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Jerk Pork Butt

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THEBuckeye
THEBuckeye Posts: 4,231
in EggHead Forum
This was fun. Second time with pimento sticks. I had bigger holes in the soaked pimento chips foil packet - more smoke. 


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New Albany, Ohio 

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  • Acorn
    Acorn Posts: 163
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    Never seen this before. Final results look great, I love Jerk Pork. Nice work!
    Atlanta, GA  - LBGE -
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  • Dyal_SC
    Dyal_SC Posts: 6,056
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    Sweet! What benefit do the sticks give? Is it like a cedar plank sorta concept? Looks phenomenal!
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  • THEBuckeye
    THEBuckeye Posts: 4,231
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    @Dyal_SC,

    What I found searching the web is that, in Jamaican, if food is not cooked on pimento, it is not Jerk. There are a lot of jerk recipes out there that use the whole allspice berry (from the pimento tree) to infuse the flavor, but, it's not "true" jerk. 

    The traditional method, more or less, is to place pimento leaves on the grate to form a bed, then the sticks, then the food, then it's covered  with some sort of aluminum cover to cook. 

    So, based in the advice from Gary at www.pimentowod.com, I soak pimento chips and foil placed directly on the lump. The leaves are placed in water in the drip pan and the pork, in the case, on top of the pimento sticks. The pimento sticks are also water soaked pre-cook.  In the end, it;s the smoke from the chips, the steam from the leaves and the oils from the wood that all contribute to the true jerk flavor. 
    New Albany, Ohio 

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  • THEBuckeye
    THEBuckeye Posts: 4,231
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    The video is 15 minutes but go to the 6 minute mark and you'll see the authentic set-up.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUPBhQbyyEg

    New Albany, Ohio 

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  • paqman
    paqman Posts: 4,670
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    That's interesting! Thanks for posting.

    ____________________
    Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. •Niccolo Machiavelli
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  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
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    Looks great. How was the flavor compared to the jerk chicken you did? Since the pork butt is a larger cut, was the flavor less pronounced?

    I want to try something other than BBQ style butt, this is a great idea.
    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
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  • THEBuckeye
    THEBuckeye Posts: 4,231
    edited February 2015
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    @DMW

     I cooked the chicken for 2 1/2 hours. I literally used a push pin to poke three holes in the foil packet. Gary says to poke a "small" holes, WTF does that mean? The butt was on for more than 8 hours and I cut tore three  larger holes in the foiled pimento chips with a fork tyne. As a result, I had much more smoke for the butt but it did not overwhelm given the length  of the cook and the size of the butt - 5.15 pounds 

    Next time, I'll give the chicken a bit more smoke ( i.e more that a push pin prick) but not as much smoke as the butt. 

    Excluding the difference with chicken and pork , I'd say the flavor was more or less the same as the sauce/marinade was the same. If I had to "impress" company I'd probably go with the chicken but the butt is definitely in the rotation. 

    Tonight, I'm going low and slow with Jerk wings that have marinated for 48 hours. Probably won't mess with the sticks but will add some smoke. 


    New Albany, Ohio 

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  • TonyA
    TonyA Posts: 583
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    Too funny. We just got back from turks and Caicos. Jerk ranged from awesome one day to horrid the next. I had looked up the traditional cooking and you've done an awesome job adapting it to the egg.
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  • THEBuckeye
    THEBuckeye Posts: 4,231
    edited February 2015
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    Thanks but I credit Gary from www.pimentowood.com for the pimento products and suggestions for the Egg. Check it out. 

    (Not a paid endorsement! Wish it was! )
    New Albany, Ohio 

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  • dstearn
    dstearn Posts: 1,702
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    Looks great. I need to order the sticks. You might want to try jerk pork chops as well in the rotation.
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  • CPARKTX
    CPARKTX Posts: 2,095
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    Thanks for sharing. I love the jerk chicken I get in Jamaica but have never been able to successfully replicate. Did you feel the pimento wood and leaves made a big difference?
    LBGE & SBGE.  Central Texas.  
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  • THEBuckeye
    THEBuckeye Posts: 4,231
    edited February 2015
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    I think it did,  therefore it did. 

    Actually, compared to a hickory or apple or cherry, pimento adds a unique flavor. And, it ain't jerk unless it's on pimento. So ya, I think it makes a difference. It's rather pungent. 

    It's a fun 2 or 3 (actually 4 with clean-up) day Eggserience. A day to make the sauce (45 minutes), a day to marinate and cook day which takes some planning with the timing and everything,  You could do the sauce same day if you want to.

    Half the fun is the anticipation.


    New Albany, Ohio 

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