Recipes > Sauces
Jerk Sauce
From all of the Caribbean islands and from all of the hundreds of jerk varieties, this recipe has to be my favourite.

Ingredients
1Tblsp allspice
2 Tsp cinnamon
1 Tsp nutmeg
1/4 Tsp ground cloves
3 red chillis
1 bunch thyme
1 Tblsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic
1 onion
3 Tblsp tomato puree
110g / 4oz tomatoes
200ml / 7fl oz chicken stock
3 Tblsp brown sugar
2 limes, zest and juice of
Salt and pepper


Mise-en-Place:
Weigh the ingredients
Mix all the spices together
Zest and juice the lime
Prepare the stock, roughly chop the garlic, onion and tomatoes

Method:
In a saucepan over a medium to high heat:
Heat the oil
Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned
Add the onion before the garlic colours too much and 'brown off'
Add the spices, cook for 1 minute to release flavours
Add the tomato puree and chopped tomato, cook for 2-3 minutes
Add the remaining ingredients, bring the sauce to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes
Blend
Adjust seasoning
Serve

Adjust:
Too bland: add more lime, thyme, stock, salt and pepper
Too sharp: add more sugar
Too spicy: chilli heat is hard to remove without the addition of fat, in this case I would suggest adding some more sugar to smooth the bite and possibly serve your main dish with yoghurt on the side so that those who can't handle the heat can cool the dish to their requirements

Chef Insight:
The flavouring of jerk chicken and other meats owes alot to its origins in the Caribbean where meats and fish were barbequed over fires made from the branches of the pimenta tree (which is the source of allspice berries.) The smoke from the pimenta fires flavoured the meats and fish with a distinctive flavour that quickly became a favourite flavour of the caribbean. This flavour can readily be found in most jerk sauces due to the addition of allspice