jamaican jerk pork loin

Ingredients

• 2 cups coarsely chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 to 4 Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 (1 1/2-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
• Cooking spray

• Place first 15 ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth.
• Slice pork lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Open halves, laying each side flat. Slice each half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side; open flat. Combine pork and green onion mixture in a dish or large zip-top plastic bag. Cover or seal; marinate in refrigerator 3 to 24 hours. Remove pork from dish or bag; discard remaining marinade.
• Prepare grill.
• Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side or until meat thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink).

Note: This fiery barbecue was invented by runaway slaves as a means of preserving meats without refrigeration. Here, we butterfly the pork tenderloin to increase the surface area for the Scotch bonnet pepper marinade to penetrate.