Mean jerk chicken

[jamaica_dreamin]

Could some one who thinks that they make a mean jerk chicken please post a recipe / step by step instructions (please include any "secret" ingredients.)

I'm going to send the link with any & all recipes to my brother (who is obviously not Jamaican). He tried and loved jerk chicken when he was in Ochie. There was a "secret" ingredient that gave it a brownish color but the chef would not tell him what is was.

Maybe soy sauce?

I don't think he can do a pimento wood fire but we discussed that charcoal grilled chicken taste better than gas grills.

[Ja. Jewel]

Re: Mean jerk chicken

This is rastagirl 777 recipe copied from TA.com...don't think she'll mind:

I use the vinegar the way the Jamaicans do - not mixed with the sauce but as a "rinse". Lime works well too - but remember, I'm there towards the end of lime season...and down there its all about eating seasonally and locally

I do rinse the vinegar off before I place the chicken in the proper jerk marinade. (In my recipe I say to shake off excess which is fine too - but lately I've been rinsing as well. A recipe is an evolutionary process!) Then it sits as I've said 12-24 hours - so that is how the chicken meat is infused with the flavor.

Sear - then low and slow. That's how I roll!

Here's the recipe:

First...cut up your chicken, put it in a bowl or a pot and cover it with white vinegar. Let that marinate no more than 6 hours

While the chicken marinates in the vinegar, blend the following in your food processor:

1 onion

3-4 scallion

Chicken Seasoning (I use the pre-mixed bagged seasoning they sell at Wise Choice in Negril...poulty seasoning is essentially the same)

A few cloves of garlic

3-6 Scotch Bonnet or Habanero peppers (see notes above concerning peppers-taste for heat!)

Remove this mixture from the processor and add:

Several good shakes of HiLo Pepper Sauce (substitute with Crystal or Franks or any other Habanero based pepper sauce that does not contain carrots or mango...you don't want that "sweet" element. Also, depending on how your peppers worked out thus far, you might want to save this for the end...if the peppers are giving you the heat you want, skip the sauce all together, I did for the party as I didin't want to kill anyone)

A bottle of Gray's Spicy Sauce (not readily available in California. You can substitute Pick-A-Peppa Sauce but do it to taste, don't just dump the whole bottle in there)

Salt

A shake or two of ketchup

Stir it up well, taste for seasonings and add what you think is missing...hot sauce for example or if it's way too hot already, dilute with a little water.

Remove the chicken from the vinegar, shaking off excess and pour the jerk marinde over it. Let marinate 6 hours at least, overnight is best.

Get the grill going, grill it up and serve.
Edited: 10:13 pm, yesterday
Reply


Sounds pretty good to me....if you try it, post how it came out....bon appetite!

[jamaica_dreamin]

Re: Mean jerk chicken

thanks

This is making me hungry

[mountaingal]

Re: Mean jerk chicken

u don't use browning in ur seasoning, jewel? that's what i use to give chicken colour. grace brand.

[Ja. Jewel]

Re: Mean jerk chicken

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MGee</div><div class="ubbcode-body">u don't use browning in ur seasoning, jewel? that's what i use to give chicken colour. grace brand. </div></div>

That's not my recipe, MGee....I copied it from a post rastagirl 777 made on another site.

I really don't use browning in any of my cooking.....when I do brownstew chicken, I brown the chicken until it's the color I like then pour off nuff of the oil &amp; add seasonings to saute them, then add a little water to ketch up all those little brown bits on the bottom of the pan, add pickapeppa sauce (reg. or mango) and more water if needed, cover, simmer &amp; add some ketchup near the end of cooking. If I want the gravy to be a little darker, I may add some soy sauce.

[sistactry]

Re: Mean jerk chicken

i dont use browning either, when i brown the chicken and pour out the excess oil, not all of it, but excess, i leave some in there, dump the remaining seasoning, (scallion, onion, and must have tomatoe, cut up, pimento seeds, thyme, teriyaki/soy sauce) dump it all in, simmer, a little water, some ketchup towards the end, and walllahhh,

now that was brown stew chicken,

jerk chicken is easy, why 6hr vinegar rinsing, me mother

clean cup chicken,
rinse with lemon, lime, vinegar anyone of them, rinse, shouldnt be more than 10mins
1st ingredient, italian dressing, teriyaki/soy sauce, dry seasoning, pimento seeds, thyme. onion, scallion and grace jerk seasonings....(jerk seasoning is only this blended: pimento seeds, scallion, onion, dry seasoning, hot pepper, soy sauce, thyme and maybe a little bbq sauce) season and marinate, more than 1hr is good enuff....

grill slowly fast and furious....keep turning, chicken will get tuff quick, pork u want to grill fast until brown then shut it down to slow................................

[jamaica_dreamin]

Re: Mean jerk chicken

Thanks, JJ, MG, &amp; Crty

[Ja. Jewel]

Re: Mean jerk chicken

Here's another one from another Jamaican board:


Jamaican Jerk Chicken

This recipe is adapted from a recipe from Smokey Joe’s on Negril Beach. Use it on chicken, pork, seafood or even tofu. For the best flavor, try using whole allspice berries and black peppercorns and crush them with the bottom of a heavy pot or in a coffee mill before adding to the processor. Use jalapeños in place of Scotch bonnets for less heat.

Ingredients
1 bunch green onions, cut into 2-inch lengths
4 garlic cloves
1 (2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger,
cut into ½-inch discs
1 heaping tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 whole cinnamon stick, broken into several pieces
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 to 3 Scotch bonnet or habanero chile peppers, stems and seed removed
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
Juice of 4 limes (6 tablespoons)
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
4 skin-on, bone-in chicken leg quarters or
1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into quarters

Instructions
1. Place all ingredients except oil and chicken in a blender or food processor. With the processor running, slowly add a thin stream of oil until the mixture becomes thick. Save 1/2 cup of the marinade for drizzling over chicken during cooking.
2. Place chicken and larger amount of marinade in a ziptop plastic bag and marinate at least 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Prepare the grill.
4. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Place chicken on the grill, searing the first side (about 3 to 5 minutes). Turn, drizzle with reserved marinade, and sear the other side. Move chicken to an area of indirect heat (such as the grate above the grill or off to the side) and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165F. Use a grill pan on the stovetop if preferred. Serves 4.
Tips from the Test Kitchen
Wine Pick: Scotch bonnet peppers are wickedly good, but they’re blisteringly hot. While it’s not impossible to find a wine that would be OK with that heat, I have to be honest and say that I’d most enjoy a good beer with this spicy grilled classic. Keep it authentic — like this recipe — and grab a Jamaican Red Stripe lager. — Charles Smothermon
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 465 calories, 39g fat, 115mg chol., 18g prot., 4g carbs., 1g fiber, 275mg sodium.
Password:

[jamaica_dreamin]

Re: Mean jerk chicken

Thanks JJ

[23JAM00]

Re: Mean jerk chicken

I use the above recipe minus the cinnamon and grind up my own allspice berries. Its the best.
I make a double or triple recipe in the food processor and put it in glass jars in the fridge. Pass it out to friends that enjoy it too. Use it to spice up rice, meat dishes....when you just want some flavoring and don't want to go all the way with the jerk thing.

[jamaica_dreamin]

Re: Mean jerk chicken

thanks Nance

[23JAM00]

Re: Mean jerk chicken

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: nanceejay</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I use the above recipe minus the cinnamon and grind up my own allspice berries. Its the best.
I make a double or triple recipe in the food processor and put it in glass jars in the fridge. Pass it out to friends that enjoy it too. Use it to spice up rice, meat dishes....when you just want some flavoring and don't want to go all the way with the jerk thing. </div></div>

I said allspice but I meant Pimento

[jamaica_dreamin]

Re: Mean jerk chicken

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: nanceejay</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: nanceejay</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I use the above recipe minus the cinnamon and grind up my own allspice berries. Its the best.
I make a double or triple recipe in the food processor and put it in glass jars in the fridge. Pass it out to friends that enjoy it too. Use it to spice up rice, meat dishes....when you just want some flavoring and don't want to go all the way with the jerk thing. </div></div>

I said allspice but I meant Pimento </div></div>

Ok. Thanks.

[johnnycakes]

Re: Mean jerk chicken

I found three different brands of jerk seasoning at the Chinese supermarket not far from me , Walkers Wood, Grace and (i think) Sunlite.
The Walkers wood was the best with the hot Grace (also comes in mild) second best.

This is how I make it:

I buy whole broilers and cut them up and remove the skin from the breasts and thighs to cut back on the fat but not on the legs or wings because they are thin pieces and will dry out in the cooking..
I do not marinate the chicken before getting it ready and prefer chicken that has not been frozen.
I put the pieces of cut up chicken in a large enough stainless bowl and throw in a couple of tablespoons of the seasoning and just enough water to thin it out enough to spread it on all the pieces evenly.

I preheat the gas grill with a mixture of mesquite and apple wood chips ( no pimento trees in Boston) for the 12-15 minutes it takes to get the wood chips smoking and then put the chicken on.

On high I have to turn the chicken in about 8 minutes on low about 10 minutes-it all depends on the amount of heat your grill throws.

I do the same with pork which does cook faster than does chicken depending on the cut of pork bought..

Between the wood smoke and the jerk seasoning the results are just wonderful.

I also went on line and did a search for a jerk seasoning recipe and made a batch up using scallion, allspice, garlic, brown sugar, vinegar, small amounts of cinnamon, fresh ginger, salt and habanero peppers which came out pretty good but not as good as the WalkersWood IMO. I keep it in a jar in the fridge.
Of course when I went back to the Chinese supermarket the shelf that held the Walkers Wood jerk seasoning was bare.

I had a large bunch of friends over for a cook-out and made too much of the jerk pork and I'm not one for reheated cooked meat so I threw the pork into a pot covered it with water and cooked it down for a couple of hours on low until the meat stared falling off the bones and the liquid was reduced to just enough for sauce for the meat which turned out like jerk flavored pulled pork and which I thought was better than the pork just off the grill. A pleasant surprise.