Boston Bay keeps jerk culture cooking

Before Jamaicans enjoyed jerk meats with starch and a cold drink, jerk was a war tactic and a means of survival for the Maroons deep in the hills, using smoke to preserve meat underground while avoiding capture by colonial powers.

Today, on the eve of Jamaica's independence, that same technique has been passed down through generations in the heart of Portland, at the coastal Boston Bay. The jerk centre, which has about eight jerk shops, was sizzling with stories, smoke, and unforgettable spices when THE STAR visited recently. Boston is considered the birthplace of commercial jerk in Jamaica, and the experience here is far more than just regular beach food, it's a flavour-filled pilgrimage into the roots of Jamaican culture.

At Mickey's Jerk Centre, Adam Palmer fans the flame, both literally and culturally, as the torch-bearer for a legacy started by his uncle Mickey.

"We keep the customers coming back with the sauce," Palmer explained while flipping thick cuts of pork on open flame over pimento sticks. "We have pimento berry, we have Scotch bonnet, we have garlic, we have scallion, thyme and a bunch of stuff that I can't even tell you," he added with a grin, guarding the family's secret recipe.

Palmer's jerk pork, smoky, tender, and kissed with a reddish-orange hue from local peppers, is the best seller.

"Pork sell off before chicken, before fish, everything. People come to Boston just to get jerk pork," he said, proudly offering a taste of their homemade pork sausage.

"My uncle created the recipe, and we follow. It all started from the Maroons. They used to dig a pit and jerk the meat underground. Now we transform, but the roots stay."

THE STAR observed the sizzling action first-hand, thick cuts of meat jerked over pimento, sweetwood and wild coffee branches, the air fragrant with seasoned smoke. Bottled sauces lined the counter, their fiery contents sealed and shipped around the globe.

Just up the path, the savoury scent lingers at the Gurley and Aston Boston Jerk Stop, where Tica Thompson - the head chef, manager, and part owner - is taking the traditional jerk game up a notch.

"We do the original jerk on stick, but we put a spin," she explained. "You can get shrimp, lobster, steamed veg, vegetarian meal, bammy, breadfruit, nuggets, burgers; something for the whole family."

Thompson's jerk chicken, however, is the crown jewel.

"All our returning customers love our chicken. It's always nice, succulent. It's the same supplier, same seasoning, same method," she boasted. And the reviews from across the world agree.

According to Thompson, her shop has been featured on BBC One with Clive Myrie, showcasing Boston Bay as the epicentre of jerk.

"They came and tried everybody's jerk and ours was the absolute best," she said. "People still come and say, 'I saw you on BBC and had to try it for myself.'"

"My spouse's grandparents Miss Gurley and Maas Aston started this. We raise our own pig, do our own seasoning, and even the butchering here."

Still, modern challenges persist. The once rough road to Portland turned customers away, and while it has improved, Thompson said more can be done especially with tourism coordination.

"When the ships come in, they don't stop here. The tour buses don't bring them. But people want the experience. They want to eat the jerk, see the beach, and learn about the culture. Give them the 'Boston Bus Stand Experience', a quarter pork and a Red Stripe. People would love that."

During THE STAR's visit, the Boston Jerk Centre was a buzz of activity, with tourists lining up for pork, several buses pulling in, and couples snapping photos as they waited for their food.

"Anyweh people come from, them come here come all buy the seasoning," said Dione 'Dibbo' Ranks, a staple in the Boston jerk community. "So if them even can't come here, them have part a the formula."