My dad’s tolerance to spicy food has decreased significantly over the years, and now he can’t eat anything “spicy” at all. Sadly, his favorites, jerk pork and jerk chicken, are no longer available. With that in mind, and with the new pimento harvest, (seasoning) peppers in the garden, I knew there was a solution.
What you need…
1 large onion (chopped)
6 to 8 pimento peppers
6 spring onions (chopped)
15-20 thyme sprigs (No woody stem)
4 thick slices of ginger
8 cloves of garlic
3/4 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons pimento (Allspice) Berry
1/2 tablespoon nutmeg
3/4 tablespoon black pepper
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 cup rice vinegar (Regular vinegar is fine too.)
1 cup vegetable oil
6 bay leaves
2 tablespoons mushroom flavored soy sauce
Note: If you want to make this marinade gluten free, use tamari sauce instead of soy sauce. I highly recommend watching the video below, which goes into more detail about the recipe, especially explaining why crushing pimento berries gives better results than using pre-ground allspice, as well as the difference between grating fresh nutmeg versus using nutmeg powder. Using pimento peppers gives you the aroma, flavor, and oils of Scotch bonnet without the heat.
Wash the required ingredients thoroughly under cold water, drain and roughly chop, keeping in mind that if you use thyme, the woody stems will not break down and may create a choking hazard when using the jerk marinade later.
Smash the peppers (Allspice) Berry (seed).
As explained in the video, I prefer to use a food processor rather than a blender because I want the resulting jerk marinade to have a bit more texture, but if you prefer a smoother paste, that’s up to you.
Put everything in a food processor and blend for a few minutes. Why I put bay leaves in the marinade is explained in the video.
I didn’t add thyme to the mixture initially because I didn’t have the space in my food processor.
Whether you use honey or maple syrup instead of brown sugar is entirely up to you.
If you can get pimento peppers (Try a West Indian or Asian supermarket.)Once you cut it, you will understand what that smell means.Disclaimer! Pimento peppers are not usually hot, but sometimes (Depending on how close you plant it to the hot peppers) It may be spicy, so try a bite before eating the whole thing.
If you don’t have lemons, you could also add the juice of a few limes. I’ve had great success using orange, clementine, and mandarin juice.
After 1 to 2 minutes, scrape down the sides of the food processor and add the thyme. Continue until you reach your desired consistency.
Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 6 months. Be sure to give it a good stir before seasoning and marinating meats and seafood – it really brings out that Jamaican jerk kick.
OK, so we don’t have Scotch bonnet peppers, but I think you’ll be very happy with the pimento pepper substitute, especially if you hate spicy food like my dad does.
