New Recipes by Teri Hiben

Collecting and using lots of recipes is a bit of a hobby for me. When I peruse my collection I find many old recipes like Mom’s No-Fail Pie Crust and chocolate chip cookies, my mother-in-law’s baked beans and Grandma’s Santa cookies. No substitutes will ever match these favorites in our family. I do, however, like to try new tastes and techniques from friends, classes, cookbooks, and cooking magazines.. Websites and blogs are great resources, too. Just check out our Marcel’s recipes on our website and you’ll see what I mean.

One more recent family favorite came by way of my son, Mark. Several years ago, Mark attended a friend’s graduation party. The host family hired a Caribbean grill guy who was grilling up some jerk chicken. On Mark’s third time through the line to load up his plate, he asked the grillmaster, “How do you make this? It’s just amazing!” It was a delighted man who taught Mark all about the components of a good jerk spice rub, about seasoning the chicken overnight so the meat can absorb the flavors and finally about his secret finishing sauce: a mango pepper sauce. The grill guy was so happy to have this focused, continually hungry pupil that he sent Mark home from the party with an aluminum tray full of his grilled chicken (in case Mark got hungry later) and a prized bottle of his mango pepper sauce. Fortunately Mark shared his loot with the rest of us and so began a new Hiben family favorite.

Years later, grilled jerk chicken is what Mark enjoys eating when he’s home from college. We’ve served it to many of the guests in our home, too, who have been equally delighted. You’ll be happy to hear that Marcel’s has the ingredients you’ll need to make your own jerk chicken at home this week!

This is what I do: I generously rub the chicken with some Caribbean Jerk Rub from s.a.l.t. sisters the night before serving. I’ve not been able to find the mango pepper sauce from the grill guy, but I have found that our Chili Dawg’s Mangobanero Habanero Pepper Spread, watered down with a bit of water (just enough to make a thick sauce), makes a perfect substitute. This recipe works equally well with a cut up chicken, a whole spatchcocked chicken or chicken breasts. Just grill the spice covered cuts of chicken as you normally do. About five minutes before removing the chicken from the grill, brush on the mango pepper spread and let the heat grill it to creat a perfectly glazed chicken. Sweet, spicy hot deliciousness!

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