Here is a Jerk Spiced Indian Coorg Pork recipe that is customised to bring you the soulful flavours of the Caribbean Islands into your Coorg Pork. With a perfect balance of heat and flavour, this Jerk Spiced Coorg Pork is tender, delicious and moist making this Indian pork dish a Caribbean-inspired masterpiece.

This is an interesting recipe that fuses elements of Caribbean cuisine with elements of Indian cuisine to create a wholly unexpected and altogether new flavour profile.

Are you nearly ready to import a taste of Jamaica into your home cooking? I can assure you, it’s the next best thing to a trip to Jamaica!!

Jerk is a style of cooking that is native to Jamaica, which is the home of the original jerk pits.

Traditionally, In Jamaican cuisine, a large cut of meat is first marinated with either the home-made jerk seasoning rub or jerk seasoning paste for a few hours or even overnight then, smoked or slow cooked over open fire fuelled by pimento wood for that authentic smoky flavour.

Simply put, the word “Jerk” refers to all of the following:

• A combination of spices
• A grilling method and meat that has been seasoned with jerk spices and grilled/smoked/slow cooked.

The evidence I’ve gathered in the lead up to publishing this post, indicates that the process of jerking was first created by the Jamaican natives, the Arawak Indians, who used local seasonings and peppers to marinate the meat, then grilled over an open fire fuelled by pimento wood.

The Fijians, natives of Fiji, also use a similar cooking technique known as “Lovo” in their traditional cooking. This involves digging a pit in the ground, heating stones with fire and placing wrapped fish, meat or root vegetables on white hot rocks. The food is then covered with leaves, coconut palm fronds and dirt, then slow cooked over several hours, resulting in a distinct smoky flavour to the food.

Jerk seasoning is the most iconic taste of the Caribbean and Jamaican cuisine brings out the best of any jerk dishes, be it meat, poultry, fish and vegetables.

Big on flavour created from a blend of allspice (pimento – the peppery base of the blend), fresh ginger, thyme, green onions, garlic, cinnamon, cane vinegar and spicy from hot peppers (the legendary fiery kick) – Scotch Bonnet or Habanero peppers with many variations, depending on the chef.

Jerk seasoning can be made at home and there are many good recipes online however, if you are buying bottled Jerk seasoning, it comes in two forms – a dry rub or wet marinade/paste.

Bold, spicy, hot, sour, tangy and earthy, Jerk seasoning has its roots in Jamaica and adapted around the Caribbean.

Dry jerk seasoning adds some life, but it does not give the depth of flavour that I am looking for in this Jerk Spiced Indian Coorg Pork. Therefore, in this recipe, I will be using the store-bought jerk seasoning paste (as opposed to making at home) to marinate pork, before I cook it with other Indian herbs and piquant spices.

Where to buy this Jerk Seasoning? Check out the heading “Ingredients for Jerk Spiced Indian Coorg Pork” as to where you can source this ingredient.

One of the most memorable meals we’ve ever had was jerk chicken served by our close friends while vacationing in Canada. We had no idea what they were serving, but when it came to the table, we were swept away by the aroma of the smoky, marinated chicken, and each bite of the tender meat, with its earthy, spicy, savoury flavours, drew us closer to the dish. We thoroughly enjoyed this Jerk Chicken which they informed us that had been marinated in Jamaican bottle jerk seasoning paste and barbecued.

We adored it so much, they graciously bought us 6 bottles of jerk seasoning marinade to bring back to Australia. The rest is history…

This Jamaican Indian fusion has been in a dream status for years and thanks to my husband who turned it into reality, one day, a few weeks ago. I am ecstatic to share his unique fusion of Jamaican marinade with Indian Coorg Masala to come up with a fantastic fusion dish which we have named Jerk Spiced Coorg Pork (mouthful but relevant to this recipe!!).

Here he applies the wonder of jerk seasoning paste to pieces of boneless pork belly, which is marinated briefly, then cooked low and slow in a combination of sautéed Indian herbs and piquant spices.

Once cooked, the pork becomes intensely aromatic, deliciously tender with a decent fiery kick that will instantly transport you back to those Caribbean cruise docks.

In order to create a Jamaican Indian fusion pork dish, boneless belly pieces are marinated with a little of the jerk seasoning marinade for 30 minutes. Marinating infuses the alternating layers of fat and meat with complex flavours of the jerk seasoning marinade. The pork is then cooked low and slow with some Indian herbs and spices and Coorg Pork Masala Powder, finally finishing off with a good dash of vinegar, a signature flavour in almost all pork dishes in India that gives this pork dish a backbone.

A word of warning – Use the jerk seasoning sparingly. The hotness of the jerk seasoning paste may vary depending on the brand, so begin with 1 heaped tsp. and work your way up from there. Also, I would strongly recommend you taste a little of the seasoning before adding to the pork to get an idea of the spice level.

The more you add, the spicier your dish gets!!!

For your information, I use 2 types of Jerk Seasoning pastes:

• Grace Jamaican Jerk Seasoning (Hot and piquant) – for making this Jerk Spiced Indian Coorg Pork – I use 3 heaped teaspoons (45g-50g) to marinate 1.5kg pork. To decrease heat, reduce it to 1 heaped teaspoon.

• Walkerswood Traditional Jamaican Jerk Seasoning (Hot and Spicy) – for making Jerk Chicken, Jerk Lamb Cutlets and Jerk Fish – For 1kg of chicken/lamb, I add about 2½ – 3 heaped teaspoons and 1 – 1½ heaped tsp. for fish. The more you put the spicier it gets!!! Note: When grilling or barbecuing with this marinade, no other herbs and spices are used, so we need to add more jerk seasoning to bring up the flavours. Be cautious when adding salt, as both these marinades are well seasoned.

This is the jerk seasoning paste I have used to make Jerk Spiced Coorg Pork

This is the jerk seasoning paste I use to make Jerk wings, Jerk lamb cutlets & Jerk fish

This Jerk Spiced Indian Coorg Pork is strong, intense and hot but it’s a curry lover’s dream pork dish!

It’s strong from the heat of a good amount of jerk seasoning – a key seasoning paste in this jerk spiced pork dish – elevates flavour, heat and creates fusion. It’s intense from other ground spices in the form of Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric and Coorg Pork Masala. Ginger, garlic and green chilli add zesty aromatic pungency, savoury depth and sharp bright heat to the final dish. Finally, a little tang from vinegar, a signature flavour for most Indian pork dishes balances the dish and gives it backbone.

If you are wondering how spicy it actually is, I’d say it’s a 7 out of 10. Those who are accustomed to spicy foods will no doubt scoff this down with their eyes closed. I was born in India, eating spicy food however I am not a fan of very spicy food, and I don’t think this Jerk Spiced Indian Coorg Pork is eye-wateringly hot.

So, for you mild-mannered palates out there? Don’t worry, see the recipe notes for how to lower the Scoville units in this Jerk Spiced Indian Coorg Pork!!

Let’s go through what you need to make this amazing Jamaican Indian fusion pork dish!

First up, this recipe calls for 2 specialty ingredients, which can be purchased online:

• Jerk Seasoning paste (use any you can order online) and
• Coorg Pork Masala Powder

In this recipe, a little of the shop-brought Jerk Seasoning paste, is used to briefly marinate the pork and help form the fusion sauce. But there are a few extra ingredients we use to pep up the base of the sauce flavour.

Here are notes on key ingredients for Jerk Spiced Coorg Pork:

• Pork belly – a succulent and affordable boneless cut of pork that is best cooked slow on stove top until tender. Try to get a skin-on slab/block so you can cut the pieces yourself. Trim excess visible fat first, then cut into 1-inch-long strips, then trim excess fat between layers (don’t cut it all, as fat is flavour). Cut into 1-inchx1-inch pieces. As a guide, I had 1.6kg pork but ended up with 1.4kg of pork after trimming fat (there is a lot of excess fat in between layers to be trimmed).
  • Alternate 1: Pork scotch fillet, a moist and budget friendly cut with less fat to keep the curry moist (I have not experimented with this cut, as I had good results with pork belly) but I suspect the final dish may turn out not as succulent as pork belly but will work.
  • Alternate 2: Half & half – 50% pork belly + 50% pork scotch fillet. Woolworths stocks pork belly blocks in 800g packs and scotch fillets are sold in packs of 3 steaks. If not available in packs, some large Woolworths sell this cut in their deli counter.

• Jerk seasoning paste (the fusion part) – A wet seasoning used to marinate proteins, with roots in Jamaica and adapted around the Caribbean. Note: It’s intense, hot and strong so, taste a tiny bit before you marinate the pork (keep a glass of water handy, just in case). The recipe calls for 3 heaped teaspoons, which gives a lovely kick. If in doubt, marinate with only 1 heaped tsp. as we are using more Indian spices to pep the curry sauce. The pork will look pretty much colourless after marinating it, so please don’t be tempted to add more than what the recipe calls for because the seasoning by itself does not give colour. The Kashmiri chilli and turmeric will give the colour during cooking.
  • Find at: For Sydneysiders, Walkerswood Traditional Jamaican Jerk Seasoning (Hot and Spicy) can be bought at most large Woolworths supermarkets in the international foods and spices shelf, pick-up and online. For the up-to-date availability for each store, please check their website before you visit the store.
• • Grace Jerk Seasoning (Hot Piquant) may be purchased online on eBay. Also, all types Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning bottles can be purchased online from eBay. Note: I have made a conscious decision not to post any links, as the longevity of the links cannot be guaranteed!

• Onion, fresh garlic, fresh ginger and green chillies – Chopped or finely minced are added as flavour bombs and a good kick of savoury heat.

• Curry leaves – Finely minced (yup, hard work!) fresh curry leaves are a key ingredient for authentic Indian flavour which blends in perfectly with Coorg Pork Masala Powder.
  • Sold at: Harris Farms, most Coles and Woolworths. I have a plant!!
  • Also used in: Green Papaya Mustard Curry, Bitter Gourd Stir-fry and Sweet and Sour Mango Curry.

• The ground spices – Kashmiri chilli powder and turmeric powder are used for a little colour and heat.
  • Find at: Harris Farm and some large Coles Supermarkets (Indian section) in Australia. Also, at all Indian stores and some Asian grocery stores (some have Indian sections)
  • Also used in: Mangalorean Pork Bafat, Mangalorean Pork Sorpotel and Mangalorean Christmas Special Pork Indad.

• Coorg Pork Masala Powder aka Black Masala – This is a dark spicy-aromatic powder that is the secret behind excellent Coorgi dry dishes made with pork, mutton and chicken. Here it’s added to balance the fat with deep, spicy and smoky flavours that work well with jerk seasoning.
  • Available: Online through amazon.in. Most Indian pantries stock a pack of this powder, however, if you don’t, please ask your friends visiting India to bring a pack of 250g back with them. It stays fresh in the freezer for a few months.

• Vinegar – You may use white or white wine vinegar to give it a slight tang, which cuts through the fat and makes the final dish delicious. White – for a sharp taste and white wine vinegar – for a rounded taste.

• Sugar – White or brown – Just a teaspoon to round off the flavours of vinegar and spices. This is a savoury dish, and we want to keep it that way!