It is believed that they Maroons created Jerk Chicken when they brought cooking techniques form Africa to Jamaica. The techniques were then added to by the Jamaican ingredients and jerk seasoning that the Arawak used. They would smoke the meat for a long period of time for two reasons. One, to keep away the insects that infest Jamaica. Two, to preserve the meat for a much longer time after the cooking process was complete. This smoking also gave the meat it distinguished smoky flavor.
There are two major theories on the origin or the word "Jerk". First, that is was derived from the Spanish word "Charqui", that the Spanish use to denote dried meat. Then over a long period of time this word evolved to "Jerky" and the "Jerk". The second theory consists of the name coming from the act of jerking or poking holes into the meat and stuffing them with spice before the cooking process. Today the word "Jerk" is used as a verb to describe a method of cooking and as a noun to describe the jerk seasonings used in jerk food.
To make the perfect Jamaican Jerk Sauce for Chicken to feed four people you will need the following:
One 3 1/2 lb chicken (3lb of chicken breasts may be used if preferred)
1 scotch bonnet pepper (jalapenos may be used if scotch bonnet peppers are unavailable)
2 Tbsp. thyme
2 Tbsp. ground allspice
8 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 Medium onions, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tsp. ground black pepper
1 to 2 Tsp of the following (to taste)
-ground cinnamon
-nutmeg
-ginger
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
Juice of one lime
1 cup orange juice
1 cup white vinegar
To Prepare:
1. First chop the garlic, onions and peppers. They need not be chopped to finely because they will later be liquified with a blender.
2. Take all ingredients except the chicken and place them into a blender until all is liquified
3. Cut chicken into fourths
4. Rub the chicken with the sauce making sure to set some aside for basting and dipping
5. Soak chicken in the sauce overnight to marinade the chicken
To Cook:
1. Backing on over on 425 for 30 minutes, then turn the meat over, give it a good basting, and let bake for an additional thirty minutes
2. You can also grill the chicken slowly, making sure to rotating and basting it on a consistent basis. For best results use pimento wood or charcoal bricks.
To Serve:
1. Cut each quarter of chicken in to five to six smaller pieces
2. Serve with Jamaican rice, salad and hardo bread with the remaining jerk sauce as a dip.
