3 Excellent Jerk Recipes - Paste, Marinade, & Dry Rub

Ya Mon! Enjoy! Please let me know if you like 'em when you try 'em.

Use the paste or marinade recipes below for chicken, beef, or pork
(or whatever you like).
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Jerk Paste (My personal favorite)

Pastes made of spices, herbs, onions, and chiles are the authentic jerk flavoring method. Rub the paste into raw meat to add flavor. This is a medium hot paste. Remove the seeds & membranes from the chiles for a milder paste. Add more chiles for a hotter paste. Scotch bonnet or habanero chiles are preferred, but you can substitute with the milder jalapeno or serrano chiles.

1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped scallion
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon ground Jamaican pimento (allspice)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 to 6 hot chiles, finely ground
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mix together all the ingredients to make a paste. Pulsing in a food processor is ideal for this. I like to rub the raw meat with the paste the night before cooking. Leave the rubbed meat in the fridge until ready to cook. Store any leftovers in the fridge in a tightly closed glass jar up to 2 weeks. Yield: About 1 cup

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Jerk Marinade

Some people find marinades more convenient to use than pastes. This marinade is more liquid than a paste, but not as liquid as most marinades. The flavor of the marinade may taste a little harsh when you first mix it, but the flavors will all blend and mellow as the meat cooks. To adjust the heat of this rather mild marinade, use the guidelines as in the "Jerk Paste" recipe above.

1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped scallion
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground Jamaican pimento (allspice)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 hot chile, finely ground
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon cider or white vinegar

Mix together all the ingredients. Pulsing in a food processor is ideal for this.
Marinate raw meat in the fridge for about 4 to 6 hours. Store any leftovers in the fridge in a tightly closed glass jar up to 2 weeks. Yield: About 1-1/2 cups

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Jerk Dry Rub

This seasoning mix is good to have on hand. Use on fish, veggies, or snacks (or whatever you like). It does not have quite as strong a flavor as the Jerk paste or marinade recipes above. To increase the heat, add more cayenne pepper.

1 tablespoon onion flakes
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons ground thyme
2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon ground Jamaican pimento (allspice)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dried chives or green onions

Mix together all the ingredients. Store any leftovers in a tightly closed glass jar. It will keep its pungency for about 1 month.
Yield: About 5 tablespoons.

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SmokinAussie said:

Nice recipes... Just printed them out!

Thanks!

Bill

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Ya Mon, You are quite welcome! :icon_cool

BBQ Bacon said:

Always wanted to make jerk chicken wings, so now I have no excuse.

Thanks for the recipes.

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You are welcome Mon! Hope you enjoy. The paste recipe is really good.

cpw said:

Any suggestions on how to make any of these into an after frying sauce/glaze for wings?

Thanks,
Chad

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I never tried or thought of that. That would be very non-traditional.
That being said, I love to try non-traditional cooking methods.

I'm thinking a reduction sauce might be good...

Use the marinade recipe as a base, add chicken broth to make it more liquid. Then add some of the dry rub (to taste). It will probably need some extra sweetening. I like to use apple jelly in reduction sauces. The flavor is very mild, but it will act as a sweetener and the pectin will add as a thickener during the reduction process. Maybe some honey too. After it reduces to your desired consistency, add a splash of vinegar to brighten up the acidity, and a pat of butter whisked in for a nice glossy sheen.

These are just some ideas. Please let me know if you try this and how it turns out, and of course any tweaking you might do.

cpw said:

Will do...I'm competing in a contest in February that has "people's choice wings" so I'm looking for good recipes, and I'm a huge fan of jerk seasoning.

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Good luck Chad!

chad said:

Great recipes. I do Jamaican jerk sausage and just did a Jamaican Beans & Rice dish. If you want "traditional" heat add habanero pepper.

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"Scotch bonnet or habanero chiles are preferred" was stated in the Jerk Paste recipe. I meant that to carry over to the Jerk Marinade recipe as well. I apologize for any confusion.

Or do you mean substituting the cayenne pepper with a dried ground habenero powder in the Jerk Dry Rub recipe? If I ever found that I certainly would do that.