Jerk Pork & Chicken a la Court

This is perhaps Jamaica's most famous dish and certainly my favourite. It's moist and loaded with Jamaican flavour and spice.

Have a cold drink handy in case the spice is too great.

Making your own marinade from scratch can be tedious and time consuming, so a cheater's way, is to buy Walkerswood Jerk seasoning http://www.walkerswood.com/ (as pictured) and just add to it.







Ingredients:

• 1 jar of Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning
• 2 green onions chopped
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 tbs. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 2 tbsp. fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp. Pickapeppa sauce or a mild bbq sauce

Method:

• First, prepare the meat the night before cooking by making slits into the meat that can filled with the marinade.
• Then, in a large bowl, mix together the entire jar of Walkerswood seasoning with all the other ingredients.
• Rub into the meat well and make sure seasoning stays in the slits you have made. If seasoning a pork, it helps to tie it tight with string, so the pork stays together with the seasoning.
• Let the meat marinade over night and take out half an hour before cooking.

BBQ Cooking Method

• Heat the BBQ to 375 degrees Celsius
• Reduce heat to low - medium heat
• Place an aluminum pan under the grill and fill with boiling water, this will keep the meat moist and prevent it from burning.
• Place chicken on grill and let it cook for 45 min. to an hour
• Check to make sure meat is cooked to correct internal temperature for either pork or chicken

Oven Cooking Method

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F and place meat in a deep pan or dish with and wire rack, so the meat is not touching the bottom of the pan.
• Fill the bottom of the pan with boiling water and cook for about 45 min. to an hour
• Check to make sure meat is cooked to correct internal temperature for either pork or chicken
• Let meat stand for about 10 min. before serving to enhance the flavours further

Serve with rice and peas and enjoy!

Latest installment in the Social Marketing experience

I posted a story on January 20 one of my other blogs titled, “You get to play again tomorrow” (Check the story out at http://mykalsreport.blogspot.com/).

The response was overwhelming, unexpected and positive. Good learning. Gained confidence. Still not over the threshold where the blog grows organically, but I am on the right path!

My usual promotion after posting:

• Sent email to my usual distribution group (30 people)



• Twittered it http://twitter.com/. Follow me at ‘Chris_Morales’



• Posted on facebook profile and relevant groups (http://www.facebook.com/)



• Posted in Linkedin groups. Check out my profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismmorales
  

Response:

• Visits increased over the usual response.



• Received email informing me that the URL had been forwarded on to others (never had that before).



• Received positive comments that inspired me to write this post.



• A couple more people began following me on twitter



• The number of visitors to the blog have not dropped off as significantly as in the past



• Received an email with a link on how to market blogs more effectively. Check it out at http://www.ssi-online-marketing.blogspot.com/
  

Learning:

• The article was a very personal story about something I experienced in my life…appealed to people



• It was a positive story. I suspect however that I got a reaction because the story struck a chord with the readers. It was not wallpaper that was easy to ignore. Need to write more stories like that.



• It energized me!



• Gained confidence in my writing style. I have been blogging since October 2008 and this is the first time I experienced this type of response
  

What I did next

• Gained more confidence regarding my writing style



• Focus my stories: lessons I have learned from my experiences in life



• Modified the blog title and description based on the information contained in the blog above

Please feel to comment on this story or contact me directly at chris.morales@sympatico.ca

The journey continues…

Breadfruit...Simple but delicious!

One of Jamaica's unique fruits, breadfruit is not really sweet, but is a refreshing and simple treat in the morning.

Breadfruit grows on a tree (as seen above) and is shaped like a melon. It is the perfect side dish to a hot plate of ackee and saltfish.

• Ingredients:
  1 whole breadfruit or canned breadfruit.
  

Method:
The traditional way of preparing breadfruit is to take the whole breadfruit and roast it over an open fire, until the outside is charred. Then, simply peel away the skin, slice and enjoy.

For an easier option, especially in winter up here in Canada, you can buy the canned breadfruit and simply boil it until soft, or roast it in the oven at 375 degrees F.

Baby Steps to Change the World

Stating the obvious: you can't accomplish the big goal without breaking it into smaller steps.

This video was forwarded to me in an email from my sister. I stuck with it and experienced one of the most innovative and motivational stories I have encountered recently. This is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA