David’s Jamaican roots haven’t translated into a full-on love for hot and spicy food. But David does loves his Jerk and demonstrated how to make the sauce from scratch (who knew? I thought it only came in a jar) using milder jalepeno papers. David’s son Jason likes a decidedly hotter version using scotch bonnet peppers, Like his dad, Jason is an avid cook who isn’t afraid to take a good thing and run with it. It was great fun watching David and Jason work through their different styles and approaches in the kitchen–a microcosm of the parent/child dynamic at its best. The good news is that the results were delectable. And now there’s one less sauce you need to buy from a jar.
The recipe is right after the video
Ingredients:
- 1 T brown sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 T. lime juice
- 1 T. soy sauce
- 3 or 4 coarsely chopped green onions (white and light green parts only)
- 2 coarsely chopped jalapeno peppers or 1 scotch bonnet if you prefer
- 1 T. finely chopped fresh thyme
- 2-3 lbs fresh skin-on chicken (eg thighs or boneless breasts cut to similar size as thighs
Method:
Make paste
- Place dry ingredients including brown sugar, salt, pepper, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, in a small food processor or blender
- Add the wet ingredients including vegetable oil, lime juice & soya sauce
- Then add fresh ingredients including green onions (excluding dark green parts), chopped jalapeno peppers (or 1 scotch bonnet if you prefer hotter) and chopped fresh thyme
- Mix at med-high speed until a smooth paste is formed
Prepare Chicken
- Score chicken (cross-hatch) skin with a sharp knife about 1/4″ deep (this helps paste penetrate chicken better)
- Spread paste all over all surfaces of chicken and refrigerate for 3+ hours
- Grill, preferably on barbecue, lid down 6-8 minutes per side on med heat, preferably turning only once
