Jamaican jerk
The "Jerk" in Jerk Chicken or Jerk Pork refers not to an ingredient, but to a method of cooking bought to Jamaica over 250 years ago.
Jerk cooking refers to seasoned meat being slowly cooked over hot fires - and while it is thought that this method kick-started the invention of barbecuing in Jamaica, it is also believed that the original intention was merely to smoke the meat, thus preserving it for longer. Nowadays chicken jerk is the most popular derivative of the original recipes, but initially it was pork that was used.
The term jerk, which itself spawned what we may refer to as "jerky" has several possible origins, one of the most likely being a Spanish word "Charqui", meaning dried meat.
In the years since jerk cooking was introduced on the island, the word jerk has become more synonymous with the meat marinade or sauce than with the cooking. But just what goes into what we may refer to as a jamaican jerk sauce?
Unsurprisingly, given the fierce heat of most jerk recipes, chilli peppers are a key ingredient. They are mixed with other spices, onion and often garlic to create a marinade mix with an intantly recognisable scent, flavour and orangey brown colour. Be warned though, there is no definitive recipe for jerk seasoning. Every restaurant and family in Jamaica most probably have their own secret ingredient - so if you give it a go yourself don't worry too much about ingredient quantities - just see what works for you!
Never a nation to rush, the Jamaicans tend to let meat soak up the full intensity of flavours for more than 24 hours before adding it to the barbecue. Originally cooked for 2 hours over smoke-pit fires, propane came to Jamaica in the 70's, making cooking this local speciality a whole lot easier.
Easier still, many companies now offer pre packaged jamaican jerk marinade mix, and while most Jamaicans would rather cook it the traditional way, these mixes can be a delicious way to get a taste of Jamaica without too much time and effort.
See how Jamaican jerk seasoning fared in our taste test
Follow our Jamaican Jerk Pork recipe
|
