Jamaican Jerk..loving the layered heat!

YeOldeStonecat

New member
One of my passions is authentic Jamaican Jerk style. Years ago, my aunt 'n uncle used to bring back some each time they went to Jamaica (several times a year...condo in Montego Bay). My aunt passed away a while ago, uncle doesn't go as much anymore, so I had to turn to finding the jars locally.

The availability of what I considered authentic and GOOD products available on the shelfs in the US is pretty sparse...I tried tons of them. Most I found too watered down, too weak, too..."blah".

I've found 2x brands which are good.

Walkers Wood, and Graces.

http://www.walkerswood.com/index.htm

Specifically..this particular product...as they have quite a few products..some are still pretty good, others too mild..but overall...good stuff. Just..the product below is my favorite..thickest and strongest in flavor.
http://www.walkerswood.com/product_detail.asp?pID=1

I used to find Walkers Wood on some store shelves....then it started disappearing and I had to order it online. But lately their good jerk paste is often "out of stock" online. One day while in the ethnic food isle of my local Stop 'n Shop, I found a new brand they started stocking...Grace.

http://www.gracefoods.com/site/

They have many products...including a good thick jerk paste that was, IMO, as good as Walkers Wood.
Hot
http://www.buygracefoods.com/site/product.cfm?id=jerk_hot_seasoning_bottle
and for those getting their feet wet...Mild
http://www.buygracefoods.com/site/product.cfm?id=jerk_seasoning_mild_bottle

Now, the CatMan is huge..huge into heat..but importantly, what I love about some of the good hot island seasonings..is the "layering" of flavors and heat. It's unlike traditional "hot sauces"...where the goal of the super hot red sauce is to blow your head off..and you don't taste much..your tongue is coated with the cap oil..and you can't taste a thing for an hour. With good authentic jerk seasonings...yeah some of them can be very hot..but there's a whole galaxy of different layers of flavors ringing your bell. Your taste buds are having an orgy.

This stuff is great on chicken, pork, even beef...I love it on flank strips or sirloin strips, even del monicos/rib eyes if used lightly.

Even though I love heat, I often cut this paste with a little olive oil, and various juices...sometimes just lime juice, or lime juice, or mango juice, and pineapple juice, or sometimes a splash of orange juice in there too. Mix-match to your hearts content. And fresh chopped cilantro.

Best results...rub 'n coat your meat well..and let it sit in the fridge overnight....or at least prep in the morning and have it sit in the fridge all day. Lets those flavors sink into the meat.

For those that may go right to the hot Grace one...they're not kidding when they say "hot". So a good teaspoon or tablespoon..cut with oil 'n a little juice, to coat a whole chickens worth of meat, will suffice.

Best if BBQ'd..for the authentic jerk pit taste. But you can enjoy it inside too. If you sear your meats inside on a pan before tossing in the oven...word of caution..if you've used a lot of the paste on the meat, the kitchen may fill with some eye watering sneeze inducing smoke.

:a1:
 

chowhound

New member
Great post, cat.
I've eaten "jerk" type foods while out, though I'm not sure how authentic they were I loved the taste. I bought a bottle of jerk sauce in the local store several months ago and it tastes nothing like what I was looking for. It was sweet tasting if anything, no heat at all, but maybe that's because I did not marinate the meat?

I'm going to follow your links and try to get some of your recommended jerk seasonings/sauces into my kitchen.
 

chowhound

New member
lol, so much for Walkers Wood. One link said out of stock and the other said their website is down.... Hopefully they'll be up and running soon.
 

YeOldeStonecat

New member
lol, so much for Walkers Wood. One link said out of stock and the other said their website is down.... Hopefully they'll be up and running soon.

Just tried the links again...they worked for me, but also I saw a new message on it that the online webstore was being re-arranged...so yeah may be iffy.

I've purchased them through another online hot sauce webstore...MoHotta
http://www.mohotta.com/

Here's the Walkers Wood
http://www.mohotta.com/product/63/12
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Coming from Florida and with many visits to the islands I also love jerk flavors. I've found some other brands here in Kentucky but only in places like Whole Foods and my favorite hot sauce shop the local Liqueur Barn which has half an isle of nothing but hot sauces and spice rubs.
 

PanchoHambre

New member
thanks for the recs... I love the jerk.

NY has a big Jamaican/Island population so there were tons of jerk joints...

never even tried at home...

here's a question...

If I am doing it in the kitchen and I have had the rub on it and I sear it should I add more sauce before putting it in the oven? I am always worried about loosing rub when I sear.
 

chowhound

New member
Thanks cat. The links worked for me, too. They just happened to be out of stock of the powdered seasoning and revamping the site. I might go with the paste in the meantime.
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Here are two I use myself in powder types:

Caribbean Spice Rub
1/2 Tbs. cumin seeds
1/2 Tbs. black pepper
1/2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. whole cloves
3/4 tsp. hot pepper powder (red pepper, habanero pepper, etc.)
Combine ingredients to taste.

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

Jerk Spice:
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried, crushed Scotch bonnet pepper (habanero)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients in a bowl until well-mixed. Store in an airtight container.
Yield: 1/2 cup
 

YeOldeStonecat

New member
here's a question...

If I am doing it in the kitchen and I have had the rub on it and I sear it should I add more sauce before putting it in the oven? I am always worried about loosing rub when I sear.

I like to mop a bit more o'er the meat when going from pan to oven. Yeah as you flip it while searing..you do lose some.

That also adds to the "layering of flavors"....so adding some towards the middle of cooking will change the flavor, versus whatever was on there originally at start of cooking. Naturally caution is used when adding more sauce/rub from the same bowl it was marinading in...don't want to add it too late towards ends of cooking, else any bacteria from the raw meat juices won't get killed via the proper cooking process.
 

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
Walker Brown's is super duper stuff but I warn, it burns twice--if you know what I mean--and use less than the bottle suggests.

I love heat, always have but that stuff is probably the hottest thing outside of the chili oil that my friend use to make himself.
 

BamsBBQ

Ni pedo
Site Supporter
I like to mop a bit more o'er the meat when going from pan to oven. Yeah as you flip it while searing..you do lose some.

That also adds to the "layering of flavors"....so adding some towards the middle of cooking will change the flavor, versus whatever was on there originally at start of cooking. Naturally caution is used when adding more sauce/rub from the same bowl it was marinading in...don't want to add it too late towards ends of cooking, else any bacteria from the raw meat juices won't get killed via the proper cooking process.

i mop all the way through...

as for the leftover marinade there are two options that i use... one is i make extra marinade for mopping(the safest route) or i boil the heck out of the leftover marinade (lots of agruements with this one).

just remember though, the more you mop and more you add, the hotter it is going to get..lol

as for store bought jerk sauces, i have never used one. i always make them myself, nothing like a fresh habanero or scotch bonnet and the citrus highlights it brings to the dish
 

BamsBBQ

Ni pedo
Site Supporter
this is a recipe that i found on another forum that i frequent. i like this mixture and in his words....

This the best home made jerk I've had. It is very similar to Walkerswoods but not as salty.

Prep Time:
15min
Cooking Time:
None
Servings:
16oz
Heat Level (Spiciness):
Hot
Ingredients:
3 teaspoons ground Jamaican allspice
6 to 8 Scotch bonnet peppers (or substitute habaneros), seeds and stems removed,
finely chopped 2 onions,
finely chopped 2 cloves garlic,
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions
3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Instructions:
In a food processor or blender, process all the ingredients together to make a paste. Store the paste in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Yield: 2 cups I found this on the net some time ago. I use 12-15 habaneros when I make it.
 

YeOldeStonecat

New member
as for store bought jerk sauces, i have never used one. i always make them myself, nothing like a fresh habanero or scotch bonnet and the citrus highlights it brings to the dish

Yup...when I have the time I'll roll my own from scratch. And I'm sure to eat a few bonnets while making the dish too! Flushes out the pores on your scalp pretty darned good! :tiphat:
 
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