Seconded, Walkerswood is really good.
Asking “How hot is jerk chicken” is kind of like asking “how hot are chicken wings?”
Has anyone here ever tried the recipe for Jerk seasoning in The Joy Of Cooking? It’s extremely hot, but quite nice. The lime juice makes a big difference.
Yeah, pretty much the standard to judge all other jerks by, for me. I also find Grace’s and Eaton’s to be pretty good. Look for “Boston Bay” style jerk sauce if you like it really hot.
I use the Grace brand jerk paste:
http://www.buygracefoods.com/site/product.cfm?id=jerk_hot_seasoning_bottle
The Hot version is indeed quite hot. I’d say it may rank an 8.
My local grocery has a couple of different jarred jerk pastes and one day, I noticed that all the Jamaican imports were in exactly the same jar. Check the Grace and Walkerwood links, same jar. I wonder if they come off the same line.
Well there’s really only one way to find out…
I wonder if chicken is on sale…
This thread made me hungry, so I’ve got a batch of Jerk Chicken using this recipe marinating in the fridge. Despite the use of 8 Habeneros, I don’t think it’s going to be overly hot. I tasted the marinade and it had a bite to it, but my guess is that it will be medium-hot at best.
Great flavor, though. I’ve never made it before, I’ll let y’all know how it turns out.
Eaton’s, too:
Same Jar
That’s pretty similar to my recipe. Here’s my list of ingredients:
8-12 habaneros (or Scotch bonnets, of course. I leave the seeds in.)
1 onion
1/2 cup or so chopped scallions, white and green parts
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup cilantro
2 inches ginger
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon whole black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1.2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1-2 tsp salt
I don’t always use all those ingredients (the parsley and cilantro aren’t really necessary, and you can leave out cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or cloves in a pinch, as long as you have the allspice. I often leave out the onion, too, just using scallions, but one or the other should be in there for a bit of oniony flavor. You can substitute orange juice for the lime juice, or completely leave it out. Brown sugar isn’t absolutely necessary, either, but offers a nice sweet component to counter the other flavors and heat.)
Anyhow, you make a paste out this and rub the chicken or pork all over. Make sure to get under the skin for chicken. Let this marinade in the fridge at least over night, preferably more like an entire day or two. (Really, it does make a difference. Two days in advance is about right for me.)
Also, here’s a tip, save some of the leftover marinade (obviously, not the stuff that has touched the chicken or meat) and mix it with ketchup to taste for a bit of a jerk barbecue sauce to dip your food in. Really tasty. Or you can just serve the paste straight-up, but I like it cut with the ketchup and more barbecue-sauce like.
Then grill, smoke, or roast the chicken.
Where are you finding it? Or what edition do you have? I checked my Joy of Cooking because I don’t remember ever seeing a jerk recipe in there, and I can’t find anything. I looked under jerk, chicken, pork, and even to see if there’s anything labeled “Jamaican,” but nothing.
It’s in the 75th anniversary edition, I believe. When I get home I’ll check exactly where it is.
Ah. I have one of the old classic editions.
I just found it in the '97 edition as well, if you’re curious.