All Things Jerk
Jamaica – My Sweet Jamaica. Famously known for Reggae music, miles of White-Sand Beaches, warm tropical climate all year round, along with excelling in athletics and academics. Let’s not forget the Jamaican Cuisine – especially its Jerk dishes.
Jerk Chicken Jerk Pork
Jerking is the explosion of bold, sweet, and spicy flavors you’ll find on your chicken and more! Meat is seasoned with dry-rub seasonings and wet jerk marinade then left for 2 hours or more, even overnight, to marinate. Traditionally, the meat is then placed on wood-burning (pimento wood) Home-made Grill to be jerked by the heat while occasionally spraying water and even beer, with the smoke smell from the pimento wood providing added flavor. This option is still the preferred method of jerking used on the Island.
Today, you can jerk any meat, fruit, and vegetable along with using some of the other modern options available for jerking.
If you don’t have access to the traditional method, don’t worry, some modern versions can be considered exotic as long as you have the right seasonings. Examples are, Gas and/or Charcoal Grills and – hold on to your hats – the Oven.
Oven-Baked Jerked Chicken!
This option is a bit different, in that, the Meat has to be completely dry before adding the seasonings. Jerk-Baked at 450 degrees and drain any extra liquid juices during the process.
Some of the ingredients in the jerk seasonings includes, but not limited to: - pimento, escallion, thyme, garlic, onion, nutmeg, and more. However, the main ingredient pushing the heat in this famous cuisine is the scotch bonnet pepper.
Scotch Bonnet Pepper
Scotch Bonnet peppers are mostly grown and widely used in Jamaica; and is the main ingredients in jerk seasonings as well as other Jamaican culinary seasonings, and condiment. The pepper got its name because of its appearance - an odd, flattened shape that resembles a, “Tam o’ Shanter” or a "Scotsman’s Bonnet". The pepper develops on a quick-growing plant that first produces flowers and then fruits, and ranges in color from yellow to green to red, with some varieties ripening to shades of orange and brown. They are available both fresh and dried, but fresh is my preferred option.
You might see Scotch Bonnet Peppers labeled in stores and markets as "hot peppers”. These peppers have a heat rating of 80,000 to 400,000 on the Scoville scale and is one of the hottest peppers out there, ranking side-by-side with the Habanero on the Scoville heat scale. That being said, if you are unable to secure scotch bonnet peppers, you could substitute with habanero peppers.
Some experts say that Scotch Bonnet Peppers are a good source of Vitamin A, C, and B, as well as Iron, Niacin, Riboflavin, Magnesium and, are also considered to be high in dietary fiber, phytochemicals, carotenoids, and flavonoids.
Capsaicin, the cause of the burning sensation, is the main substance of the pepper and has health benefits. It is sometimes used for in the production of medications such as analgesic, circulatory stimulants and also pepper spray. Capsaicin is known to be beneficial in warding off breast, stomach, and other cancers. It acts by slowing the growth of carcinogenic cells which lead to cancer.
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These peppers are not for the faint at heart or tongue. You should have some bread, cold milk or sugar close by, if you find the peppers too hot to handle. As always - remember to take into consideration, your dietary restrictions and limitations before trying new meal options and/or ingredients.
Recipe for the Jerk Chicken is available in my E-Recipe 📚 at any of the sites below! https://gumroad.com/allthingsmichellellc & https://payhip.com/allthingsichellellc