Making Jerk in Jamaica and Recipes

I just spent 16 days in Jamaica at the Ritz Carlton Rose Hall, Montego Bay. One of the best parts of Rose hall is the amazing Jerk Bar that they have at the hotel. Every Saturday they have a wonderful cooking class that you can go to with Chef Keisha to learn how to cook jerk when you get home. The jerk was amazing and everyday we had jerk chicken, rice and peas, festival, jerk fish, baked yam, baked sweet potato..... so good. Part of the cooking class was being given the Recipes for jerk and I thought that I would share them. I have yet to make them at home but am planning on it in the next little while. I think that it will be perfect in the summer at le cottage.

Wet Jerk Marinade:

1/4 cup whole Jamaican pimento berries or 1/8 cup ground allspice
10 scotch bonnets or hobs peppers (seeds & stems removed) chopped
1/2 cup of scallions, chopped
1/2 cup of onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 bay leaves, crushed
1/3 cup ginger, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup fresh thyme
salt to taste

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy sauce

Blend all ingredients in a blender. Marinate Chicken/Pork/Sausages for 24-72 hours. Shorter time span for tofu/shell fish/fish.

Dry Jerk Marinade:

• 1/2 cup Pimento Berries crushed or 1/4 cup ground allspice
• 4 tbsp crushed pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup garlic powder
• 1/2 cup ground ginger
• 1/3 cup fresh thyme
• 4 scotch bonnet peppers, chopped
• 4 bay leaves, crushed
• 1 tsp salt to taste
• 1 tbsp black pepper

Mix all the ingredients and keep in a cool dry place. Rub your home made jerk rub over tofu, fish, chicken, pork or seafood.




Mild Jerk Sauce

(this was served with every jerk dish we had and was delicious. I loved the hot one and will have a jar of this in my fridge always. It will be so good on everything!)

• 2 cups wet Jerk Marinade
• 1/4 cup Leam Perry Sauce (which tasted exactly like Worcester sauce)
• 4 oz Tabasco Sauce
• 3 cups Pineapple Juice
• 1 cup Ketchup
• 3 cups Sweet Chili Sauce
• 1 cup Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup Honey

Blend all ingredients in blender.

Hot Jerk Sauce (this was my favorite!)

• 4 cups wet Jerk Marinade
• 1/4 cup Leam Perry Sauce (which tasted exactly like Worcester sauce)
• 8 oz Tabasco Sauce
• 3 cups Pineapple Juice
• 1 cup Ketchup
• 2 cups Sweet Chili Sauce
• 1 cup Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup Honey

Blend all ingredients in blender.

Rice and Peas

Popular Jamaican dish made with red kidney beans, coconut milk, rice, scallion, pimento and thyme. These are so yummy!!!

• 1/2 cup red kidney beans/gungo peas (if not canned then they need to be prepared)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper, whole
• 1 stalk of scallion, chopped
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 oz of ginger

• 2 oz butter or margarine

• salt to taste

• 2 1/2 cups rice

• 3+ cups coconut milk

1. Cook beans in 4 cups of water 25-30 minutes. (If using canned beans, use the liquids in the can to give the Rice and Peas the flavour and pink colour. Top up the liquid to 4 cups with water)

2. Add coconut milk, scallion, pepper, garlic, salt and pepper, bring to a boil.

3. Add rice and adjust stove temperature to medium

4. Cover pot and allow to simmer

5. When liquid is 90% consumed into rice, turn stove temp to low and finish cooking

6. When cooked, fluff rice and enjoy with jerk chicken

Cooking time 40-45 minute