Walkerswood Jerk Marinade. This *stuff* is for real...

WW jerk paste is really good.
They also make a sauce that goes hand and hand with the paste.I've found both products at restaurant depot.unfortunately I have not been able to get the sauce since last spring.I'll have to get the rd by me to reorder
Great looking chicken btw.

Sillius Sodus said:

...I've read so much both here and on the Oakridge site about their rub and their almost painstaking "research" into "cracking the code [of] ... the essence and spirit of true Jamaican Jerk," that I just had to purchase some for my own indulgence.

My bias may be coming through, but I am leery with the ingredient list on the package; the very first ingredient (ie, the predominate ingredient) in Jah Love is...yeah, raw cane sugar. Sugar? In fact, the scotch bonnet pepper is actually the fourth ingredient in the rub AND it also lists "other chilies." Other peppers besides the scotch bonnet? (The website lists just scotch bonnet chilies, so I'd like to know which one it really is) Most interesting to me, however, is the inclusion of "ground...mushrooms." (In another glaring difference, my bag lists sh itake mushrooms, but the website lists porcini mushrooms. Which one is it?) In a jerk seasoning? The flavor code has been "cracked?!" I've looked at a lot of jerk seasoning ingredients and have never found mushrooms on the ingredient list...

The above of course, would all be a mute point, except for the fact that the website, in the long description of finding the true essence and spirit of Jamaican Jerk ( https://www.oakridgebbq.com/jamaican-jerk-chicken/), makes the point that the taster, after mixing the rub with peanut or olive oil (???) and cooking on a charcoal grill with lump charcoal, will be having "true, authentic Jamaican Jerk."

So, I'm up for the game and as I will not be the only taster, the opportunity to shine will be up for all three seasonings. I cannot be exactly sure when I'm going to be doing the cook, but it will be soon. I can't wait...:grin:

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You have a lot of negative things to say about a rub you haven't even used yet. It would be much more useful to everyone here for you to actually use it first, and THEN come on here and trash talk if you're not satisfied with the authenticity of the results. Until then, it just comes off as mean spirited noise.

kcmike said:

You have a lot of negative things to say about a rub you haven't even used yet. It would be much more useful to everyone here for you to actually use it first, and THEN come on here and trash talk if you're not satisfied with the authenticity of the results. Until then, it just comes off as mean spirited noise.

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Ok Mike, Iv'e tried it. I would say some negative things about it if I could think of some. My wife and I used for the first time last week. It sure won't be the last.

Looks good

That's a great brand, but i've not used the marinade. I use the paste. Come to think of it, the paste may work as a marinade too. Anyway, that's the brand I had the very first time I had jerk chicken. I've never found any better.

Sometimes I use it, sometimes I make my own, it depends where I am and if I can easily get allspice and especially Scotch Bonnet peppers because, as mentioned, Habaneros taste a bit different and don't get you 100% there.

My own is never better, just different, and I've experimented a lot.

I do pork and chicken, always at least 2 days and 3-4 marinating if I can. I make sure to put some paste under the skin of spatchcocked chickens, it makes a difference.

I don't use pimento wood as it's just too expensive to order, instead I put the chicken on a bed of green bay leaves, with a foil packets of soaked allspice berries on top of the embers I cook the meat over, high up over direct heat. I put a sheet pan on top of the meat, it's the only way to get that correct texture and amount of mild smoke.

Most people get jerk wrong, it's good but very inauthentic. Very little salt and bright fresh balanced favours are important, with lots of green onions and lemon juice and peel are needed to balance the heat. It should be hot, I've never had jerk that wasn't, but of course it should't be too hot, that's what a good pepper sauce is for.

Rice and peas with coconut milk, basmati and pigeon peas balance it out perfectly, it's one of my all-time favorite dishes since I fist use to have it at yard parties and reggae concerts in the '70s. I usually serve a mango salad and recently started making Festival to serve on the side, the sweetness is so good with Jerk as Jerk has none.

Stay away from Grace Jerk paste, it's mean and nasty and pure heat with little in the way of aromatics. even adding stuff doesn't make it better.

kcmike said:

You have a lot of negative things to say about a rub you haven't even used yet. It would be much more useful to everyone here for you to actually use it first, and THEN come on here and trash talk if you're not satisfied with the authenticity of the results. Until then, it just comes off as mean spirited noise.

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I use sugar in my jerk rub as well. I guess that's something else I can disagree with that guy on.

I need to get me some that that Jah Love...I like mine alot, but I don't mind using other's stuff too.

Cook said:

I use sugar in my jerk rub as well. I guess that's something else I can disagree with that guy on.
.

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That guy? :clap:

Sugar in a rub is one thing. As a first ingredient in an “authentic” Jamaican jerk rub? No. But then again, you also postulated that jerk didn’t come from Jamaica, so, par for the course...

And btw, I’ve my answer to KCM. I’ll take photos at the cook before I reply though.

Sillius Sodus said:

That guy? :clap:

Sugar in a rub is one thing. As a first ingredient in an “authentic” Jamaican jerk rub? No. But then again, you also postulated that jerk didn’t come from Jamaica, so, par for the course...

And btw, I’ve my answer to KCM. I’ll take photos at the cook before I reply though.

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Only stated that there are those that feel jerk originated with various Caribbean & Central American natives. Nothing more. It obviously was refined in Jamaica & certainly was made popular there.

What I have gathered from this thread is that Sillius has some strong opinions that he backs up with fancy words like "postulated" which leads me to believe that he could be on to something. However, if you choose to go down the fancy word road you can't make mistakes like saying "mute point". The only thing that really matters is that I have tried Jah Love and I thought it was very tasty. Haven't tried WW, but I will most certainly give it a shot before I talk about how it is no good.

When you use mute to try to communicate that something is moot, the best thing might be to remain mute, otherwise many will consider your point moot. And to stay on topic, I'm ordering some Jah Love today to give it a try.

My My My ..... all this bickering .... just caused me to go down and grab a bottle of WW and am looking for Jah Love to give both a try. Who gives a rats about all that other stuff? Thanks for heads up on both sauces/marinades ....

Yeah, it's a meat point if we are talking about two different things, and mixing them up.

That's why I mentioned good vs. authentic . Can you imagine how differently this thread might have gone if we were talking about Texas brisket, and some people started talking about adding sugar and sweet sauce to it?

The one thing I've learned from a near lifetime of trying to learn to cook food from around the world is that you'll never make things properly (meaning authentically here) is to first fund out how things are supposed to taste, and what the basic taste expectations and preferences are in different regions and cultures. It us usually a revelation when you first have 'the real thing', whatever it may be. It might seem unusual or outrageously different than what you are used to, but it usually makes perfect sense and is usually so much bette than the hybrids and watered down versions that end up pan your plate outside of the region the food came from or is commonly eaten.

I remember when Thai food hit in the west, people would try and cook it and b^never get it right, nowhere near. They just couldn't get their head around the basic sweet/hot/sour balance that most dishes rely on, and they never used enough sugar and fish sauce when called for, and of course, the ingredients were not readily available and if so, not fresh or anywhere near as good when harvested locally,

So when I see these Jerk recipes and videos of all kinds that stray far away from the real thing, I can usually guess if something will taste great or not, but I know it's Jerk only in the most roundabout way.

It's not that I'm a purist, it's just that I think you have to do something the right way before messing around with it if you really want to make something as good. It's also a matter of respect for the cuisine and the culture and place that it comes from.