Jul 24, 2015
What is perfect jerk? Is it chicken or pork? Should the meat be marinated, or just rubbed? How hot should it be? Is it best smoked, grilled, or baked in an oven?
After many years of experimentation in my own kitchen I have come up with what I think is a pretty good approximation of the best jerk that my wife Kate and I tasted during the two times we visited the beautiful island of Jamaica. Usually I make jerk chicken, but lately I’ve been cooking jerk pork, and it’s super delish.
In the past I’ve made my own jerk marinade, but these days I just use a rub. Some might call it overkill, but I like to serve jerk with a rich, spicy gravy made with chicken broth and jarred jerk marinade.
I’m also including the perfect accompaniments to a jerk dinner, a spicy but refreshing slaw, and the classic Jamaican side dish, Rice and Beans (also known as Rice and Peas).
Jerk Pork
This recipe also works well with chicken or fish.
Serves 6
6 nice fatty pork loin chops or pork blade
steaks
Jamaican-style Dry Jerk
Seasoning
Vegetable oil
Prepare your grill for medium direct cooking. Sprinkle the chops with a generous coating of the rub and drizzle them with enough oil to make them shiny. When your grill is ready, place the pork on the cooking grate and cover the grill. Turn the chops every couple of minutes till they’re done (internal temp of 140F for medium). Let them rest, tented in foil, for at least five minutes. Serve the pork with slaw, rice and beans, and jerk gravy (see recipes below).
[Alternative method: cook the pork in a smoker using mesquite, or if you can get it, pimento wood, as a flavouring agent, and finish it on the grill. This technique works great with pork bellies, or you could even do a whole pork shoulder butt roast like this.]
Jamaican-style Dry Jerk
Seasoning
This rub gives chicken, pork or
snapper – or whatever else you’re grilling – a classic Jamaican
flavor without any fuss.
2 Tbsp|30 mL
granulated onion
2 Tbsp|30 mL
dried onion flakes (get flakes that aren’t too big)
1 Tbsp|15 mL
ground dried thyme
1 Tbsp|15 mL
kosher salt
2 tsp|10 mL
ground allspice
1/2 tsp|5 mL
freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp|5 mL
ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp|15 mL
sugar
2 tsp|10 mL
freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp|10 mL
ground dried habanero chilies (or cayenne or chipotle powder if you
can’t find habanero)
1 1/2 Tbsp|22.5
mL dried chives
Note: Double or quadruple this
recipe so you have some on hand. It’s super easy to make a great
jerk marinade simply by whizzing 1/2 cup|125 mL of this rub in a
food processor with a splash of cooking oil, a chopped habanero, a
chopped onion and some chopped scallions.
Jerk
Gravy
4 cups |1 L chicken or beef broth
2 Tbsp|30 mL jarred jerk marinade or
jerk seasoning paste (Walkerton of Jamaica makes one of the best,
and if you’re in British Columbia there’s a local product called
Auntie Bev’s that’s really good, too.)
1 Tbsp|15 mL soy sauce (or, if you
can get it, 1 tsp of something called “browning,” which is a thick,
black liquid made with water, caramelized sugar and
salt)
2 tsp|10 mL corn starch
1/4 cup|60 mL cold water
Salt and pepper to taste
Place the chicken broth in a saucepan and bring it to a rolling boil. Reduce it by at least half. Add the jerk seasoning and soy sauce (or browning) and stir it into the broth.
Quickly mix the corn starch into the cold water and immediately pour it into the gravy, stirring constantly until it thickens and turns shiny. Season it to your liking and serve in a gravy boat.
Jamaican Cole
Slaw
This recipe, adapted slightly from
the excellent Jerk From Jamaica cookbook by Helen Willinsky (I’ve
added raisins and fresh pineapple), is a superb side. If you want
to serve it with something other than jerk, substitute your
favorite rub for the Dry Jerk Seasoning.
4 cups|1 L shredded purple
cabbage
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh
pineapple
3/4 cup|185 mL grated
carrots
1/4 lb|125 g golden
raisins
1/2 cup chopped toasted nuts
(pecans, walnuts, pistachios almonds or anything else you
like)
1/2 cup|125 mL mayonnaise
1 Tbsp|15 mL cider
vinegar
1 Tbsp|15 mL Jamaican-Style Dry Jerk
Seasoning
Combine all the ingredients in a
salad bowl and toss. Cover and chill for at least an hour and toss
again just before serving.
Jamaican Rice and
Beans
In Jamaica this dish is a staple.
Jamaicans call it rice and peas, but it often features red kidney
beans so I’ve renamed it to avoid confusion. The creamy, sweet
richness of the coconut milk helps make this dish a perfect
complement to jerk or any spicy grilled meat.
2 14-oz/398-mL
cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (if you want to be
perfectly authentic, substitute the kidney beans for canned gungo
peas, also known as pidgeon peas)
1 14-oz/398-mL
can coconut milk
2 thick slices
double-smoked bacon, chopped
1 green onion,
chopped
2 sprigs fresh
thyme
1 habanero chile
(whole – do not chop)
2 cups|500 mL
long grain white rice
2 cups boiling
water
kosher salt and
freshly ground black pepper
In a frying pan, sauté the chopped
bacon until it’s starting to brown but is not yet crispy. Drain off
the excess fat and set the bacon aside.
In a large saucepan combine the
beans, coconut milk, bacon, green onion, thyme and the habanero.
Cook over medium-high heat just until the mixture comes to a
simmer. Add the hot water and stir in the rice. Cover tightly,
reduce the heat to low and cook without disturbing for about 25
minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
Fluff before serving and don’t forget to remove the habanero so it
doesn’t surprise anyone!