Jerk Chicken
Chicken marinated in Scotch bonnet, allspice and thyme, then cooked low over pimento wood smoke until charred and juicy.
Origin & history
Jerk cooking developed with the Maroon communities of Jamaica's Blue Mountains, who seasoned and slow-cooked meat over pimento wood. The technique and the marinade — Scotch bonnet, allspice, thyme, scallion and ginger — are a Jamaican national tradition. Boston Bay in Portland is celebrated as the home of roadside jerk pits.
Ingredients
Quantities recalculate automatically.
Marinade
Chicken
To serve
The method
Step by step
- 01
Blend the marinade
8 minBlend all marinade ingredients to a coarse paste. Wear gloves when handling Scotch bonnets.
Do not touch your face after handling the chillies.
- 02
Score and marinate
15 minScore the chicken deeply to the bone and rub the paste into the cuts. Marinate overnight in the fridge.
- 03
Set up a low fire
20 minPrepare a charcoal grill for indirect low heat, around 150°C, with soaked pimento or bay wood chips for smoke.
- 04
Cook low and slow
40 minCook the chicken skin-side up over indirect heat for 40 minutes, lid on, turning every 10 minutes.
- 05
Char the skin
5 minMove over direct heat for the last 5 minutes to blister and char the skin, basting with reserved marinade.
- 06
Rest and serve
10 minRest 10 minutes, then serve with rice and peas and fried plantain.
Chef tips
- — Score the chicken so the marinade reaches the bone.
- — Keep the lid on to hold the smoke.
Common mistakes
- — Cooking over high heat, which burns the outside before the bone cooks.
- — Using too little allspice — it is the backbone flavour.
Substitutions
- Scotch bonnet → HabaneroSame heat family.
- Pimento wood → Bay leaves and allspice berries on the coalsClosest home approximation.
Storage & serving
Refrigerate cooked chicken up to 3 days. Marinated raw chicken keeps 2 days.
Serve with rice and peas, festival dumplings and a cooling slaw.
Food safety
Chicken must reach 75°C at the thickest part. Never reuse marinade that touched raw chicken unless boiled.
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