Ingredients: Scotch Bonnets, Black Pepper, Soy sauce, olive oil, spices, onions, vinegar, raspberries, honey, molasses, vanilla extract, sugar.
Winters here in Wisconsin (State motto: “It ain’t Here, Whatever It Is”) range from 85 degrees Fahrenheit to -273 degrees depending on the day (if it has an “r” in it, you’re Ok) and the hour (if it has a number in it, you’re screwed). So when Nick sent me JD’s From Hell Honey Jerk Sauce, I got really excited. I’ve been to Jamaica, and I’ve has as authentic as jerk foods can get. And the weather sucks, so anything that heats things up floats my frozen boat.
Jerk seasoning is to the Caribbean what hamburgers are to America-simple, easy ways to make comfort food, with everybody having their own recipe. The key ingredient to any jerk seasoning is the Scotch Bonnet chile. The Scotch Bonnet, one of my all time favorite chiles, is the first cousin of the mighty Habanero. The Scotch Bonnet, though lesser in heat than the Hab, has many of the same aromas (citrusy, floral), and flavors (strong lime with a mango-like finish). An over all great, great chile. So when I saw the list of ingredients, I could feel the cold outside just melt away.
I opened the jar right out of the box. Most jerk sauces I’ve used in the past have been thick, but this one was actually runny and thin. Looking at the ingredients list again, well yeah, soy sauce will do that. A very beautiful dark brown color with specks of spices and what I hoped was the Scotch bonnet. And the aroma is just indescribable- leaning on the soy sauce with undertones of molasses, honey, and vinegar with just hints of raspberry and vanilla. Just fantastic-wait a minute! Why didn’t I smell any Scotch B?
Suddenly, I felt it getting cold again outside.
So out came my trusty tasting spoon and into the jar. My heart was pounding from excitement as my tongue was getting ready for the Scotch B and!…Something was wrong here, really, really wrong here. What I had just tasted was, essentially, flavored soy sauce. Granted a really well flavored soy sauce, but one with absolutely no heat what so ever. Possibly the heat would come out with some cooking? I doubted it, but I marinated both chicken wings and pork steaks in it for eight hours any way. I baked the chicken wings for 40 minutes at 395, and I have to say: Even though there was no heat, this is the best chicken wing marinade I’ve ever used. All I had to do was roll the baked-off wings in my own hot sauce and I was set. The flavor more than made up for the lack of heat.
I grilled the pork, and set it over a salad of bitter greens. The flavor wasn’t as intense as the chicken (I did grill after all) but it was good. Again, the lack of heat impressed my two year old so much that she shoveled it down. Over all, not bad with the pork. So how does JD’s From Hell Honey Jerk Sauce rank? On to my Five Point Scale.
Appearance: 3-This is runny for a jerk sauce, but it did cover well the target foods I used it on, and clung to them. Deep, rich brown color.
Aroma: 4.5- Very rich, crisp, heavy on the soy, finishing on vanilla. I could shower in this.
Heat: 0- Scotch Bonnet is the first listed ingredient, yet there was no heat what so ever. Somebody please tell me I received a mislabeled bottle?
Flavor: 5- With chicken, you will not go wrong-this is a must have if you use it for a marinade. Soy base with hints of honey, sugar, vanilla, and onions. With pork, not too bad, either.
Overall: 3.25- This sauce obviously would have scored higher if it weren’t for the lack of heat. But again, this is the best marinade for chicken that I’ve ever used. I can easily recommend this for that use; just add your own heat (like an extract). So get some if you like to experiment, and JD, who ever you are, take another look at your recipe. Until next time, treat every meal like it was your last!
Land & Sea Enterprises, LLC.
Marlboro, NY 12542