Authentic Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
Stop buying jars of “authentic Jamaican jerk seasoning”! Making your own jerk seasoning at home is a lot easier than you think coming together in literally seconds!
Nailing the seasoning blend for jerk is only half the battle of authentic jerk-anything and lucky for you, this recipe lets you skip the guess work and the failed “secret sauce” science projects! It’s perfectly balanced with sweet & fiery scotch bonnet peppers and dark brown sugar – all blended together with ubiquitously Jamaican herbs and spices like thyme, allspice and scallions!
Jerk is the original boss of “Jamaican recipes.” The method of “jerk” originated from Maroons – a community of previously enslaved persons who had escaped to the mountains of Jamaica. The meat of choice (originally wild boar most times) was seasoned thoroughly, wrapped and then buried underground so as not to give away their location while it cooked over pimento (allspice) wood. The result was a deeply smoky and flavorful portion of meat that was tender and still juicy thanks to six or so hours of slow roasting.
Today, jerk has evolved to any and all types of meat including fish, rabbit, pork, chicken – anything your heart desires!
key ingredients
Allspice. A native spice that remains constant in jerk despite the evolution of jerk.
Scotch bonnet peppers. Jerk wouldn’t be jerk without the fiery kick of scotch bonnet peppers.
Thyme. One of the herbs in Jamaica’s “holy trinity” of aromatics. If a savory Jamaican recipe doesn’t call for thyme it simply can’t be Jamaican!
Scallions. Used for it’s sharp yet refreshing flavor to balance the richness in this rub.
Garlic. A staple in Jamaican cooking like most other cultures
Ginger. Plays both sides complementing the heat of the scotch bonnet peppers and the sweetness of the brown sugar.
Brown sugar. Needed to balance the heat of the scotch bonnet peppers and to help create the signature crisp “bark”on jerked meats.
tips for an authentic Jamaican jerk seasoning
& frequently asked questions
Use fresh herbs and vegetables. Fresh produce will give the most potent flavor and releases moisture when blended to omit the need to thin the rub with any lime juice or vinegar
What can I substitute for scotch bonnet peppers? Depending on where you live, authentic scotch bonnet peppers are hard to come by. If you’re having difficulty finding them habanero peppers will be the best substitute. Habanero peppers have a slightly smoky flavor as well naturally complementing an authentic jerk method!
Can I make authentic jerk in the oven? Nope. I hate to break it to you but one of the most important factors of any jerk recipe is smoke. The meat is traditionally smoked over an open fire with pimento (allspice) wood. For sustainability reasons, pimento wood is no longer used and is widely being replaced by “sweet wood” for the distinctive smoky flavor infused in every jerk dish.
I love to use apple wood (in a smoker box if I’m low on grill space). It renders a sweet smoky flavor that permeates throughout the meat. Also, it easily creates “blue smoke” which is preferred over thick white smoke that gives an acrid flavor.
How do I make jerk chicken, jerk fish or jerk pork?
A quality jerk seasoning is only half the battle when making authentic jerk. Jerk is made by smoking meat for an extended time to allow it to absorb the smoky flavors then finishing over a direct flame to complete cooking and get a perfect crisp finish!
There’s a Jamaica saying that goes “hell a top, hell a bottom, hallelujah in the middle”. This is your goal for your jerk setup – I’ll explain.
The “hallelujah” should be your chosen meat. This will sit on the grates of your grill. When jerking large cuts of meat or whole items like chicken or turkey, I like to put an aluminum pan directly under the meat to collect the jus and use this to baste the meat every half hour or so.
“Hell a bottom” is your fire. You can choose to lay your wood logs or chunks directly over the hot coal or you can use a smoker box. I prefer a smoke box since my wood doesn’t burn as fast and tends to have a cleaner burn. Avoid any direct heat to your meat as this will cook your meat before the smoky flavor has had a chance to permeate.
“Hell a top” is essentially your smoke/the heat that circulates. Like mentioned before you’re looking for thin “blue smoke” to emanate from your grill for optimal flavor.
Equipment
- 1 blender
- 1 air tight 10-oz capacity container
Ingredients
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 TBSP ground allspice
- 3 medium scotch bonnet peppers
- 3 TBSP ground black peppercorns
- 6 stalks scallion or green onions
- 2 TBSP minced ginger
- 1 bulb garlic, peeled
- 10 sprigs thyme
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients except salt to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Add salt to taste then transfer to an airtight container. Store for up to a week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months frozen.
- Use an ounce of this authentic Jamaican jerk seasoning per pound of your meat of choice.
