Usain Jolt - 2024
IN SHORT…
Conceptually, our simplest effort: a Jamaican jerk sauce with tons of fermented complexity and a generous amount of smoke. To be clear, neither of us have ever been to Jamaica, so this is less about authenticity and more about making the flavors work in our style. And, after two or three years of making this one, we have really come to enjoy the balance of fruitiness from the Scotch Bonnets, the citrusy bite from the limes, the herbaceousness from the green onions and thyme, the exotic spice from the ginger and allspice, and the umami from the soy. In Jamaica this sort of sauce would be primarily used as a marinade for grilled chicken, pork or fish, but we think it works well as a finishing sauce too.
This sauce was low-temperature pasteurized and a tiny amount of preservative (potassium sorbate) was added to prevent re-fermentation. While technically shelf stable, we would strongly recommend keeping it refrigerated to help preserve its flavor.
Common Allergens: Onion/Garlic, Soybeans, Wheat
This sauce is vegan.
-
Scotch Bonnet Peppers, Carrots, Orange Cherry Tomatoes, Spring Water, White Soy Sauce, Spring Onions, Gypsy Peppers, San Marzano Tomatoes, Scallions, Date Syrup, Ginger, Kosher Salt, Garlic, White Wine Vinegar, Turmeric, Allspice, Thyme, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate
-
While most of our sauces feature an array of peppers, this is really about just one: Scotch Bonnets, a nearly perfect pepper variety that offers tons of heat but also tons of citrusy, floral, fruity personality. All of the Scotch Bonnets in Usain Jolt were grown from a second year plant - meaning one that was overwintered indoors - in Tim’s garden in central Maryland.
Many of the other ingredients -including the spring onions, scallions, ginger, and thyme - came from Martins Farms, a small grower of vegetables and herbs based in Perry Hall, about 30 minutes northeast of Baltimore.
The carrots came from Bartenfelder Farms in Preston on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and we believe the turmeric - which is primarily added to help with color - came from there too, but Tim’s notes are incomplete.
Of course, some ingredients came from further away. The date syrup we used came from datelady, an operation based in Missouri that sources primarily Californian dates. And some ingredients will forever be a mystery. Who knows where the citric acid came from? If we had to guess, it would likely be China, but it is pure - which is all that matters with citric acid - and we strongly prefer it to lemon or lime juice that would surely oxidize and turn bitter in the sauce by the time it arrived at your home.
-
As our focus in 2024 was on our other Jerk Sauce - LW50 - only one small batch of Usain Jolt was made.
As with our other sauces, the seeds, stems and placentas (“ribs”) were removed from all of the peppers. The carrots and most of the orange cherry tomatoes were smoked over hickory wood. The rest of the orange cherry tomatoes, the garlic and the spring onions were oven roasted. The allspice was toasted and ground from whole berries. Everything else was left uncooked.
All of the ingredients were vacuum sealed and fermented at 55°F for about three months, then left to rest and continue a very slow fermentation at 41°F for another month. From there it was pureed, thinned slightly with water, acid adjusted and backsweetened with date syrup. It was then gently pasteurized at 136.5°F, blended with tiny amounts of xanthan gum, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and potassium sorbate and then bottled.
-
As this is very similar to our other jerk sauce, LW50, we not sure there is a reason to make both of them. Moreover, Erin has another sauce in mind for 2025, so we will surely have to retire one from the current lineup and Mr. Jolt seems like the obvious choice.
