Little Boston Bay Jerk Centre

March 2, 2013

Boston Bay, Portland, Jamaica W.I. – Ever since first learning that the Portland parish is where jerk cooking originated, I’ve been wanting to come to Portland to see for myself. It took eleven years but I finally made it to Portland this time.

Knowing about Little Boston Bay Jerk Centre, much less finding it, requires, I would say, expert knowledge of the area. My driver for the day, Glen Garwood of Jamaica Xplored, certainly qualifies. Little Boston Bay is one of dozens of jerk centers in the area, one of perhaps hundreds on the island. When I told Glen I wanted to try jerk cooking in Portland, this is where he brought us.

Little Boston Bay is a small blue shack, one of about a half dozen other centres on the street. When we arrived, one other patron was there. Uneven handmade wooden benches sit in front of a tile counter. Corrugated roofing provides shelter from the sun and rain. I noticed that the ‘ceiling’ on the side of the shack were the pork was being cooked was black from all the smoke. The ‘chicken side’ was getting there.

Most of the cooking was being done on the floor, where it looked like half of the cement foundation had been broken up and removed. Wood is lit on one side of the shack, and when it becomes red hot, it is placed under a rack made of pimento wood poles. On top of this, the meat is cooked. Corrugated zinc sheeting covers the meat while it cooks. At the time we were there, sausage and pork were being cooked. Every so often the cook would lift the sheet to check on the food. Every time he did so, smoke billowed up from beneath it. Chicken was being cooked in a traditional drum smoker over on the other side of the shack. I caught sight of a lobster on a rack in the back of the shack. A sign on the building said they served lobster so I asked the cook if he had any ready. He did. A separate grill elevated by brake drums cooked the lobster.

At most jerk centres on the island, you order meats by the quarter pound, half pound, or full pound. I’m not sure exactly how much of each Glen and I ordered, but we ended up with yams, festival, chicken, pork, sausage, and, yes, the lobster.

A couple of other customers drove up and stopped in. By now there were maybe five or six people there, all talking. Everything was irie…until someone asked me if I wanted anything to drink. I asked him if he had any Carib beer. Wrong answer. All conversation ceased. Sudden and complete silence. My mind raced trying to figure out what I had said. It quickly dawned on me which faux pas I had just committed: Carib is brewed in Trinidad and Tobago. Without getting into economics or politics, let’s just say that a lot of Jamaican jobs have gone southeast down to Trinidad. I probably should’ve asked for a Red Stripe but I asked for a Ting instead. The gentleman that asked what I wanted to drink went down the street to another store and returned with my soda.

Our food was now laid out in front of us. We were all set to eat and I was more than eager to find out how different jerk cooking here in Portland is from anywhere else on the island. In no specific order, here’s the rundown:

You can taste the smoke flavor in the yams. The flesh was not too firm, not too mushy either. The festival was your typical festival. I liked the taste but there was nothing about it that really stood out.

Moving over to the meats, the chicken was very tender. It was good enough to eat without needing any sauce. I would prefer a bit more jerk spice, though. As with most chicken you get from a jerk centre, watch out for the bones.

As with the chicken, the pork was so good it didn’t need any sauce, either. It was very well seasoned and cooked to perfection. Pretty much says it all right there. It was served on butcher paper.

The sausage links were sliced and served on butcher paper as well. They were very well seasoned. Kicking in pretty quickly, the spiciness really gets your attention. It’s just enough to take the flavor to another level without burning your mouth off. I’ve had jerk sausage once or twice before, but nothing like this. It was by far the best-tasting jerk sausage I have ever had! Just writing about it makes me crave another quarter pound right now.

Our whole lobster came to us on a Styrofoam plate, grilled, spiced, and split lengthwise. I was a bit nervous because I had never had jerk lobster before. Since it has a thicker flesh, it should handle jerk seasoning fairly well but I know, like with fish and even shrimp, too much seasoning can very easily overpower any type of seafood. I needn’t have worried. I took one bite and whoa! What an incredible flavor! It was seasoned well enough so that you know it is jerk seasoning but you can still taste the lobster itself. Ok, I am officially spoiled now.

By now the cook had put more meat on the fire. The smoke emanating from the pits smelled so good that even though we were already eating, it made me even hungrier.

If you are looking for a place that represents why the parish of Portland is known as the birthplace of jerk food, Little Boston Bay is about as good as it gets. Residents come from all over the island to get their jerk fix from here and the Boston Bay area. Next time I visit Jamaica, I will have to come back here to Little Boston Bay.

Little Boston Bay Jerk Centre – 4.5 forks. Very highly recommended. A true gem in the jewel of the Caribbean.