Dish · caribbean
Jerk Chicken
Chicken thighs are marinated in scotch bonnet, allspice, thyme, and scallion, then grilled or smoked slowly over pimento wood until charred and deeply seasoned.
Where it comes from
Jerk cooking developed among Jamaica's Maroons, escaped slaves who smoked meat over pimento wood in the hills to preserve it and mask the smoke from pursuers; the scotch bonnet and allspice mix became the signature.
What cooks argue about
The real fight is the wood: pimento wood gives a smoke flavor nothing else replicates, but it is scarce outside Jamaica, so cooks argue over which substitute, if any, comes close.
Versions
Nobody has published a jerk chicken here yet. When somebody cooks one from a video and publishes it, their version appears in this list, with a link back to the original.
What goes in it
Each one opens everything else made with it.
chicken thigh bone in
allspice
thyme fresh