Real Jamaican Jerk Chicken recipe

Jerk is one of the most popular styles of Jamaican cooking. It is used for cooking meat, traditionally pork or goat, but nowadays chicken and fish as well. All jerk dishes are spicy, even fiery, but they can be very tasty and are appreciated by many spice lovers.

The main underground behind the flavor of jerk is in the preparing of the meat. This is done by marinading the meat in a combination of spices known as "Jamaican jerk spice". Ideally, you should marinade the meat over night in the 'fridge and then cook the following day. Rather than just letting the marinade soak into the meat, I would suggest making some light cuts in the surface of the meat, and rubbing the marinade into these as well as the meat generally.

Meat Casseroles

As already mentioned, Jamaican jerk spice is a authentically a combination of some spices. It gets most of its flavor from two single ingredients, namely Jamaican allspice (also known as "pimento" or "pimenta") and Scotch bell peppers. Jerk spice also regularly contains some other spices such as garlic, cloves, cinnamon and thyme, and is regularly mixed with chopped onions and/or scallions before being applied to the meat.

The best way to cook jerk chicken is over a charcoal barbecue grill. Ideally, you should place some pimento wood or berries on the grill - but if this is not potential you can put some hickory or apple on the coals instead. Of course, barbecuing meat is not all the time possible, for example while the Winter or if you live in a city - in that case, you can instead roast the meat in a normal kitchen oven, and still get good results.

Real Jamaican Jerk Chicken recipe

Relate Link all clad copper core 3 quart saute with lid

How to Make the excellent Jamaican Jerk Sauce For Chicken

It is believed that they Maroons created Jerk Chicken when they brought cooking techniques form Africa to Jamaica. The techniques were then added to by the Jamaican ingredients and jerk seasoning that the Arawak used. They would smoke the meat for a long period of time for two reasons. One, to keep away the insects that infest Jamaica. Two, to preserve the meat for a much longer time after the cooking process was complete. This smoking also gave the meat it marvelous smoky flavor.

There are two major theories on the origin or the word "Jerk". First, that is was derived from the Spanish word "Charqui", that the Spanish use to denote dried meat. Then over a long period of time this word evolved to "Jerky" and the "Jerk". The second principles consists of the name arrival from the act of jerking or poking holes into the meat and stuffing them with spice before the cooking process. Today the word "Jerk" is used as a verb to tell a method of cooking and as a noun to tell the jerk seasonings used in jerk food.

Meat Casseroles

To make the perfect Jamaican Jerk Sauce for Chicken to feed four population you will need the following:

One 3 1/2 lb chicken (3lb of chicken breasts may be used if preferred)
1 scotch bonnet pepper (jalapenos may be used if scotch bonnet peppers are unavailable)
2 Tbsp. Thyme
2 Tbsp. Ground allspice
8 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 Medium onions, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Salt
2 Tsp. Ground black pepper
1 to 2 Tsp of the following (to taste)
-ground cinnamon
-nutmeg
-ginger
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
Juice of one lime
1 cup orange juice
1 cup white vinegar

To Prepare:

1. First chop the garlic, onions and peppers. They need not be chopped to finely because they will later be liquified with a blender.
2. Take all ingredients except the chicken and place them into a blender until all is liquified
3. Cut chicken into fourths
4. Rub the chicken with the sauce making sure to set some aside for basting and dipping
5. Soak chicken in the sauce overnight to marinade the chicken

To Cook:

1. Backing on over on 425 for 30 minutes, then turn the meat over, give it a good basting, and let bake for an added thirty minutes
2. You can also grill the chicken slowly, making sure to rotating and basting it on a consistent basis. For best results use pimento wood or charcoal bricks.

To Serve:

1. Cut each quarter of chicken in to five to six smaller pieces
2. Serve with Jamaican rice, salad and hardo bread with the remaining jerk sauce as a dip.

How to Make the excellent Jamaican Jerk Sauce For Chicken

Relate Link kitchenaid gourmet distinctions 10 piece set anolon advanced bronze 12 inch covered calphalon unison nonstick 12 omelette pan