Let’s Cook: Jerk Pork

The beginning of August officially signals the dog days of summer here in Oregon. While there are fewer prettier places this time of year, I do find myself drifting away with thoughts of vacation and faraway places. One of my favorites is the Caribbean. Since I can’t go right now, I’ll do the next best thing and cook up some flavors to transport me there. So fire up the grill, grab some allspice and hot peppers, and join me in the kitchen as we cook my take on Jamaican Jerk Pork.

Mentioned in this Episode

First thing first: what is Jerk? Smithsonian Magazine has a great write up that is as good a place to start as any. It covers the history and significance of Jerk as both a food and a cultural idea.

If you want to make as authentic Jerk as you can, you probably want to smoke with real pimento wood (which is wood from the tree that produces allspice berries). You can’t get more real than importing the stuff right from Jamaica. Barring that, you’d do fine to use another light fruit wood for smoking, like apple, cherry, or even pecan.

One of my main inspirations for my summer of jerk has been the McAnuff brothers’ great Caribbean cookbook Original Flava.

Want to make jerk but don’t feel like whipping up the marinade? The Walkerswood people have you covered.

Jerk Pork

• Author: Roger
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

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Description

You can use this spicy and vibrant jerk sauce as a marinade or finishing sauce for anything: pork, chicken, beef, fish, or vegetables.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For Jerk Sauce/Marinade

• 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or nutmeg
• 1 Tablespoon fresh time (or 9 to 10 sprigs of thyme)
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers (remove seeds and membranes to tone down the heat)

For Pork:

• 2 to 3 pounds of country style pork ribs
• salt and black pepper

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Instructions

1. Place all the jerk sauce ingredients into a large food processor or blender and process until smooth.
2. Season the pork ribs with salt and pepper, then pour over jerk marinade to cover ribs. Place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. Occasionally turn the ribs to ensure even coating of the marinade.
3. Preheat grill to 250F degrees and add smoking wood to coals. Place ribs over direct heat and grill, turning occasionally, until internal temperature reaches 165F degrees. At this point, wrap the ribs tightly in foil and place back onto grill until internal temperature reached 190F degrees. Total cook time should be between 2 and 2.5 hours.
4. Remove ribs from grill and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Optional: serve with reserved jerk sauce.

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Notes

If you would like to serve the jerk sauce with the finished ribs, make additional sauce and set aside in the refrigerator so you don’t cross contaminate it with the raw meat. Alternatively, you can take your used marinade and boil in a small sauce pan for at least 5 minutes to make it safe to consume.

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