OVEN OR GRILLED JERKED CHICKEN
Source: Island Barbecue: Spirited Recipes from the Caribbean
by Dunstan A. Harris

2 chicken breasts, bone in with skin, cut in halves
6 chicken thighs
6 chicken drumsticks
1/3 cup lime or lemon juice
2 Tablespoons liquid hickory smoke or liquid pimento seasoning (see note below)
1/2 cup Jerk Marinade (recipe follows)

For Oven Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Wash chicken in lime or lemon juice in a large container. Discard the juice and transfer chicken, without drying, to baking pans(s).

Place uncovered in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and pour off liquids. (This step I learned along the way and I call it “degreasing.” In my thinking the worst thing about eating chicken is tasting the fat under the skin.)

Allow the chicken to cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes, then sprinkle liquid hickory smoke or liquid pimento seasoning over it. Pour the jerk marinade over the chicken and completely brush each piece. Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove it from the rrfrigerat6or and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

After 5 minutes, place the covered pans in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Lower the oven setting to 275 degrees F and cook for another hour, occasionally basting the chicken with the pan juices.

Remove the foil and broil for an additional 3 minutes. Take the pans from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a cutting board, reserving the pan juices. With a sharp cleaver, chop the breasts into bite-sized pieces; the thigh and drumsticks, depending on size , can also be chopped. Place chopped chicken in a serving dish and pour the pan juices over. Wait for about 10 minutes for the meat to reabsorb the juices before serving.

Note: Liquid pimento seasoning is available in gourmet stores and Caribbean markets throughout the U.S.

For Grill Method:
Follow the ingredient list and preparation steps, and the degreasing and marinating processes used in the Oven Method. You will need extra Jerk Marinade (recipe follows) however, (which can now be called a “sauce”), in order to baste the chicken during the grilling process. Also, if pimento wood chips are available, eliminate the use of liquid hickory smoke or pimento seasoning and add the chips to the coals. Or, as an adequate substitute for the wood chips, soak whole pimento berries in water for about 15 minutes and them add them to the coals for genuine jerk flavor.

Grill marinated chicken over hot coals, about 6 inches from the heat source. Cover the grill for about and hour, turning occasionally and basting frequently. Thicker pieces of chicken will obviously take longer to cook, so check for doneness before removing from heat. The grilling will leave the chicken drier than the oven-cooked jerk, but chopping the pieces and letting them stand for 10 minutes will allow for reabsorption of the juices.

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JERK MARINADE

At last count there were over twenty different brands of (jerk) marinades on the market. This recipe is only slightly different from the commercially available D&H Trade Winds Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, which is as close to the traditional formula as you can get. This particular recipe is excellent on chicken, fish and ribs.

1 teaspoon ground Jamaican pimento* (allspice)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions (green and white parts)
4 Scotch Bonnet peppers or 6 jalapenos, stems removed and cut in halves, retaining seeds
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon salt
Pinch of garlic powder

Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Process or blend on the liquefy setting for 2 minutes. Pour into a jar and refrigerate until ready for use. Jerk marinade will remain good indefinitely as long as it is covered and kept refrigerated.

The jerk marinade is simple to use. Marinate poultry, fish and meat for 3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator, brushing on the marinade. I recommend 1 Tablespoon to a pound of meat, but for a zestier taste, the cook can use more to taste.

*Jamaican pimento, is also called Jamaican pepper and allspice, as it tastes and smells like a combination of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. The Jamaican pimento is world famous, but the evergreen tree from which pimento berries come are found throughout Central America. The pimento, or allspice, is used throughout the world in pickles, marinades and medicines, and is used as a seasoning in cooking. It is one of the ingredients in Jamaican jerk seasoning and its wood-smoke flavor lends a unique flavor to jerked foods. Use of the pimento berry as a seasoning by the Arawak Indians predates Columbus’s discovery of the New World. Allspice is available throughout the U.S. Its wood chips or leaves are sometimes found in Jamaican markets.