SC - Jamaican Jerk (was jerked meat)

[Stefan li Rous]

Sister Mary Endoline said:

>True Caribbean Jerk starts with a custom blend of seasoning heavy on the
>garlic, fresh green thyme and hot peppers (usually scotch bonnet, though the
>habanero makes an acceptable substitute) - it makes a great spice for a hot
>marinade.  If anyone wants to try a couple of seasoning blends, I'll dig into
>my Caribbean upbringing and come up with jot down authentic blends.

I would like to get any recipes for authentic blends.

Caribbean jerk meat can be on the fiery side. My wife and I tried a local
Caribbean resturant. She doesn't like spicy food so she ordered a hamburger.
The french fries were spiced. To make matters worse, I had ordered three
items a la carte to sample things. One was mild, the second only mildly
spicy. The third was jerk chicken. I couldn't get her to try the first
two items. That's not unusual. Then she reached over and cut off some of
the chicken. I've never seen her go though so many glasses of water so fast.
She thought jerk chicken would be like beef jerky which she loves.

I was quite surprised when she suggested going back to that resturant a
few months later.

>BTW - the hot and heavily spiced flavorings were used to cover and kill the
>taste of rancid or spoiled meats in the days, pre-refrigeration.

No, I have to disagree with this statement. I think there is too much evidence
against this statement for it to be true. For a good article on this, see
this article in the FOOD section (yes, yes, Stefan's at it again) of my
Florilegium:

spice-use-art     (18K)  6/ 9/97    "The Question of Heavy Spice Use and
Rotten 
                                       Food" by Lord Xaviar the Eccentric.

Stefan li Rous
stefan at texas.net
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