Equipment
Ingredients
Pork
- 2000 g pork baby back ribs, raw, membrane removed
Jerk Marinade
- 3 scotch bonnet peppers, stemmed
- 100 g scallions, roughly chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled
- 30 g fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 10 g fresh thyme, leaves only
- 10 g ground allspice
- 45 g dark brown sugar
- 60 ml tamari soy sauce
- 30 ml lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- 15 g salt
- 5 g black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 g ground nutmeg
- 2 g ground cinnamon
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 1021 kcal
- Protein
- 107 g
- Carbohydrates
- 22 g
- Fat
- 57 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 12 g
- Sodium
- 2781 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 19 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 21 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Cholesterol
- 330 mg
- Potassium
- 1596 mg
- Calcium
- 214 mg
- Iron
- 6.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 114 mg
- Phosphorus
- 878 mg
- Zinc
- 14.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 37 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 23 mg
- Vitamin D
- 4.5 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 55 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 2.5 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 2.7 mcg
- Thiamin
- 2.56 mg
- Riboflavin
- 1.72 mg
- Niacin
- 37.3 mg
- Folate
- 24 mcg
- Water
- 397 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Wearing disposable gloves to protect your hands, place the Scotch bonnet peppers, scallions, garlic, ginger, thyme, allspice, dark brown sugar, tamari, lime juice, vegetable oil, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a food processor. Blend until a smooth, fragrant paste forms.
Pat the pork ribs completely dry with paper towels. Place them on a clean work surface to prepare for marinating.
Rub the jerk marinade generously all over both sides of the ribs, massaging it into the meat. Reserve about 60ml of the marinade in a sealed container in the refrigerator for basting later. Cover the ribs tightly and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 135°C (275°F). Remove the marinated ribs from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to take the chill off.
Wrap each rack of ribs tightly in heavy-duty aluminum foil to seal in the moisture. Place them seam-side up on a baking sheet and bake for 2 hours and 30 minutes, or until the meat is very tender and begins to pull away from the ends of the bones.
Carefully remove the ribs from the oven and adjust the oven setting to broil. Open the foil wrapping to expose the top of the ribs. Brush the reserved marinade over the meat and broil for 5 to 10 minutes, watching closely, until the surface is bubbling, sticky, and deeply caramelized.
Remove from the oven and let the ribs rest loosely tented with foil for 10 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat before slicing.
Slice the ribs between the bones and serve immediately with extra lime wedges. Ensure the pork has reached a minimum internal temperature of 74°C (165°F) for safe consumption.
Chef's Notes
- Handling Scotch bonnets requires care; always wear gloves when slicing them to prevent the lingering capsaicin from burning your skin or eyes.
- Pimento wood is traditionally used in Jamaica to smoke jerk meats. Since this recipe uses an oven, adding half a teaspoon of liquid smoke to the marinade can help simulate that authentic outdoor smokiness.
- The resting period is crucial for tender ribs. Cutting them immediately out of the oven will cause the boiling juices to run out, leaving the meat dry.
- If you prefer a thicker finishing glaze, simmer the reserved marinade in a small saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes before brushing it onto the ribs.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container.
Freezer: 2 months — Wrap tightly in foil and place in a freezer-safe bag.
Reheating: Wrap in foil and reheat in a 150°C (300°F) oven until warmed through, or microwave in short bursts.
Troubleshooting
Ribs are tough or chewy
Cause: Ribs were not cooked long enough to break down the connective tissue
Fix: Re-wrap tightly in foil and return to a 135°C (275°F) oven for another 30 to 45 minutes
Prevention: Cook low and slow; test for tenderness with a fork before proceeding to the broiling step
Marinade tastes excessively spicy
Cause: Scotch bonnet seeds and inner membranes were included in the blend
Fix: Serve with a cooling side dish like coconut rice, creamy coleslaw, or a yogurt-based sauce
Prevention: Carefully remove seeds and the white inner membranes from the peppers before blending if a milder heat is desired
Cultural Context
Jerk is a profoundly historic style of cooking native to Jamaica, originating with the indigenous Taino people and African Maroons who escaped into the mountains. It traditionally involves slow-cooking meat over smoldering pimento (allspice) wood, creating a distinctive smoky, spicy, and deeply aromatic flavor profile. Serving this centerpiece dish during Kwanzaa is a powerful way to honor the African diaspora and the incredible resilience embedded in Caribbean culinary traditions.
