Jerk Chicken — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Chicken marinated in an electrifying paste of Scotch bonnet peppers, allspice, thyme, and garlic, then slow-smoked over pimento wood until the skin crackles and blackens while the meat stays impossibly juicy and infused with spicy, smoky, aromatic fire. This is the taste of Jamaica itself.

Ingredients

1.5kg chicken pieces (legs, thighs, breasts), scored deeply
6 Scotch bonnet peppers, deseeded for less heat
8 sprigs fresh thyme
6 scallions, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons ground allspice (pimento)
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Juice of 3 limes
60ml vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons white vinegar
Salt to taste

Instructions

1 Blend all the marinade ingredients (Scotch bonnets, thyme, scallions, garlic, allspice, pepper, soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, vinegar, salt) into a thick, fiery paste. The aroma should be intense and complex.
2 Score the chicken pieces deeply to the bone. Wearing gloves, rub the jerk paste into every slash and crevice, ensuring complete coverage. Place in a container, cover, and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. The longer the better.
3 Prepare a charcoal grill for indirect cooking, using pimento (allspice) wood chips if available, soaked in water. The traditional smoky flavor comes from this specific wood.
4 Remove chicken from fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Place on the cooler side of the grill, skin-side up. Cover and smoke for 30-40 minutes at 160-175C (320-350F).
5 Move the chicken to the hot side of the grill and cook for 10-15 minutes, turning frequently, until the skin is deeply charred and caramelized and the internal temperature reaches 75C (165F).
6 Alternatively, for oven cooking: roast at 190C (375F) for 35-40 minutes, then finish under a hot broiler for 5 minutes to char the skin.
7 Let rest for 5 minutes, then chop through the bone with a heavy knife in the traditional Jamaican style. Serve with rice and peas, festival (fried dumplings), and extra Scotch bonnet sauce on the side.

Did You Know?

Jerk cooking originated with the Maroons, escaped enslaved Africans who used the indigenous Taino smoking technique and African spicing to preserve and flavor meat in Jamaica's Blue Mountains. The word 'jerk' likely comes from the Spanish 'charqui,' meaning dried meat.