Jamaican Jerk Pork - fast and easy
This version skips the fuss but keeps the big, bold flavors. Pork cooks up quickly and ends with a sticky, sweet glaze.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 365kcal
Ingredients
Pork + Marinade
- 1 lb pork tenderloin
- 1 Tbs peanut or mild oil
- 1 Tbs soy sauce
- 1 lime zest & juice
- ½ red onion, small
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pinch cloves
Pineapple salsa
- 1 pineapple, medium
- ½ red onion, small, diced
- 2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
Other
- 1 cup dry white wine* or broth
- 2 Tbs turbinado or demerara sugar**
Instructions
MARINATE THE PORK
- Place all of the ingredients for the marinade (except the pork!) in a food processor, including the ½ onion and zest + juice of the lime. Process until it's a paste.
Slice the pork tenderloin into 1 inch rounds. Put the pork and all of the marinade into a plastic bag. Remove the air, seal it, and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
PREP THE SALSA
- Cut the pineapple and other ½ of the onion. Chop the herbs. Set aside.
READY TO COOK - QUICK TIMING
- The timing moves very fast after we start cooking the pork. Make sure you have the following things ready (no really, have it ready or the pork will overcook!): The cut pineapple, diced ½ red onion, muscovado sugar, hot pads.
- Set your oven to broil. Then heat a cast iron skillet (or stainless steel if you don't have cast iron) over medium-high heat on the stove. When the pan is hot, we'll cook the pork.
- Remove pork cuts from the bag one at a time, salting each side, and then place them in the skillet so they start to sear. Be careful of hot splatter on contact. Do NOT discard the bag of marinade.
- After 2-3 minutes, the pork should be seared on one side. Flip them and then:-- Pour the marinade from the bag into the pan (not over the top of the pork, we want to keep that crispy side dry now)
-- Add the pineapple and onions in right away as well, around the pork
-- Pour the sugar over the pork cutlets and a little over the pineapple
-- Immediately move the pan to the oven, under the broiler - Cook under the broiler for 3 minutes or so, until the pork is cooked to the desired temperature. If you take it out too soon, you can just finish it on the stove.
FINISH & SERVE
- Remove the pork from the pan, set aside on a plate.
- Put the pan back on a burner over medium-high heat. Pour the wine into the pan and deglaze it (scrape up all of the crispy tasty bits from the bottom of the pan). Mixing it all in with the pineapple. Let the wine cook off for a few minutes.
- Serve pork next to the pineapple salsa and the sauce from the pan. Garnish with cilantro and parsley.
Notes
* If you don't have wine, chicken broth will work.
** Turbinado and demerara sugar are very large crystals. The size helps them create a crispy crust when broiled, as small crystals dissolve into the meat's moisture. You can use brown sugar instead, it will be more of a glaze than a crust.
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Nutrition
Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 323mg | Potassium: 812mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 340IU | Vitamin C: 117.8mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2.3mg