It's Time For Jerk Chicken

1voyager

Marinated drumsticks and boneless skin-on thighs in homemade jerk sauce for 24 hours.

The setup:

Platesetter with legs down, aluminum foil balls under drip pan, grate sitting on top of the drip pan. This configuration resulted in the grate being about 1" above the gasket. 

350 degrees @ dome, 390 degrees @ grate. It was 35 degrees outside, so it took almost 2 hours to stabilize.

Here we go...



I set the vents wide open and seared for 15 minutes, then flipped the pieces and seared for another 30 minutes. Flipped one more time and seared until temperature reached 160 degrees. (About ten more minutes.) 

Served immediately with wild rice and warmed marinade on the side.



Great heat from the Scotch Bonnets. Skin was crispy. I must say this was dang good.

Hub

Man that looks good! Jerk chicken is one of my favorites, but I rarely cook it right.  Looks like you nailed it!

1voyager

Thanks, @Hub - If I can do it, you can do it. 

JohnInCarolina

Aww heLL yes!!!

1voyager

Thanks, @JohnInCarolina

lousubcap

@1voyager Love jerk chicken.  Great results right there.
Care to share your jerk sauce recipe?  Asking for me.  

Gulfcoastguy

Jerk chicken 

stv8r

That looks amazing. I've always used Walkerswood jerk seasoning myself but also would love to see your recipe.

I've been to Jamaica several times and asked our cabbie to take me to the best jerk chicken place.  He took us to Scotchies.  It was very authentic with large branches of pimento wood on the fire and all the chicken covered with corrugated metal sheets.  It was good however I was very shocked at how mild the seasoning was.   Another time we had it where they cooked the chicken in a pit in the ground over Pimento wood (another place)and that was fiery hot and oh so delicious!  Wondering if Scotchies gave us mild because we were American lol?

caliking

Very nice!! 

Habaneros can be used, but we also like the flavor and heat of scotch bonnets more.

cookingdude555

stv8r said:

That looks amazing. I've always used Walkerswood jerk seasoning myself but also would love to see your recipe.

I've been to Jamaica several times and asked our cabbie to take me to the best jerk chicken place.  He took us to Scotchies.  It was very authentic with large branches of pimento wood on the fire and all the chicken covered with corrugated metal sheets.  It was good however I was very shocked at how mild the seasoning was.   Another time we had it where they cooked the chicken in a pit in the ground over Pimento wood (another place)and that was fiery hot and oh so delicious!  Wondering if Scotchies gave us mild because we were American lol?

Anywhere they take you to is not authentic. It doesn’t mean it’s not good, it’s just a tourist spot. If you saw white people there, it wasn’t where the locals were eating. I lived in Jamaica for a few years, and the best jerk stands were on the side of the road, usually cooked in a single 55 gallon drum pit (in Kingston/Spanish town or somewhere else not touristy like mobay or ochi). Jerk is so varied too, authentic can be many things. 

CPARKTX2

That looks fantastic!

1voyager

lousubcap said:

@1voyager Love jerk chicken.  Great results right there.
Care to share your jerk sauce recipe?  Asking for me.  

Thank-you. I'm happy to share.

Make the paste 2 days in advance.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (I prefer yellow)

3 medium scallions, chopped

3 Scotch bonnets, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon five-spice powder

1 tablespoon allspice

1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (or powder)

3 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 cup soy sauce 

1 tablespoon peanut oil

Combine ingredients in a food processor and blend to a paste, then store in refrigerator for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, put chicken parts in a Ziploc bag or other sealable container and coat with Jerk Paste. Return to refrigerator for another 24 hours. Flip several times to ensure all parts are coated evenly.

(Double the paste recipe if going with spatched chicken.)

A note on Scotch bonnets...

Whether you love heat or hate it, at least 1 Scotch bonnet must be used. It's not just about the heat. It's the taste. Substituting Habanero comes close. Jalapeño gives a totally different taste. It's good, but the paste isn't Jerk.

1 pepper - almost no heat

2 peppers - mild heat, about the range of Texas Pete

3 peppers - Now we're talking serious heat, more like Tabasco or Franks Red Hot

I've used 4 peppers and it turned out great, but many people will think it's too hot.

dstearn

I have always used Walkerswood but, I will am looking forward to trying your recipe.
Did you use Pimento wood for smoke?

1voyager

@dstearn - I didn't use Pimento wood. Just Rockwood lump.

loco_engr

Is there a close substitute for Pimento wood?

dstearn

loco_engr said:

Is there a close substitute for Pimento wood?

Not really, I always use Pimento Wood chips in a foil pack when smoking jerk. Pimentowood.com is the only source that I am aware of. They used to sell pimento sticks and leaves but they have been out of stock for some time. The wood chips do make a difference.