JERK

NEW AUDIO 9-28-23 CH.mp3

DATE: September 29, 2023

DURATION: 5m 6s

2 SPEAKERS

Speaker 1: Chantelle Haughton (“CH”)

Speaker 2: Marcia Hutchinson (“MH”)

[0:00]
Music	Feeling the music” by FAMILIA REGGAE is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
CH	Jerk is one of Jamaica’s enduring culinary legacies. The rich flavor and spiciness of jerk has endured many generations and still stands as a beloved and popular Jamaican dish today. Marcia Hutchinson, holder of several culinary certifications and one who has worked at popular Jamaican restaurants and jerk huts, will walk us through a quick, simple way to make jerk seasoning at home. All right. So tell us about the ingredients that you put in your jerk seasoning.
MH	So, on a regular day, I’ll normally use like a large onion, some pimento seed or allspice, as some people call it, Scotch bonnet, pepper, browning, garlic vinegar, a bit of oil, and salt.
CH	Okay
MH	In general.
CH	All right. All right. Sounds good. So, um, yeah, let’s put this ingredient together.
MH	So, we’re going to use some thyme, so everything has to be blend together.
CH	Does it matter how in, like, what sequence you put it in?
MH	No. If you want to put in the time first, you put in the thyme first you want to put the onion first. Whichever ingredient you prefer to put in, you just put it in.
CH	Okay.
MH	And call it a day.
CH	All right.
MH	So, make sure everything that you have is washed, you know, and depends on the size of your blender. You might have to cut up the time a bit.
CH	Okay, So chop thyme.
MH	Yeah. Chop up your thymes and your onion. Of course, wash. And then you’re going to chop them up. You don’t have to do them super fine because it’s going to go in the blender.
CH	Okay
MH	So, you just want to chop them up a bit so that they can hold on that they’re easily homogenized, so they come together mixed. Well, you don’t want to have a big chunk of onion and then some small garlic or something like that.
CH	Sounds good.
MH	So, we’re putting everybody together.
CH	So, as you put it in, can you just tell us what you’ve put it in? So you put in about three sprigs of garlic, you put in a large onion. What else are you putting?
MH	And then put in some green onion or scallion? I call it scallion, but I believe you guys call it green onion. I put about four of those in.
CH	Okay.
MH	And then I put some pimento and pimento is very important. The allspice, it gives it that rich flavor that you want. So, you put in about, um, about eight pimento seeds.
CH	Okay. Oh, is that how much in teaspoon that would that be?
MH	About one teaspoon.
CH	Okay.
MH	About one teaspoon I would say because for me, although I have this recipe going, it is based on the heart because you cook from the heart as a Caribbean person, you cook based on taste. But in general, the ingredients that I gave you is what we normally you can use as a foundation I would say
CH	You put in like vinegar in it. Does it matter what kind of vinegar you put in it?
MH	Um, no, not really. I haven’t seen a difference in the flavor of the spice of the seeds, jerk seasoning if you put a what’s that vinegar again? Apple cider vinegar or the white vinegar. But I personally like the apple cider vinegar because to me, I don’t know if. Because it’s from my heart. It tastes different for me
CH	it brings out a more flavor. Okay.
MH	So, after you get all your seasoning in, okay, you just put everything on the blender. Today, I’m using a bullet because it’s easier and I’m using a small amount. And if it’s not, you can smell it.
CH	Oh, that smells really good. All the flavors..
MH	Smell all there
CH	A little bit more oil for liquid if It’s too thick
MH	Yeah, it was a bit too thick. Just a little bit.
CH	Oh, look at that.
MH	Perfect. Such a smooth mix. Smell all of that.
CH	Oh, it smells amazing. You’re smelling the pepper, the onion, the green onions.
MH	And I put a bit of extra pepper in there, so you kind of make your eye water a bit, so.
CH	Oh yeah I  can feel that
MH	Depends on how you like you’re seasoning.
CH	Okay.
MH	Bit mild. Moderate or. Well, hot.
CH	Marcia even gave us some quick tips and tricks on how to alter our jerk sauce to meet our desired tastes.
MH	And you have those people that don’t like it super spicy. So in order to reduce the spice, you may put in less of the scotch bonnet pepper. Or you might just add a bit of lemon, you know, squeeze the lemon about a teaspoon of lemon or so, or you can add sugar to it, to it to reduce the spiciness.
[5:00]
Music:	Feeling the music” by FAMILIA REGGAE is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
CH	Okay. Thank you for listening. The ingredients of this jerk recipe is posted below. Feel free to check it out.

Evolution of Jerk from Jamaican Ancestors to What We Know it as Today

Where did it Originate?

Jerk is a fusion of Jamaica’s indigenous peoples the Tanios\ Arawak Indians who were enslaved under Spanish colonization and the Africans who were enslaved under British colonization. Most of the Tanios fled to the mountains when the British took over, and many enslaved Africans took to the mountains for freedom from British dictatorship. These mountaineers are referred to as the Maroons.   

In the name of survival, the Maroons had to be discreet even in their cooking method to keep their location unknown from the British. Maroons would hunt animals usually pigs, then season the meat with a blend of peppers, thyme, scallion, onion, garlic, ginger, and pimento seeds – referred to as jerk seasoning.

The meat is then placed over an underground smoke pit lined with pimento wood and slow-cooked to perfection. The seasoning allows the meat to have a flavourful and spicy taste. While the smoke acts as a preservative but also plays an integral role in combining the flavor of the seasoning, with the smoked pimento wood, to bring about a complex yet delicious meal

Evolution of Jerk – Cooking Style

Over the years the style of a cooking jerk has evolved, as the underground fire pit with the pimento wood is replaced with steel drum jerk pans. Also, the meat is not smoked for as long as we have other methods of food preservation.

Furthermore, in hope of better opportunities, many Jamaicans migrate to foreign lands such as the USA and Canada where smoke pits nor steel pans are not readily available.  Their yearning for a taste of home propels them to become creative with their cooking style. Giving birth to the method of jerking on propane grills.

The shift in the cooking method of jerk triggers consequential importance for jerk seasoning, as propane grill fails to provide that authentic smokiness. Therefore, the seasoning is needed to bring about that ‘jerk’ taste that may not be as authentic but is as close to home as you can get.

Evolution of Jerk – Seasoning

Additionally, over the years Jerk Seasoning has also become commercialized and expanded to have both dry and wet jerk seasoning, along with a variation of spice levels. Popular jerk brands include Walkerswood, Grace, and Cool Runnings.

The key ingredients of jerk seasoning have remained relatively constant over time, one ingredient that might change is the use of pepper. Traditionally bird pepper was used, then scotch bonnet pepper became the pepper of choice. For people living overseas habanero pepper, chili pepper. cayenne pepper or chili powder may be the best alternatives. Likewise, some people may opt to add sugar or lime/lemon juice to reduce the spicy level. Other ingredients that have been added over time include nutmeg for flavor, browning for that dark color, vinegar for flavor, liquid or preservative.

Jerk as we know it today!

Necessity and curiosity are two traits that will lead to evolution. This is the same with the evolution of jerk over the years. The necessity of Jamaican living abroad to find jerk ingredients, along with curiosity to try new cooking methods has led to jerk having three distinct associations a cooking style, a seasoning, or a combination of both.  Because of these modern associations, we now see many dishes being classified as jerk not because it was cooked in the ways established by the Marrons, but rather because it was cooked using a jerk pan\grill, or used a significant amount of jerk seasoning, or a combination of both.

e.g. jerk lobster, jerk shrimp, jerk pasta, jerk burrito, jerk tofu, and jerk cauliflower etc.

Despite the deviation of jerk from the days of the Maroon, it has remained a flavourful, tasty, and popular menu item that consistently tantalizes the palette of Jamaicans at home and abroad and acts as a magnet for many tourists to Jamaican culture.  So, whether as a cooking style, a seasoning, but especially as a combination of both, jerk is a must-try, at least once in your life. Why not add it to your dinner wish list today?

Links/References

1. Gray, V. S. (2020). A brief history of Jamaican jerk.Smithsonian.com. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/brief-history-jamaican-jerk-180976597/
2. O’Gilvie, D. (2019). The right way to jerk in Jamaica. Curiosity Magazine. https://www.curiositymag.com/2018/11/15/jerk-in-jamaica/
3. Olivemagazine. (2023). Best jerk recipes. olivemagazine. https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/collection/best-jerk-recipes/
4. Pottinger, L., & Pottinger, E. (2010). The real jerk: New Caribbean cuisine. ReadHowYouWant.com Ltd.