05/25/2026
This weekend, I had the honor of cooking for Adan’s graduation party up in Georgia 🎓🔥. I wanted to show some extra love, so everything was made from scratch and kept as authentic as possible.
The star of the show was definitely the jerk pork 🇯🇲🐖. It was marinated for over 24 hours in a flavorful blend of homemade green seasoning, jerk paste, and jerk dry rub that was made back home in Miami. To bring that authentic island flavor, we cooked it over pimiento leaves and filled the smoke box with apple wood chunks, fresh thyme, pimiento leaves and berries, whole nutmeg, and cinnamon sticks — all to recreate that traditional pimento wood smoke as closely as possible.
At the same time, a Cuban-style pork shoulder was roasting away in the oven 🇨🇺🔥, marinated overnight in homemade mojo and packed with classic Cuban flavors. Between both pigs, the aromas and flavors definitely transported people straight to the islands.
Everything was paired with spicy pear chutney, abuela’s black beans, cilantro green sauce, and plenty of other delicious sides. Nothing better than feeding family and friends with food made with love❤️🔥