Jamaican Feast 2022

[jcam222]

it seems that every year I get a strong craving for Jamaican flavors in August. Must be because of multiple vacations to Montego Bay on August over the years. After thinking through what I might do while traveling this week I settled on the plans. Having a bunch of nice bellies in the freezer I got on clearance I decided to do jerk pork belly bites. Why stop there right?? I’ve wanted to try making a keto version of Jamaican ox tail stew for awhile so time to check it off the list too. Prep work started yesterday. First up two nice bellies cut into nice bite sized cubes.

About 10 lbs overall I think. Made up marinade using roughly 2:1 mix of Grace Hot jerk and olive oil. I used the entire 10 oz bottle for this batch. I is e Walkerwoods sometimes but lately I feel I get more allspice punch out of the Grace This stuff is a staple in Jamaican homes Into the frig overnight for this

Next up the ox tails. Nothing fancy here. Just a healthy dose of Grace dry jerk seasoning blend.

This morning the pork and the ox tail went in the Lang.Used mostly apple wood today with some pear mixed in.Once the meat was going I worked on the stew mix. Sautéed 1 medium chopped onion and 2 green onions with 1T minced garlic. Also added 2t fresh finely chopped thyme.

Whule those were cooking I made up 4 cups of strongMinor’s beef broth (about 1.5 strength), 2 cans Eden black soy beans,(subbed in for the traditional butter beans) 1T Worcestershire, 2T Kitchen Bouquet, 2T tomato paste, 2t Jamaican curry powder, 1/2t ground allspice.

After the ox tails smoked for about 2 hours I put them in a pan with the stew mix to braise. I run Open about a half hour then covered then tightly.

Last thing to get done is a nice warm sweet and spicy cabbage slaw. Goes fantastic with the rich pork belly.I’ve detailed it before on a Jamaican meal post.https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/jamaican-feast-jerk-chops-and-more.300527/ Here is a shot of todays slaw. This is served warm

Here is a shot of the finished jerk belly bite kabobs served on a platter of the warm sweet and spicy slaw. The kabobs were done when the pork bites were almost done and then finished on a high heat to crisp them.

Here is the oxtail stew. Flavor is amazing and the ox tail is fall apart tender and just decadently rich and beefy.

That’s a wrap. These Are both keepers for me. I would proudly serve both these dishes to guests or as part of a restaurant menu. Thanks for looking!

 

[chilerelleno]

You've my most rapt attention!
WOW! This is a Grand Slam!

I want to eat one or two of those Habeneros
(or Scotch Bonnets?) with that and enjoy the endorphin rush with the food.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Dang Jeff, that all looks like it will be fantastical. Watching for that plate shot, I can only imagine.

 

[jcam222]

You've my most rapt attention!
Please proceed with this culinary endeavor.

Dang Jeff, that all looks like it will be fantastical. Watching for that plate shot, I can only imagine.

Plated pics added. Man the site was giving me all kinds of trouble on pic uploads today. I’d get a few loaded then the next couple would just go part way and error out. I had this issue on a post a week or so ago too.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Good grief Jeff, that looks as amazing as I imagined! Wow I can see the richness and flavor, almost smell it through the screen! Absolutely wonderful work Sir. You are a master.

 

[TNJAKE]

Holy hell Jeff. One of the best looking meals I've ever seen. I share your love for jerk flavors. Gotta get something going soon. Amazing work bud

 

[tbern]

Fantastic looking food!! Congrats and thanks for sharing!!

 

[lilhef]

Dude...that is unbelievable! Nice work!

 

[sawhorseray]

Another meat smokin' culinary masterpiece Jeff, its a work of art! Whatever it is Jeff, you got it, and you got it going on in a big way, incredible! RAY

 

[BB-que]

it seems that every year I get a strong craving for Jamaican flavors in August. Must be because of multiple vacations to Montego Bay on August over the years. After thinking through what I might do while traveling this week I settled on the plans. Having a bunch of nice bellies in the freezer I got on clearance I decided to do jerk pork belly bites. Why stop there right?? I’ve wanted to try making a keto version of Jamaican ox tail stew for awhile so time to check it off the list too. Prep work started yesterday. First up two nice bellies cut into nice bite sized cubes. View attachment 642218View attachment 642219About 10 lbs overall I think. Made up marinade using roughly 2:1 mix of Grace Hot jerk and olive oil. I used the entire 10 oz bottle for this batch. I is e Walkerwoods sometimes but lately I feel I get more allspice punch out of the Grace This stuff is a staple in Jamaican homes Into the frig overnight for this View attachment 642220View attachment 642221Next up the ox tails. Nothing fancy here. Just a healthy dose of Grace dry jerk seasoning blend. View attachment 642222View attachment 642223This morning the pork and the ox tail went in the Lang.Used mostly apple wood today with some pear mixed in.Once the meat was going I worked on the stew mix. Sautéed 1 medium chopped onion and 2 green onions with 1T minced garlic. Also added 2t fresh finely chopped thyme. View attachment 642225Whule those were cooking I made up 4 cups of strongMinor’s beef broth (about 1.5 strength), 2 cans Eden black soy beans,(subbed in for the traditional butter beans) 1T Worcestershire, 2T Kitchen Bouquet, 2T tomato paste, 2t Jamaican curry powder, 1/2t ground allspice.View attachment 642226After the ox tails smoked for about 2 hours I put them in a pan with the stew mix to braise. I run Open about a half hour then covered then tightly. View attachment 642227Last thing to get done is a nice warm sweet and spicy cabbage slaw. Goes fantastic with the rich pork belly.I’ve detailed it before on a Jamaican meal post.https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/jamaican-feast-jerk-chops-and-more.300527/ Here is a shot of todays slaw. This is served warm View attachment 642228Here is a shot of the finished jerk belly bite kabobs served on a platter of the warm sweet and spicy slaw. The kabobs were done when the pork bites were almost done and then finished on a high heat to crisp them.View attachment 642229Here is the oxtail stew. Flavor is amazing and the ox tail is fall apart tender and just decadently rich and beefy.View attachment 642230View attachment 642231That’s a wrap. These Are both keepers for me. I would proudly serve both these dishes to guests or as part of a restaurant menu. Thanks for looking!

That’s serious eats - amazing job per usual.

 

[Kevin DeShazo]

Looks great, love both Graces and Walkers Wood. I think Graces has a touch more heat than WW, and Im ok with that answer

 

[xray]

Good lord Jeff!! Now that’s an epic meal! I would love to taste some of that. I was using all kinds of jerk seasonings last year. Once I used the hot stuff, the wife quickly put an end to that.

Nice!!

 

[fltsfshr]

We have allspice trees here. I have a tree trimmer friend who brings it to me whenever he runs across one. You can use the leaves green directly under the meat and all the branches for smoke. I love good jerk. Spent a few Winters in Negril. Our favorite was Grays https://grayspepper.com/ You're making me hungry.

 

[clifish]

Jerk pork belly Jeff are you kidding me! Bookmarked this for a future cook. Way creative and out of the box planning.

 

[chopsaw]

Fantastic bud .

 

[checkdude]

Wow! Just wow. I was in Jamaica few years ago and sadly did not have any of the local foods just the stuff they serve at the resort.. Now I'm kicking myself every time I come across a post like this.thanks for sharing.

 

[clifish]

Wow! Just wow. I was in Jamaica few years ago and sadly did not have any of the local foods just the stuff they serve at the resort.. Now I'm kicking myself every time I come across a post like this.thanks for sharing.

Yeah, well from what I always read you never wanted to leave the resorts in Jamaica? Only what I heard over the years.

 

[indaswamp]

HOLEEEEE KEEEEERAP!!!
That looks fantabulous!!!! Excellent execution and plating as usual!!! Marvelous...simply marvelous!

 

[indaswamp]

Carousel Worthy IMO.....

 

[jcam222]

You've my most rapt attention!
WOW! This is a Grand Slam!

I want to eat one or two of those Habeneros
(or Scotch Bonnets?) with that and enjoy the endorphin rush with the food.

I think they are red savine habaneros. I like using scotch bonnets when I can get some. Next year I think I’m going to grow some.

Good grief Jeff, that looks as amazing as I imagined! Wow I can see the richness and flavor, almost smell it through the screen! Absolutely wonderful work Sir. You are a master.

Thanks so much for that. Master no but working on it

Holy hell Jeff. One of the best looking meals I've ever seen. I share your love for jerk flavors. Gotta get something going soon. Amazing work bud

That’s quite a compliment Jake, I appreciate it! I remember you love jerk too.

Another meat smokin' culinary masterpiece Jeff, its a work of art! Whatever it is Jeff, you got it, and you got it going on in a big way, incredible! RAY

Thanks so much Ray. Been a little burnt out lacking creativity lately with work and life getting in the way. I feel like this is a decent bounce back on the food art.

Looks great, love both Graces and Walkers Wood. I think Graces has a touch more heat than WW, and Im ok with that answer

I feel Graces has a more pronounced overall flavor profile. I have used Walkerswoods a lot. I actually opened a jar yesterday to marinade the belly. The taste was just off.

Good lord Jeff!! Now that’s an epic meal! I would love to taste some of that. I was using all kinds of jerk seasonings last year. Once I used the hot stuff, the wife quickly put an end to that.

Nice!!

Grace and Walkerswoods both make a nice mild one. Even milder I think is the Carribean Sunshine brand.

We have allspice trees here. I have a tree trimmer friend who brings it to me whenever he runs across one. You can use the leaves green directly under the meat and all the branches for smoke. I love good jerk. Spent a few Winters in Negril. Our favorite was Grays https://grayspepper.com/ You're making me hungry.

Carousel Worthy IMO.....

Thanks man!! I’ve never been to Negril but have eaten at Scotchies in Montego Bay a few times.