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Bajan jug jug
Pigeon peas and salt meat mash
Jug jug: Barbados Christmas pigeon peas, salt meats and guinea corn
Jug jug belongs to Christmas in Barbados, served alongside baked ham and roast pork on the big lunch table: green pigeon peas and salted beef and salted pork, cooked tender and minced, then stirred with guinea corn (sorghum) flour, herbs and onion into a thick, savoury, mouldable mash. Its roots are often traced to Scottish settlers' haggis and West African grain cookery, and it tastes rich, salty and herby. The common mistake is not soaking the salt meats long enough, which makes the whole pot too salty to eat; soak them overnight in plenty of water. Cook until the minced meat mixture is piping hot (71 °C) throughout. Chef's tip: stir in the sorghum flour a spoonful at a time while the pot bubbles, like making polenta, so it never turns lumpy.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz salted beef
- 10 ½ oz salted pork
- 2 lb green pigeon peasfrozen, or 3 tins drained
- 2 litres water
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 4 spring onionsfinely chopped
- 1 tbsp thyme leaves
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 3 tbsp parsleychopped
- ½ scotch bonnet pepperfinely chopped
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 ½ oz guinea corn (sorghum) flouror millet flour
- ½ tsp black pepper
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Soak 10 ½ oz salted beef and 10 ½ oz salted pork overnight in plenty of cold water in the fridge, changing the water once.
720 minStep 2: Drain, put the meats in a large pot with 2 litres water, bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes, until tender. Add 2 lb green pigeon peas for the last 25 minutes and cook until soft.
75 minStep 3: Drain, keeping 800 ml of the cooking liquid. Cut the meat into chunks and pulse with the peas in a food processor (or pass through a mincer) until coarsely minced.
Step 4: In a large heavy pot, warm 2 tbsp vegetable oil and soften 1 onion, 4 spring onions, 1 tbsp thyme leaves, 1 tsp dried marjoram and ½ scotch bonnet pepper for 5 minutes.
5 minStep 5: Add the minced meat and peas and the reserved liquid and bring to a simmer.
Step 6: Sprinkle in 3 ½ oz guinea corn (sorghum) flour a spoonful at a time, stirring hard, then cook over a low heat for 25–30 minutes, stirring often, until very thick, the raw grain taste has gone and the mixture is piping hot throughout.
30 minStep 7: Stir in 3 tbsp parsley and ½ tsp black pepper, taste (it rarely needs salt) and press into a buttered bowl or dish. Turn out and serve warm in slices. It keeps 3 days in the fridge.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bajan jug jug take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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