Jerk Chicken

The story

Jerk Chicken is a Jamaican main with a clear sense of place. Jerk is rooted in Jamaican Maroon and Indigenous cooking traditions, with meat seasoned and cooked slowly over aromatic wood and smoke. Modern jerk centres on allspice, Scotch bonnet and thyme. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Ingredients

• 1800 g bone-in chicken legs and thighs
• 150 g Spring onions
• 3 piece Scotch bonnet chillies
• 25 g Garlic
• 20 g fresh ginger
• 15 g fresh thymeleaves
• 2 tbsp ground allspice
• 40 ml soy sauce
• 45 ml lime juice
• 25 g dark brown sugar
• 0.25 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 25 ml neutral oil

Method

1. Blend spring onions, Scotch bonnet, garlic, ginger,

   Blend spring onions, Scotch bonnet, garlic, ginger, thyme, allspice, soy, lime, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, salt and oil into a coarse wet paste.

   Tip: Use two-zone fire. Smoke and moderate heat cook the chicken; direct flame at the end creates the signature char. Avoid: Direct high heat from the start burns sugar and spices before chicken cooks; timid seasoning produces grilled chicken rather than jerk.

2. Slash the thickest parts of the chicken

   Slash the thickest parts of the chicken and massage in the marinade, including under loose skin. Refrigerate at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.

3. Set up a charcoal barbecue for two-zone

   Set up a charcoal barbecue for two-zone cooking, with a cooler side and a hotter finishing zone. Bring the chicken out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking.

4. Cook mostly over indirect heat with the

   Cook mostly over indirect heat with the lid closed for 30–35 minutes, turning occasionally and brushing with reserved marinade only if that marinade has been boiled first.

5. Move the chicken over direct heat for

   Move the chicken over direct heat for the final 5–10 minutes, turning frequently to build dark char without burning the sugar and spices.

6. Rest 8 minutes before chopping or serving

   Rest 8 minutes before chopping or serving. The meat should be fully cooked and juicy with a smoky, spicy crust.

   Look for: Chicken reaches safe internal temperature at the thickest part and juices run clear while skin is darkly charred but not acrid.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.