The perfect rendering of jerk chicken is tender, juicy, herb-laced, smoky, spicy, sweet and fruity. As nuanced and complex as its past, when done right it’s easy to understand why this is Jamaica’s most beloved dish.
‘Jerking’ originally referred to the slow cooking of meat – traditionally wild boar – seasoned with foraged herbs and spices and roasted underground on smouldering pimento wood. This method was adopted in the 17th century by the Maroons, an alliance of Indigenous peoples and African slaves who used the technique to conceal smoke and protect their communities. A cuisine forged through ingenuity and defiance, jerk carries Jamaica’s living spirit and historic soul.
Ingredients
- Chicken thigh fillets
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Watercress
- Tomato salsa
- 5″ corn or wheat tortilla
- Pickled cucumber
Jerk marinade
- 1 tablespoon whole allspice (pimento)
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 120g pineapple wedge, charred hard
- 1 small brown onion, roughly chopped
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger
- ½ bunch fresh thyme
- 2–3 chillies (or habanero), seeds in
- 200ml neutral oil
- Zest of 2 limes
- 120ml lime juice
- 30ml apple cider vinegar
- 40ml light soy sauce
- 30ml Jamaican rum
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses (optional)
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf, crushed
Method
Warm the allspice, peppercorns, coriander and fennel seeds in a dry pan until fragrant. Crush lightly in a mortar. Throw the pineapple wedge directly over a flame or into a smoking-hot pan. You want deep blackening. This brings caramel, smoke and acidity. Place onion, garlic, ginger, thyme and chillies in a blender. Pour in the oil, lime juice, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and molasses. Add the toasted spices, nutmeg, cinnamon and bay leaf, then blitz till thick but pourable.
Pierce the chicken thighs all over, immerse in the marinade, massaging to coat each piece completely. Refrigerate for 2 hours to overnight. Cook as desired, serve in warmed tortillas with avocado, sour cream, watercress, salsa and pickled cucumbers.
Kitchen notes
Pickled cucumbers can be as easy or as complicated as you like – and most chefs will have their own method. In their simplest form, dust cucumber pieces with salt and sugar for n hour or two, then marinate in a sweetened vinegar mix.
Jerk is a deeply versatile marinade. While it’s most famously paired with chicken, the same bold, aromatic kick works just as well with pork, goat, beef and even hearty vegetables.
The ideal way to cook it is over charcoal – that kiss of smoke is part of jerk’s soul. But it adapts beautifully to ovens, pans and grills. Whatever the method, the goal stays the same. Juicy, tender and just a little bit charred.
Traditionally, the heat comes from fiery Scotch bonnets – fruity, floral and unapologetically hot – but you can adapt the chilli to suit your crowd.
Pineapple is a natural partner for jerk. Char it, dice it into a fresh salsa or pickle it for brightness. The sweet-acid hit cuts through the spice in all the right ways.
