About Uncle Dennis
Our Story
At Uncle Dennis' Jerk Food, we're more than just a mobile catering and food business—we're on a mission to bring the bold, authentic flavors of Jamaica to Central Texas. Whether you're a local or just passing through, we’re here to share a true taste of the island.
But it's not just about great food. We're all about building community, celebrating culture, and adding a little extra spice to the local food scene. For us, it’s about connection, heritage, and creating something meaningful—one delicious meal at a time.
Taste the Flavor at Uncle Dennis
Our cooking method
We prepare our meats and seafood over an Open Fire utilizing a Santa Maria style grill. Traditional Jamaican Jerk food is prepared on pimento sticks over a bed of wood and charcoal embers. Since we in the US do not have ready access to pimento wood, we use imported pimento chips to infuse the meats with the smoke emanated from burning the chips.
Cooking meat like large pork shoulders over indirect heat will yield perfectly smoked and delicious roasts. Our usual practice is to suspend the meat over the heat source to slowly roast it close to the desired internal temperature. At this stage of the cook, we move the meat closer to the fire to create color and a "bark" on it. The large roast will finish tender and incredibly tasty after the fat has been rendered and the convective tissues broken down.
what is open fire cooking?
Open fire cooking is not new and dates back hundreds of years. It includes a variety of cooking styles using hardwood, charcoal or a combination of both as the fuel source.
Today a re-emergence of open-fire cooking is practiced by people from all walks of life, including celebrated chefs from every continent. People are experiencing the primal satisfaction of cooking with natural elements and creating the perfect atmosphere for a meal outdoors. In fact, the desire to master open-fire cooking has created a demand for classes, workshops and competitions designed to educate and enhance the outdoor cooking experience. For many, the attraction to open-fire cooking isn’t so much about being a professional chef, but honing a craft that is totally unplugged from the high-tech world that takes up so much of our lives. Open-fire cooking is a practical skill and still delicate enough a process to be considered an art. Unlike its close cousin (barbeque), open-fire cooking does not rely on thermometers, phone timers, or recipes found online. Instead, its about slowing down, reconnecting with nature, and doing the hard work of crafting a meal by hand – with no shortcuts.