Bermunchies: Jerk Off in de Park 2014

Last weekend, BERMUNCHIES was invited to be guest judges at the “Jerk Off in de Park” 2014 jerk recipe competition which was held at the Lemon Tree Cafe. Just like many others, I have to admit when I saw the event name I got a good laugh – it was way out of the norm than most advertised events and a great play with words that gained enough attention to fill the park on Friday. BERMUNCHIES just had to get involved somehow and I was ecstatic when we were invited to taste some of the best jerk pork and chicken of seven self-proclaimed Bermudian chefs and what they had to offer.

The vibe at the Lemon Tree Cafe was electric and from the looks of it the sights and the smells made everyone feel like they were at an authentic Jerk throw down in the heart of Jamaica. We were a bit early but on arrival we were greeted by the Lemon Tree’s owner Brendon Huttick who was all smiles when he issued us with the official Jerk Off tee, vote card and a Carib beer.

As the evening went on the park started to fill with the aroma of smokey spices with the crowd quickly observing the chefs organizing their positions. Going into this, I definitely underestimated how much food I would be consuming. We had to sample 7 different tastes of jerk chicken AND pork, all delivering their uniqueness in their own fashion. It was great and WELL WORTH the $25 entry fee for other interested foodies.

Making the way around the various entrants I was drawn to several ones in particular. Entry number 5 was one of my favourites and thought to be a certified winner. Not only did the jerk pork have the spicy kick that is expected in a jerk recipe but it was also perfectly smoked as if you could literally taste that the meat had been cooked in a barrel BBQ. (Editor’s note: you could see people in tears because of #5 spicy kick)  Entrant number 7 served his creation with a choice of two sauces; the first was similar to a BBQ sauce base with an added kick and the second mixture was similar to oil which was infused with habanero peppers. The sauce was SO spicy I felt like my mouth was on fire. I love spicy foods, but that definitely threw me off a bit and I joined the many others in the crowd with their cup of ice water to ease the pain.

Another favourite of mine, who went on to being crowned Jerk Off champion was entry number one made by Leslie Tucker. Leslie’s chicken was perfectly cooked and moist while having the right blend of sweet and spice. The sauce that he served complemented the meat very well. He even had popcorn topped with jerk seasoning at his station – going over and beyond!

All in all, The Jerk off in De Park event was tremendous success. There is a huge foodie community in Bermuda who loved to immerse themselves in cultural cuisine and the turnout for this event alone shows that there is a demand for food festivals similar events to this. We hope that the Jerk Off in de Park competition becomes an annual event and opens doors to many other competitions in the future. Did anyone say fishcakes?

Where you there? What did you think of the event and which was your favourite?

Check out more pics here

Jerk Off in de Park 2014