Jerk Chicken

Jerk chicken is a signature dish of Jamaica and has a well-deserved reputation as a classic dish of the Caribbean. Like many Caribbean dishes, there are as many recipes as there are families for this fiery, delicious meat dish. 

Ingredients:

6 chicken thighs and 6 drumsticks, skinned and slashed to absorb the marinade.

Marinade:

1 medium onion, roughly chopped.

4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped.

4 limes: Juice, peal and flesh – all in!

2 tablespoons of pineapple juice.

8 allspice berries, roughly ground.

2 or more teaspoons of West Indian hot pepper sauce (caution!).

1 teaspoon of salt.

Generous tot of dark rum.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients and marinade the meat for at least 8 hours before either barbequing or hot-roasting until thoroughly cooked, but still juicy and succulent.

Serving:

This dish is great served with ‘rice & peas’, fried plantain chips, BBQ sweetcorn and spare hot pepper sauce (for the hardy). Oven roasting produces a delicious liquor-gravy too. Make sure there is plenty of strong lager beer and rum punch to hand.

Notes:

Thighs and drumsticks are the best chicken joints for this dish due to their moist texture. Breast meat, although lean and tasty, is better reserved for stir fries and curries. 

You may substitute the meat with equal weight of pork chops, goat meat (on the bone), whole fish, split raw lobsters or raw jumbo prawns – adjust the cooking time accordingly.