I had the opportunity to have lunch with the inimitable Jeff Houck, cuisine connoisseur, food writer, and purveyor of gas station vittles, last week. Following his lead, we visited the new Jerk Hut Jamaican restaurant that recently relocated to the Mobil gas station at the corner of Gandy and Dale Mabry. It was a fun adventure since Jeff brought a couple of co-workers, and we tag-teamed several dishes.

Jerk Hut founder, Jamaican-born Andrew Ashmeade, opened his first Caribbean-inspired restaurant on North Nebraska Ave in 1993 after refining his cuisine in the back of a heavy metal bar two years prior. The basis of his creations, as the name states, is his Jerk sauce, a secret family recipe red sauce made by combining herbs, peppers, and spices. Meat is then marinated in the mix before being slowly grilled. Ashmeade named his concoction Andrew’s Original Redd Sauce.

I love the stuff! When done right, the brew has enough hot kick to make it interesting, and the other herbs and peppers take your tongue on a taste adventure. My gold standard for the Tampa area is the sauce once served at Cepha’s Hot Shop in Ybor City. While Cepha’s is no longer open, it left an indelible mark on my palette.

All dishes here are served in Styrofoam containers, as might be expected at a service station. I start with Oxtail, a traditional Jamaican comfort food. It has the texture of beef and is stewed with carrots and butter beans in a savory brown gravy and served on the bone. There’s enough fat to give it “mouth” but not make it greasy. It is outstanding. The rice and beans are next level, benefitting from the dripping of that oxtail.

The star-shaped bone is the signature of authentic oxtail. Look at that juicy meat!

Jeff orders curried goat. Like the oxtail, it is served on a bed of rice and beans and a side of steamed cabbage. The brown meat has a yellow tint from Andrew's Jamaican curry sauce. My bite is tender and brimming with flavor.

Next up is Curry Chicken Roti, Jerk Huts version of a wrap. It is huge! A large tortilla is stuffed with curried chicken, rice & beans, lettuce, and tomato and served with Andrew's Redd sauce.

Last up is the house Jerk Pork meal. It’s a heap of well-done pork, flavored with more of that Andrew’s sauce and chopped into chunks all topping a large potion of those beans and rice. The sauce brings the flavor out in the pork but doesn’t overwhelm it.

Jerk Hut has four locations. Two of them are restaurants, and two of them are quick service “express” sites, like this one at the Mobil station, which serves a limited menu. However, there is a community table here where we were able to share and meet Tim, a delightful food adventurer as well.

Jerk Hut Community table at the express is nice for dining in and meeting like-minded diners.

Locations are 1241 East Fowler Ave (Jerk Huts mother ship), 500 North Florida Ave, Seminole Heights Express,1045 East Hillsborough Ave., and the South Tampa Express. 3699 West Gandy Blvd.

The menu at their express location is limited, but covers a range of Jamaican food favorites

Jerk Hut is in the Mobil gas station at the northeast corner of Dale Mabry and Gandy Blvd.

If you go, go hungry or bring a friend. The potions are large. Service is super friendly; prices are moderate, and the food is the real deal Jamaican, mon!

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