you like spicy hot food.

Jerk is a dark green sauce that starts out sweet on the tip of your tongue and quickly bulldozes its way to the back while turning to Hot as Hell!

2 tbsp ground allspice

1/2 cup brown sugar

6 - 8 garlic cloves

4 - 6 Habernaro (or equivalent) peppers, seeds and all

1 tbsp ground thyme, or 2 tbsp thyme leaves

2 bunches green onions

1 tsp cinnamon, ground

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp soy sauce

Put everything in a food processor and blend until smooth. This will keep "forever" in the refrigerator. Feel free to increase the garlic and the hot peppers.

Using a spoon, brush, or wearing rubber gloves, rub the sauce into each piece of meat. (For chicken get under the skin and in all the cavities.) If you are using pork, use a de-boned shoulder, score the fat and rub the sauce in, using 1/2 cup or more per 6-pound (3-kilogram) shoulder. Use less for fish.

Marinate, preferably overnight, and grill over a low fire until done. The meat will be a smoky pink when done and the skin nice and dark. Chop the meat into pieces and serve traditionally with hard dough bread. Serve with your favorite ice-cold beer.

[scott123]

Really Nice!, your recipe looks great, but I have a question regarding one ingredient - the soy sauce. Do Jamaicans use soy sauce? Is the soy sauce a substitution for something authentically Jamaican?

Just curious.

[Really Nice!]

Really Nice!, your recipe looks great, but I have a question regarding one ingredient - the soy sauce.  Do Jamaicans use soy sauce? Is the soy sauce a substitution for something authentically Jamaican?

Just curious.

←

Yeah, I don't know where that came from. Soy sauce is not a part of the Jamaican profile. I got this recipe out of the Chicago Tribune about 15 years ago. It's from a restaurant that specialized in Caribbean cuisine. I think it's a substitute for something liquid and salty. I tried omitting it once and the texture was a bit more grainy and it definitely needed salt.

[kddickey]

I tried googling 'jerk'...and got the most amazing results....however I"m looking for a some ways to make jerk.  I know there are lots of variations.

I went to the Greenmarket this morning and they had "Cuban oregano".  It was unlike any oregano I've ever seen.  These are large, thick, furry leaves on a brittle, almost hollow stock.  The leaves are white tipped.  The greengrocer told me it was a prime ingredient in jerk.

So now I've got a bunch of Cuban oregano...and I'm on the lookout for a jerk. 

Thanks!

←

A very good commercial brand is available. It is used by many Jamaican restaurants here in Orlando, FL. It is made by WALKERSWOOD and is called Traditional Jamaican Jerk Seasoning - Hot & Spicy. It is available at most Carribean grocery stores or online at www.walkerswood.com. You still have to grill "low and slow" with some good wood for smoke, but, it'll save you a step.

[hathor]

A very good commercial brand is available.  It is used by many Jamaican restaurants here in Orlando, FL.  It is made by WALKERSWOOD and is called Traditional Jamaican Jerk Seasoning - Hot & Spicy.  It is available at most Carribean grocery stores or online at www.walkerswood.com.   You still have to grill "low and slow" with some good wood for smoke, but, it'll save you a step.

←

I know Walkerswood..It's excellent!!!

I've been slammed at work..so no time to playaround in the kitchen.

[MilwMike]

Really Nice!, your recipe looks great, but I have a question regarding one ingredient - the soy sauce.  Do Jamaicans use soy sauce? Is the soy sauce a substitution for something authentically Jamaican?

Just curious.

←

Sorry but Jamaicans sure do use soy sauce, called soya sauce here. As in the States, Chinese laborers were brought in to build the railways. Every little one room grocery store carries it. It is also a main ingredient in "brown stew chicken and fish" another common offering at restaurants or cookshops that cater to Jamaicans.

[Patapsco Mike]

Walkerswood is OK, but do your own with fresh ingredients and you won't go back.

I see soy sauce listed as an ingredient from time to time in jerk recipes, and 2 of the 3 jerk recipes in my family cookbook have it. But my favorite does not.

6 lbs pork ribs, intact, trimmed of fat and membranes or 2 chickens

8 scallions, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 habanero peppers, seeded, de-veined and finely chopped

2 t minced fresh thyme

1 t salt

2 t light cane sugar

1 t ground allspice

½ t ground nutmeg

½ t ground cinnamon

1 t coarsely ground black pepper

1 T cider vinegar

¼ C vegetable oil

Refrigerate overnight and then grill. Amazing. If you've never tried it, and you like spicy food, you really are missing out.