You Jerk, Me Jerk.

For those of you who know me or who have read this blog, you may have gathered that I like bold, flavorful food; layers of spice ans herbs. I am also a chili head, meaning I enjoy and have a high tolerance of all things capsicum. (hot peppers) Yes, I have eaten Ghost Peppers, (Bhut Jolokia) and others of a lesser variety; and while I enjoy the heat and a good sweat of a hit of capsicum, I do like a flavorful palate of ingredients. After Southern Indian and Sri Lankan Curries, may next favorite is Caribbean Jerk seasoning. A wonderfully aromatic blend of fresh herbs and spices with a slow burn on the back of the tongue. These rubs are basically Caribbean BBQ and are best when cooked over an open flame but a skillet will do just fine in a pinch.

Below is my recipe for my Jerk Rub, it is awesome on chicken, pork, burgers really just about anything that can be grilled. (Shrimp, fish...) As with most recipes try to use the freshest ingredients you can find but don't stress if you can't, just use what is available and enjoy and remember...

It's all about the food.

Jerk Rub

• 1/2 cup fresh thyme leaves
• 1 whole red onion
• 1/4 cup ginger root, finely diced
• 3 Scotch bonnet peppers, stemmed and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 freshly ground bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons salt
• juice of 1 lime

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients into a thick, chunky paste. If you are using a food processor be careful not to over process the ingredients, they will turn to mush.The mixture will keep in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for several months.

Most Jamaicans grind their spices by hand in a mortar and pestle. The whole spices tend to retain more aromatic oils in them and therefore more of a natural pungency. To save time, you can pulverize the spices in a spice grinder or coffee mill, and then add them to the other ingredients.