Jerk

My other brother and sister-in-law, also knowing that I like cooking, gave me a copy of Jerk from Jamaica for my birthday. I imagine that here is a hidden message in the prevalence of Jerk in the book, but I'll let it slide since the food looks so good. I read the whole book in one day and immediately wanted to start cooking. As jerk is a whole new world to me I had to get some new spices (and we still haven't stocked up since the move) and therefore chose a recipe which required the least hunting/gathering (busy week at work and I feel lazy).

I went with pork loin stuffed with plantains. The preparation is very simple - butterfly the loin, make a dry rub with the spices (I used my mortar and pestle, but all the spices can be bought pre-ground too), season the meat overnight, then stuff and cook.

This recipe gave me my first chance to tie a boneless roast, which didn't turn out half bad (thanks Ad Hoc at Home for the picture tutorial). My primary concern in cooking the loin was the temperature. I usually do 250 degrees for a couple hours, but this recipe called for 350 for just over an hour. I was concerned the pork would be dry, but it turned out great (maybe because of the plantains?).



For my taste, the meat was a bit over-seasoned (maybe I'll cut back on the ginger?) but everyone else liked it and it was definitely and exotic blend of flavors that I enjoyed and never would have mixed on my own. We rounded out the meal with some sweet potato fries (that use the same dry seasoning as the roast) and a salad. For the next adventure in Jerk, I'm firing up the grill.


- jmb