FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE - SMOKIN' NEW EXCLUSIVE JERK GRILLING PRODUCTS HIT THE U.S.!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November
5, 2011
Company Contact:
Gary
Feblowitz
Exotic Wood Chips, LLC
12201 Minnetonka Blvd
Minnetonka, MN 55305
Exotic Wood Chips, LLC
12201 Minnetonka Blvd
Minnetonka, MN 55305
612-868-JERK
U.S.
importer of Jamaican pimento wood, leaves and charcoal,
enabling
BBQ lovers to stop jerking around
– and start jerking for real!
It’s
a fact, Jerk
Today,
in the US, 54% of people use wood chips to BBQ. One quarter of all Americans
prefer jerk style as their favorite flavor of BBQ and now they can be satiated.
Twin
Cities-based director of photography for TV and jerk cooking fanatic, Gary
Feblowitz, has traveled the world working for Discovery, Travel and Food
networks. Feblowitz became obsessed with the taste of Jamaican jerk. “I brought
back all of the spices and recipes from Jamaica but I just could not replicate
that taste.” Then it dawned on him: “It’s the smoke that gives jerk its unique
flavor!” Smoke from the Jamaican Allspice Tree – called Pimento Wood.
It
took seven years and everything but a machete to cut through the red tape, but
Feblowitz, the self proclaimed “Jerk Master” and founder of PimentoWood.com, finally succeeded where
all other importers failed:
He
became America’s only importer of pimento wood, the essential wood for
authentic Jamaican jerk cooking – and now PimentoWood.com has taken delivery of
America’s first ever shipment of pimento wood natural lump charcoal.
For
those familiar with Jamaica, you will know that, even there, it is hard to come
by a regular supply of Pimento Wood Charcoal. “We spend a year gathering from
various pimento farmers and bring it in only once per year.”
“And
because pimento wood is so dense, the coal burns almost twice as long as
typical store-bought lump coal. And nothing else comes close to its authentic
Jamaican jerk flavor.”
Why Pimento Wood?
While
jerk seasonings can vary, purists agree that the one indispensable element of
truly authentic Jamaican jerk cooking is the Jamaican allspice tree – and not
just the wood.
“The crushed berries are
rubbed into the skin,” writes the New York
Times. “The wood burns hot and slow; the green leaves are tossed on the fire, releasing a sweet smoke that flavors
the meat with a warm, woody pepperiness.”
Every jerker puts an
individual spin on the cooking process, but most follow the precepts outlined
by celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern in a Mpls-St. Paul magazine
article on jerk chicken:
“The best jerk-chicken stands lay the
chicken on a bed of wet pimento leaves and sticks on the opposite side of the
grill, far away from the hot fire so
the wood and leaves don’t burn.
The wood acts like a cedar plank, infusing the roasting bird with plenty of
gutsy flavor, while the indirect cooking
method works wonders on the chicken.”
And
the crowd goes... Ya Mon!!
Word
travelled fast. Tim McKee, the James Beard Award winning Chef, was astounded
when he first met Feblowitz. "I can't believe I found pimento wood in the
US, then I learned the sole importer is in my back yard - Minnetonka! Are you
kidding? What are the chances?" Three months later, he opened Smalley's
Caribbean BBQ in Stillwater, the first restaurant in the US to use pimento
wood smoke.
“Jamaica
is very protective of pimento wood,” explains Feblowitz. “Back in the 1950s,
the entire population was nearly lost to overharvesting by umbrella manufacturers,
who used the trees’ dense wood for umbrella handles. Today the Jamaican
government treats the allspice tree as the national treasure that it is, and
consequently monitors exports very closely.”
It
took Feblowitz several years to clear all the red tape – both in Jamaica and
the United States – before he was granted permission to import pimento wood
products.
How did he succeed where
others failed? “We take all of the tree, and we only harvest ones that are past
their fruiting stage and trees that are damaged by storms. Moreover, we ensure
sustainability by planting three trees for each one we take. And much of our
profits go back to the pimento farmers.
Where to obtain Pimento
Wood products
The
easiest way to shop Feblowitz’s entire stock of pimento wood products is by
ordering directly from his web site, PimentoWood.com. Recently, however,
he has been supplying Twin Cities’ retailers, including Kitchen Window, with
jerk cooking kits.
Jerk
On! About PimentoWood.comIn addition to selling the newly available
pimento wood all natural lump charcoal, PimentoWood.com sells the full range
of pimento tree products, including leaves, sticks, wood chips, Jerk Planks™
and authentic Jamaican sauces. Kits are available to fit your
personality. Are you a “Lil Jerk”, “Total Jerk” or “Supreme Jerk”?
No comments:
Post a Comment