To help us get inspired to try new cuisines from around the
world, Roger Mooking, host of Everyday Exotic, shares his delicious
adventures and notes from across the globe. We'll be rolling them
out every Wednesday, so be sure to check back to find out where
Roger's food adventures takes him to next.
How does one come to Jamaica and not try
jerk? It took me three days to finally taste
this local delicacy that's enjoyed all over the world and it was
well worth the wait. I've had jerk chicken, pork and fish many
times in Toronto where there's a large West Indian population, but
I've never had jerk like the one at Scotchie's in Kingston,
Jamaica.
For one, as you can see in the picture above, the jerk
pit is called so for a reason. It's essentially a wood
fired grill that is made from a huge cement form that is basically
like a very spacious cement bathtub. The fire is a good twenty-four
inches away from the grate of the grill so the cooking is long and
slow.
The chicken is started on the grill before it's moved onto the
planks of pimento wood, where it continues to cook through and stay
warm for when an order is placed. While it's cooking, the chef also
drops a sheet of zinc metal on top to trap the smoke which also
adds to the flavour. In Trinidad, we call this galvanized steel and
it's used on the roof of houses. The combination of the wood fire,
the pimento wood, the zinc and the spiced meat creates a unique
jerk flavour unlike any jerk I've ever tasted in my life.
Now I really understand why it's called a jerk pit and why
people clamour for Scotiche's jerk all over the island.
Be sure to check out more from Roger Mooking here.
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Posted:
Wed, Jul 20 2011 by
Guest Blogger