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brian6464

Jerk Sauce

brian6464
9 years ago

Made my first batch of Jerk with Chocolate and Orange Scotch Bonnets last night.

The recipe I followed was from a popular sauce book off Amazon.

It called for 1 Cup of Distilled white vinegar, 6 peppers, 1 bunch of scallions and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Everything else was spices (8 cloves garlic, allspice, coriander, nutmeg and thyme).

I doubled the batch and I found it to have an extreme vinegar taste and attempted to neutralize it with additional sugar. It turned out so-so but has some good heat.

It made about 18 fluid ounces.

I'd like to make a larger batch tonight.

Anyone have a recipe that is lighter on Vinegar?

I'd post this in some other forum, but we all know the hot pepper folks are the most responsive.

Comments (7)

  • northeast_chileman
    9 years ago

  • Mecdave Zone 8/HZ 9
    9 years ago

    That looks and sounds like a very good sauce. I'm thinking a White Wine Vinegar or White Balsamic Vinegar might help tame the tang somewhat.

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    9 years ago

    I'd try a RICE vinegar. Very mild.

    Kevin

  • judo_and_peppers
    9 years ago

    what I do is use a fruit juice instead, like a combination of pineapple and lime, for example. also when I make a jerk marinade (I did this yesterday actually) I usually fair amount of vegetable oil. and a lil bit of teriyaki sauce.

    I like to put it on meat that I've either smashed with the poky side of the mallet, or poked the heck out of with a fork, to get the flavors in there really good, then cut up into little pieces to put on skewers (I'm Armenian, we do all our grilling with skewers). then I either let it sit on the counter for at least 4 hours, or in the fridge overnight.

    that smell when it's cooked over hardwood, oh my goodness. it's incredible.

  • brian6464
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks all for the comments. I'll keep trying in small batches until I get something I really like. I did use distilled white vinegar again tonight, but cut it down by about 25%, increased onions 25%, added 2 tsp of Light Soy and then an approximate 1" by 1/2" piece of ginger root. Everything else was about the same. It definitely was less tangy. Also less heat since the wife made me tame it down a bit (boo!).

    I have both rice and balsamic vinegar, so I'll give them a shot at some point.

    Judo - I also really like the idea of fruit juices. I am purely going for flavor and the right mix of heat. Shelf life considerations are not really a factor.

  • judo_and_peppers
    9 years ago

    plus, pineapple juice tends to have a tenderizing effect on meat. also, any good jerk recipe should call for lots and lots of thyme. when in doubt, add more thyme. a dash of cumin helps too in my opinion. a tiny bit of cinnamon too. clove too, but not too much.

    I may not be Jamaican, but I get a lot of compliments on my jerk chicken, even from Jamaicans. I personally prefer using a moruga (just one) instead of bonnets, but that's just me.

    all this talk of jerk makes me wanna go attack the leftovers in the fridge.

  • annie1957
    9 years ago

    Even if shelf life not consideration, little lime juice and zest help jerk, I think. OJ or pineapple j. More scallions: 1 cup vinegar is a LOT with 18 oz. product. When concerned about pH, cane vinegar is sweeter, mixed w/ lime juice. But for that amount, way less vinegar.

    Peace,
    Annie

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