The Winning Recipe
My appetite for BBQ competition was whetted in a local BBQ cook-off where I took first place with this recipe a number of years ago.
JERK MARINADE
Measure all of the following directly into a blender. The measurements are for relative approximations. A slightly heaping teaspoon is just as good as a teaspoon, and probably better.
2 medium to large yellow onions, coarsely chopped
1 bunch fresh green onions, chopped (about 1 cup, include 2/3 of greens)
4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 2 teaspoons dry thyme leaves)
2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ceyenne (red pepper)
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional) (Scotch Bonnet or Habanero sauce preferred)
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
Blend on high speed (puree) until creamy. Don’t worry about what this tastes like now, it won’t be very appealing. It’s the end result that matters. Leave out the hot pepper sauce for a milder version, and add more if you like it hotter. But don’t try to season to taste at this stage, you have to cook with it before you decide whether to adjust for hotter.
Set aside 1/2 cup of this mixture for making glaze, and use the rest on the chicken. I recommend using it much more liberally than the cook book suggests!!!
SPICED PINEAPPLE GLAZE
Place the following in a sauce pan.
1 12-ounce can frozen pineapple juice concentrate (thaw first, don’t add any water)
1/2 cup of above marinade
Prepare the following in a separate cup and mix.
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons cold water
Bring the juice & marinade mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Briskly stir starch & water mix, then gradually add to the boiling glaze while stirring constantly. This thickens the glaze. As soon as the mixture returns to a boil (while stirring), remove from heat, cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
MILD PINEAPPLE GLAZE
Substitute the following for 1/2 cup of marinade, and follow above recipe otherwise.
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
This version would be for the same wimps that leave out all of the hot pepper in the marinade recipe.
CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS
The above recipe of marinade will be about right for 1 to 2 dozen chicken drumsticks (or 1 to 2 whole chickens, cut up as for frying). I like to put the chicken in heavy duty 1-gallon size Zip Lok bags, but a tightly covered bowl will do, too. Pour all of the marinade remaining (after making the glaze) over the chicken. If the pieces are not completely submerged, you will need to mix and turn the pieces from time to time.
Marinate for a minimum of 4 hours, but overnight is better.
Light a medium (not super hot) fire in your grill. You will want to cook the chicken somewhat slowly. The fastest you would ever want to cook Jerked chicken is about an hour of actual cooking time (not counting warmup time), and the Jamaicans make an all-day affair of it, cooking over a cool smoky wood fire.
Grill the chicken as you would for any other recipe, turning pieces about every 10 minutes (depending on the heat of your grill). About half way through, or when you see the chicken showing signs of being partially done, start “painting” on the glaze with a brush. Turn more frequently once you start the glazing since it has a greater tendancy to burn than the chicken by itself.
I usually add 3-4 coatings of glaze before I call it done. Coat each piece, turn over, and coat again. Then close the cover and let cook for a few minutes (you need to experiment here).
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A winning side dish to bring if you're on the go...
Caribbean Chicken Salad
16-20 oz. Chicken breast, marinated, grilled, chilled, cut up
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored & cut in chunks
3 green onions, chopped
3/4 cup cashews
Pineapple glaze (see below)
Grill the chicken ahead of time and chill. Make the glaze ahead of time and chill. Cut up the pineapple and onion ahead of time, store chilled. Try not to eat all the nuts ahead of time. Mix everything up just before serving. If it sits overnight all mixed up, the nuts get soggy and the chicken gets mushy because the acid in the fresh pineapple juice "cooks" the chicken further.
Chicken (3 breasts, about 16-20 oz.): Marinate in Lawry's Caribbean Jerk marinade for 1/2 hour. Grill for best results. Frying in a little oil would be acceptable. Cut into bite size pieces. Store chilled until ready to serve.
Glaze (use Jerk Marinade recipe on left, or use store bought marinade if you're in a hurry - not as good, but still makes good salad)
12 oz. Dole frozen pineapple juice concentrate (frozen orange juice department)
2 Tbsp. Lawry's Caribbean Jerk marinade (catsup department or meat department)
1 tsp. dry jerk seasoning
A few drops of Tobasco brand Habanero sauce
1 Tbsp. corn starch mixed into 1 Tbsp. cold water
Mix all but corn starch & water in pan, bring to boil. DO NOT add water to the pineapple juice, use straight concentrate. Stir corn starch & water together, mix into glaze, return to boil briefly until thickened. Chill & store until ready to serve.
A dash or two of ground ceyenne (red) pepper may be substituted for Habanero sauce. Another dash of ground ceyenne plus a dash of cinnamon, a dash of allspice, and dash of nutmeg will do for a substitute for dry jerk seasoning if you can't find it. The "hot" shouldn't cause a gasp on the first bite, but should definitely leave a warm glow after eating a few mouthfuls. It isn't Caribbean Jerk if it doesn't warm you up a little.
Doctor it up your way!
The proportions of chicken to pineapple to nuts is entirely discretionary. I like my food spicy, so usually don't stop at exactly 2 Tbsp. of jerk marinade in the glaze, and also make sure there's enough hot pepper in there. Caribbean Jerk has two distinguishing features in seasoning: The cinnamon-nutmeg flavor and hot pepper bite. This style of seasoning is used on all types of meat in the Caribbean as commonly as salt and pepper up here in the region of usually bland European heritage. The splash of tropical fruit adds a refreshing twist which is as common to Caribbean fare as potatoes are to Scandanavians and Irish.
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