Baron's International Kitchen - Caribbean Marinade: HOT Jerk Sauce

The Product

We recently had the opportunity to review a new product from Baron’s International Kitchen – Caribbean Marinade: HOT Jerk Sauce. According to the label, it is “The Perfect Mixture of Island Spices! Specially made for…Chicken, Pork, Seafood.”

About This Sauce: “This recipe was inspired by Vernon “Sonny” Henry, a close family friend from Antigua and accomplished chef. It draws up on the traditional Carib Indian technique of rubbing spices and seasonings directly onto meat to “jerk” or preserve and infuse it with smooth and savory flavors. One taste will transport you to mesmerizing white sand beaches where steel bands play all day!”

The side label also includes general instructions for marinating and basting chicken wings according to your preferred heat level.

First impression

The label wasn’t much to look at, though we suspect this might be a temporary label for review purposes. The marinating and basting instructions were very helpful. Reading the label, you might pick this up. It’s a 17 ounce bottle, offering plenty of marinade for your cooking pleasure.

Appearance/Smell/Taste

The marinade itself is a light brown color with ingredient chunks the texture of a chutney. It moves about the bottle evenly when rolled, so it is not too thick, though seemingly thick enough for an even coating and chunky, not too smooth.

When we popped off the lid, we were greeted by a very pleasant aroma of island spices with hints of cinnamon and cloves.  The smell is sweet and inviting, definitely herbal. We tasted a half teaspoon and the flavor is a mixture of sweet and savory with an emphasis on the cloves and includes sauces of teriyaki and soy, though the other spices infuse the overall sauce with a unique flavor. You won’t feel an initial spike of heat on your tongue that you might feel with certain types of sauces or hot sauces that include habanero peppers, as this marinade does. Instead, the warmth is slow and steady, more or less emanating pleasantly through your mouth. Not too hot, though. It feels to be more of a medium range heat for this chili head.

We don’t normally eat marinades right out of the bottle, so we decided to make some Caribbean style jerk chicken.

The Meal

The label calls to marinade your chicken for 30 minutes, though we did so for 2 hours, using 2 medium sized chicken breasts and nothing else. For “Atomic, deadly heat”, the label also directs you to baste your chicken while grilling or cooking once every 15 minutes. We grilled our chicken, which doesn’t require you to grill more than 15, so we basted every 5 minutes.

Caribbean Jerk Marinade

The result? Nice!

The flavoring on the chicken was quite delicious, different from other Caribbean jerk flavors we’ve used in the past. The heat does diminish some during the grilling process, though we’d like to try the recipe on the label of slow cooking chicken wings for 2 hours at 300 degrees F. We suspect the heat will really shine through. In our recipe, the heat level was good, but we could have used a bit more.

Still, it’s a good, solid product from a company that makes great products. We do recommend trying this one if you’re a fan of Caribbean flavors.

Ratings

• First Impression: 7 (3.5 stars)
• Ingredients: 9 (4.5 stars) – Habaneros!
• Flavor/Texture/Smell: 8 (4 stars)
• Heat: 7 (3.5 stars)
• Overall: 8 (4 stars)

Contact Information

Therese F. Baron, Head Chef and President
Baron’s International Kitchen
BaronsInternationalKitchen.com
PH: 845-642-7424

Let us know if you enjoy the jerk sauce!
Mike from Chili Pepper Madness