Issue 018: Party Time

Hey Q-Crew!

Last month for Caribbean Heritage Month I shared a recipe for homemade Jamaican jerk seasoning that made about 20oz of seasoning. This month I want to show you what you can do with it that’s more than the traditional jerk chicken or pork. So let’s make some Jerk Party Ribs and Guava Jerk Barbecue Sauce!

This month’s theme is You’re A Jerk! Well not you, I think you guys are fantastic. But we’re spending the next few weeks incorporating a single element into all of our dishes: jerk seasoning! The recipes run the gamut from mains to sides, Southern to Jamaican to Italian to Mexican, but every dish will feature jerk seasoning as a main ingredient. You can make your own jerk seasoning using the recipe here, or you can purchase a brand like Walkerswoood!

Jerk Party Ribs

Prep time: 15 minutes (+6 hours of marinating time)

Cook time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

• 2 racks of ribs (either St. Louis spare, baby back, or one each)
• 1/2 cup yellow mustard
• 2 tbsp jerk seasoning
• 2/3 cup preferred rib rub (mine is a homemade mix of salt, black pepper, paprika, turmeric powder, ground cloves, cinnamon, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and a little cayenne pepper)
• 2 cups barbecue sauce

Step 2: Mix well. This is your binder that will help the rub stick to the meat throughout the cooking process.

Step 4: Spread the binder on both sides of the ribs.

Step 6: Wrap in foil and marinate for at least 6 hours or ideally overnight.

Step 8: After 90 minutes, flip your ribs bone side up and cook over indirect heat for another 90 minutes.

NOTE: The meat inside will still be pink and very undercooked, but much firmer than when it was completely raw. The ribs are NOT cooked at this point.

Step 11: Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Step 13: Uncover the pan, move the ribs at the top to the bottom, and pull the pan directly over the heat source for 30 more minutes.

Guava Jerk Barbecue Sauce

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Yield: 40 oz

Ingredients:

• 32 oz ketchup
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tbsp burnt sugar or molasses
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 6 oz guava paste
• 1/4 cup jerk seasoning
• 1 oz dark rum (optional)
• 3 tbsp butter

Step 2: Add the ketchup, apple cider vinegar, honey, brown sugar, white sugar, burnt sugar (but you could use molasses), yellow mustard, salt, jerk seasoning, and the guava paste.

Step 4: Bring the sauce up to a simmer then turn the heat to medium low.

Step 6: Use immediately or let the sauce cool completely then store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

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