for the first time were awful.

I've always wanted to try them since I spotted them in my local supermarket's freezer section a few years ago since moving from Jersey. I've been to Jamaica before but have never tried them there and can't compare.

I bit into a couple of bits of gristle and the crust was hard and thick and I was just so turned off.

Yes, making them from scratch might be the way to go. A coworker told me he enjoyed them in an ethnic downtown Philly restaurant and enjoyed them.