Jerk Pork

There are so many horrible puns using the word "Jerk" that I just couldn't stomach a snappy title today. So here we have a straight to the point report on my first try at jerk seasoning. I made this jerk pork sandwich this past weekend and it was pretty terrific:

The pork is layered with grated swiss cheese, pickle slices and spicy mustard.

It made for a great sandwich (the recipe I was following dictated the condiments which were not my first instinct for complementing a sandwich but turned out to be really good; an added benefit is that the sandwich would travel well and not get soggy if you were taking it on a picnic), but next time I'm just going to make the pork as an entree because I think it was even better on its own. And did I mention easy? Super easy.

Of course, I made a few modifications to the recipe which came from the weekly Dining & Wine section of the NYTimes. Here is my version:

Grilled Jerk Pork Tenderloin
(doubles easily)

3 scallions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Scotch bonnet peppers, stemmed (if you aren't up for heat or plan to try and get your kid to eat it, I'd recommend choosing milder peppers or de-seed the peppers.)
1/4 cup lime juice
1/8 cup soy sauce
3 T olive oil
2 t dried thyme
2 t ground allspice
2 t ground black pepper
1/2 t cinnamon
1 pork tenderloin

1. In a blender or food processor, combine scallions, garlic, peppers, lime juice, soy sauce and olive oil. Add thyme, allspice, pepper and cinnamon. Blend to make a smooth puree. Place tenderloin in a big ziplock storage bag, and add puree.Refrigerate 8 to 24 hours, turning occasionally.

2. Light a grill. If using charcoal, heap the coals to one side. If using gas, turn both burners on high. When hot, scrape excess marinade from the tenderloin and sear the tenderloin (a few minutes per side). Then move the tenderloin over to the cool side of the grill--with a gas grill turn off one side of the burners and put on the unlit side. Shut the lid and leave for about 25 minutes. Check with an instant-read thermometer so that the center reads 150 degrees. If it hasn't made it to 150, shut the lid and check every 10 minutes.

3. Take pork off grill and let rest for 5 or 10 minutes, then slice into circles.

Yield: 4 servings.