Put all ingredients except the scallions and thyme in a blender (or food processor) and puree. Then add the remaining ingredients and run the blender until the ingredients are well mixed, but not pureed. Makes a little more than 1 cup (enough for about 2 pounds of meat). Recipe scales well. Sauce can be kept refrigerated for a month, or frozen for a "long time".

* Pickled Habaneros will do just fine if you can't find fresh; but I've found that they are not as hot as fresh ones (like maybe half as hot). You could also substitute Habanero-based sauce. But only use sauce that has a low amount of other spices (unless it's allspice). One of my latest variations uses about 3 Tbs of Alan's Special Mild Habanero sauce for flavor; and enough Habaneros or Scotch Bonnet sauce to bring the heat up to the right point.
Jamaican jerk is usually made with Scotch Bonnet chiles, which are closely related to the Habanero (they are both of the species Capsicum Chinense), but harder to find (for me anyway). I'm not sure of the taste differences.
+ To judge the heat, taste when it's all mixed together and add more if you want it hotter. It's hard to tell how hot the final product will be the first time you make this, but you will get used to judging the heat eventually. For me, the right level is achieved when 1/8 tsp of the jerk sauce is enough to make me want water (but I'm used to capsaicin).

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Jerk Chicken
For chicken, use about 1/2 cup of marinade per pound of chicken thighs (any cut will do), rubbing all over and under the skin. Marinade overnight (or for a few hours) in the refrigerator in a covered baking dish. Put the baking dish directly into a 300F preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour (depends on how much meat and how it's arranged). Immediately after removing from the oven, grill the meat over a hot BBQ (mesquite charcoal works very well) for a few minutes on each side, until crispy. (Begin with the skin side down.)
The goal for prebaking the meat is to be able to grill the meat quickly to a crispy outside and juicy inside, while avoiding an undercooked middle. I usually serve it with rice and tropical fruit, like mango or banana.

From: Alan L. Edwards The Chile-Heads Recipe Collection
Posted By: Alan L. Edwards (ale@cisco.com)
Post Date:

Berbere is a red-pepper and spice paste indigneous to Ethiopia. Here is a receipe for this very complicated paste.
To Make about 2 cups:

In a heavy 3 quart saucepan(non stick) toast the ginger, cardamom, coriander, fenufreek, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and allspice over low heat for a minute or so, stirring them constantly until they are heated through. The remove the pan from the heat and let the spices cool for 5-10 minutes.
Combine the toasted spices, onions, garlic, 1 tablespoon of the salt and the wine in the jar of an electric blender and blend at high speed until the mixtrure is a smooth paste.
Combine the paprika, red pepper, black peeper and the remaining tablespoon of salt in the sacuepan and toast them over low heat for a minute or so, until they are heated through, shaking the pan and stirring the spices constantly. Stir in the water, 1/4 cup at a time, then add the spice and wine mixture. Stirring vigorously, cook over the lowest heat setting for 10 to 15 minutes.
With a rubber spatula, transfer the berber to a jar or crock, and pack it in tightly. Let the past cool to room temperature, then dribble enough oil over the top to make a film at least 1/4 inch thick. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. If you replenish the film of oil on top each time you use the berbere, it can safely be kept in the refrigerator for 5-6 months.
I have tried this recipe myself and belief it close to the real thing.

From: Time/Life Books, Food of the World Series, Recipes: African Cooking. copyright 1970.
Posted By: john scott porterfield, johnscot@sylvania.sev.org Via: Chile Head Mailing List
Post Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1999

Puree all the ingredients, except the chicken, in a food processor until almost smooth. Pierce the chicken with a fork to make tiny holes. Place the chicken in a large shallow baking dish and rub the marinade into the chicken. Cover and refrigerate 24-48 hours, depending on how intense you want the flavor to be. Wipe the marinade off the chicken and place on a preheated grill, skin side down. Grill for 5-7 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

From: 1999 Lifetime Entertainment Services
Posted By: Lifetime
Post Date: 2/11/99

Combine all the rub ingredients in a food processor, or blender, and blend them into a paste, making sure that all the ingredients are fully integrated. The paste should be approximately the consistency of a thick tomato sauce. If it is too thick, thin it out with a little more white vinegar. Cover the paste and let it sit n the refrigerator for at least 2 hours for the flavors to blend together. Overnight is the ideal amount of time to give them to get acquainted.

(**NOTE** If you want to avoid making a fresh batch every time you make this dish, you can multiply the amount of paste easily. Don't worry about it going bad, since it keeps almost indefinitely.) Rub the chicken leg quarters with paste and place them on the grill over very low heat. If you have a covered cooker, put the coals to one side and the chicken on the other, and cover.

Cook about 1 hour without a cover or 1/2 hour if covered. The key here is to use a very low heat. You need to be patient and give yourself plenty of time. The chicken is technically done when the meat is opaque and the juices run clear. However, the ideal is about 10-15 minutes past that point, when the meat pulls away from the bone easily. It is very hard to overcook this. In fact you can only screw it up if you burn the paste by having the heat too high. The longer the chicken stays on the grill, the more superior the smoky flavor. After cooking, separate the leg from the thigh by cutting at the natural joint between them. Serve one leg or thigh per person accompanied by a few spoonfuls of Banana-guava ketchup.
Serves 4 as an entree or 6 as a light meal.

From:
Posted By:
Post Date: 2/11/99

Note: Jamaican jerk spice may be found in specialty food stores. Melt the butter in a 2-quart sauce pot over low heat. Add the jerk spice, Tabasco sauce, and tomato juice. Blend well and set aside. Rinse the wings under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Dust the wing with the flour and deep fry in a heavy pot or skillet in about 2-inches of hot oil until done. Place the cooked wings in the sauce mixture and allow to marinate just a few minutes. Drain off any excess liquid. Serve immediately.
Makes 40 - 50 wings.

From: SOAR - the Searchable Online Archive of Recipes
Posted By:
Post Date:

Jerked meat is one of the Caribbean's most famous spicy dishes. There are a few tendencies which give Jamaican food its characteristic flavor, but one of the main things is the preponderance of the allspice berry among the spices used as a paste-type marinade.

Cut away rind and most fat from pork; remove all meat from bones, cut into pieces about 1-1/2" thick and 3" to 4" long. Put pork pieces and chicken in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed.

To prepare seasoning, heat the allspice berries over medium heat in small saucepan 3 to 4 min, stirring often; 2 tbs at a time, crush berries in mortar and pestle. In medium bowl, combine berries, nutmeg, cinnamon, scallions, garlic, pepper and 1 tbs vinegar; crush into pasty mixture. Add rest of vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Turn mixture over pork and chicken and rub meat with seasoning, coating evenly. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

Cook jerked pork and chicken on grill over hot coals or on gas barbecue as far from heat as possible (6" or more); cover with lid; turn meat every 10 minutes for about 1 hour, until done.

If desired, halfway through cooking time toss 1 tsp whole allspice berries into fire. Cut cooked pork into 1/3" slices and serve with chicken. Accompany with Pickapeppa sauce.
Serves 6 to 8.
(Note: Can also be cooked in preheated 350 F oven on rack in roasting pan about 1 hour, turning once, but you won't have the grill flavor.
(Pickapeppa sauce is a bottled Jamaican condiment available in better supermarkets and gourmet stores.)

From: The Chile-Heads Recipe Collection
Posted By: Chet Bacon, hcbacon@connix.com Via: Chile Head Mailing List
Post Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998

In a large bowl, combine the allspice, thyme, cayenne pep- per, black pepper, sage, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, garlic powder and sugar. With a wire whisk, slowly add the olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, orange juice, and lime juice. Add the Scotch bonnet pepper,. onion, and green onions and mix well. Add the chicken breasts, cover and marinate for at least 1 hour, longer if possible. Preheat an outdoor grill.

Remove the breasts from the marinade and grill for 6 minutes on each side or until fully cooked. While grilling, baste with the marinade. Heat the leftover marinade and serve on the side for dipping.

NOTE: This is the recipe as listed in the cookbook. Personally, I would NEVER heat the leftover marinade and serve on the side for dipping, especially something that you had marinated POULTRY in. A MUCH better idea would be to reserve some of the marinade(BEFORE you put the chicken in it) and save it for serving.
"This recipe is not as hot as you would find in Jamaica. For that authentic flavor, double the quantity of dry spices."

From: Sugar Reef Caribbean Cooking by Devra Dedeaux.
Posted By: The Internet Chef On-line
Post Date: 2/11/99

*available by mail order from "Mo Hotta-Mo Betta", P.O. Box 4136, San Luis Obispo, CA 93403, Tel. (800) 462-3220
Make the marinade: In a food processor or blender puree the scallion, the 2 chilies, the soy sauce, the lime juice, the allspice, the mustard, the bay leaves, the garlic, the salt, the sugar, the thyme and the cinnamon.
Divide the chicken parts between 2 heavy-duty resealable plastic bags and spoon the marinade over them, coating them well. Seal the bags, pressing out the excess air, and let the chicken marinate, chilled, turning the bags over several times, for at least 24 hours and up to 2 days.

On an oiled rack set 4 to 6 inches over glowing coals grill the chicken, in batches if necessary and covered if possible, for 10 to 15 minutes on each side, or until it is cooked through. Transfer the chicken as it is cooked with tongs to a heated platter, keep it warm, covered loosely with foil, and garnish the platter with the additional chilies.
Yield: 10 servings as part of a buffet

From: COOKING LIVE SHOW #CL8909
Posted By:muddy@ibm.net
Post Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998

Pound or puree all the ingredients to make a thick paste. Spread paste over meat and marinate for one hour or longer before grilling.

From: Dave DeWitt & Nancy Gerlach - The Whole Chile Pepper
Posted By: Chet Bacon,hcbacon@connix.com Via:Chile Head Mailing List
Post Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender, and blend them into a paste, making sure that all the ingredients are fully integrated. The paste should be approximately the consistency of a thick tomato sauce. If it is too thick, thin it out with a little more white vinegar. Cover the paste and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours for the flavors to blend together. Overnight is the ideal amount of time to give them to get acquainted. (Note that if you want to avoid making a fresh batch every time you make this dish, you can multiply the amount of paste easily. Don't worry about it going bad, since it keeps almost infinitely.)
Rub paste on meat and grill.

From: From The Thrill of the Grill
Posted By: Chet Bacon,hcbacon@connix.com Via:Chile Head Mailing List
Post Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998

Mix together all the ingredients to make a paste. A food processor fitted with a steel blade is ideal for this. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in a tightly closed jar for about a month.
Yields about 1 cup.

From: Helen Willinsky - Barbecue from Jamaica
Posted By: Chet Bacon,hcbacon@connix.com Via:Chile Head Mailing List
Post Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998

Procedure:
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Use as a marinade or rub before grilling meat.

From: ???
Posted By:
Post Date:

Combine all the ingredients, except the chicken, in a blender or food processor and process for 10 to 15 seconds at high speed to form a marinade. Pour the marinade into a nonreactive bowl, add the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours. Remove the chicken and drain off any excess marinate. Place on an oiled grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is done.

Serves: 4
Heat Scale: Hot

Note:Jay Solomon serves up his favorite jerk, which is chicken. Jay is the author of A Taste of the Tropics and an expert on Caribbean cuisine. He suggests serving the chicken over rice with fried plantains and okra on the side.

From: The book Heat Wave! The Best of Chile Pepper Magazine,
Freedom, CA: The Crossing Press, 1995.
Posted by: ???

Cut the sweet potato into 1/2" cubes, add honey and half the lime juice, and microwave on high for about two and a half minutes (don't cook them all the way). Core the apple, cut it into 1/2" pieces, add the rest of the lime juice, and toss them in with the sweet potatoes. Seed the pepper and cut it into 1/2" pieces. Soak the skewers in water so they won't burn. Next put the potato, apple and pepper on the skewers, alternating them and making them pretty. Put them on the grill next to the chicken, they should only take about five minutes. Turn them occasionally, they scorch easily. Serve the chicken hot off the grill with a twist of lime over the top, a couple of kabobs, and saffron rice (I buy the packaged Mahatma stuff). Try mango chutney over the chicken, or create a similar sauce with fresh raspberries and habaneros.

JERK PASTE

• 6 to 10 Habaneros, chopped fine
• 1 Onion, chopped fine
• 3 or 4 Scallions, chopped fine
• 1 clove Garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbsp. fresh Thyme
• 2 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1 tsp. Sugar
• 1 tsp. Allspice
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

METHOD:
Blend ingredients in a food processor or grind into a paste. Refrigerate unused portions. For a variation try adding a little dark rum to the mix and double the sugar using brown instead of table sugar. For more of an East Indies taste replace, in equal amounts, thyme with curry powder, cinnamon with cumin, and nutmeg with paprika.

From:???
Posted by: ???

Method
Marinate chicken in a mixture of jerk marinade and yogurt, best if left refrigerated overnight. Spray with oil, Grill, bake or barbecue. Serve as a snack or appetizer.

From:
Posted By:
Post Date:

• 6 to 10 Habaneros, chopped fine
• 1 Onion, chopped fine
• 3 or 4 Scallions, chopped fine
• 1 clove Garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbsp. fresh Thyme
• 2 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1 tsp. Sugar
• 1 tsp. Allspice
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

METHOD: Blend ingredients in a food processor or grind into a paste. Refrigerate unused portions. For a variation try adding a little dark rum to the mix and double the sugar using brown instead of table sugar. For more of an East Indies taste replace, in equal amounts, thyme with curry powder, cinnamon with cumin, and nutmeg with paprika.

Origin:
Posted By: Chile Head Mailing List
Post Date:???

Place the pork on a cutting board and, with a sharp knife, punch holes, or "jerk", all over. In a medium size bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the soy sauce, lime juice, and wine. Using your fingers, stuff the mixture into the holes. Place the pork roast in a bowl and pour the remaining mixture and the soy sauce over it. Cover and let marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Place the roast in a suitable roasting plan with the lime juice and water. Cook the roast in a preheated 450 degree oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When fork tender, remove the cover and allow to brown. While browning, keep the pork moist by basting it with the juices from the pan (see note below). Serve with rice or potatoes.
Makes 6 to 8 Servings

Note: If gravy is desired, remove the roast from the pan, pour off all but 1 to 2 tablespoons of the juices and place the pan on a burner over high heat. Brown the juices, then deglaze the pan with a little boiling water. Return the juice to the pan and add enough hot water to make about 1 1/2 cups of gravy. If a thicker gravy is desired, a slurry of 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 1/2 cup of water can be added gradually while stirring until desired thickness is reached.
Good with frosty beer.

From: Shantihhh@aol.com
Posted By: Shantihhh@aol.com Via: Chile Head Mailing List
Post Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1999

Cooking Method:
Rub tenderloin with jerk seasoning, soy sauce, and honey. Let sit refrigerated for at least 3 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a skillet on medium high. Add olive oil, just until oil starts to smoke. Place the tenderloin in the skillet and sear to a golden brown on all sides. Finish cooking in pre-heated oven until medium to well done. Remove tenderloin and let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile add butter to another skillet and add the blanched vegetables, salt & pepper. Sauté until warmed through. Slice the tenderloin in 1/4" slices. Place the vegetables on the plate and fan the tenderloin slices out across the veggies. Serves 2-4 depending on the weight of tenderloin.

From: Oualie Beach Hotel, Chef Patrick Fobert
Posted By:
Post Date:

Roast pimento berries in dry skillet until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Remove and crush to a powder in a mortar or spice mill.Add pimento powder and all remaining ingredients to a food processor and blend with enough water to make a paste or sauce.
Store in 'fridge; keeps a month or more.
Yield: 2 - 3 cups
Heat: Hot

NOTE: From: Buffalo Sue
I always use ground allspice, and just warm it gently until aromatic. I always substitute rum in place of water. I have used dried habs when I could not find fresh, and it worked just fine.
I always double this, and have plenty for 5 lbs of "country style" pork ribs (the boneless kind). In my math, doubling 3 habs = 7! :-)
It is best if made about a week or so in advance. Marinate the meat for a day or two before cooking. I have frozen leftover cooked sauce successfully.
My favorite use for this is to marinate the boneless ribs 2 days, then put in a large covered casserole and slow cook in a 200 - 225 oven for a few hours. Serve over rice. YUM!
My only variations are to substitute rum for the water, and if I'm making a double batch, I "double" 3 habs and get 7 - OK, so I'm not a mathematician ;-) I have also successfully used dried habs when fresh were no where to be found.

From: Dave DeWitt's Hot_and Spicy Caribbean
Posted By: Buffalo Sue, bflosue@earthlink.net VIA: Chile Head Mailing List
Post Date: Tue, 22 Jul 1997

Sautee one huge onion finely chopped in a stick of butter and half a cup of olive oil until lightly browned. Add 11 oz bottle of Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning, and half of a 5oz bottle of Jamaica Hellfire Doc's Special Hot Sauce to the sauteeing Onions. An optional ingredient: I like to add at this point is 4 tablespoons of Afri-Q Ethiopian BBQ Sauce, though it may be hard to find unless mailordered. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar if you like it sweeter, 2 tablespoons of allspice, and a teaspoon of thyme. (finely chopped scotch bonnets may also be added at this point, but its already got good heat from the Doc's Special) Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes stirring often. Allow to cool, then marinate your meat/chicken for several hours (or overnight) and grill in the usual manner.

My favorite jerk out of a bottle is Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning (11 oz bell-shaped bottle). This is a semi-thick jerk with an authentic jerk flavor and a good amount of heat, though it comes up a bit short in that department for chile-heads. It also lacks the amount of sweetness that I am partial to in my jerk.

Origin: Porter
Posted By: Porter

Combine all ingredients into a thick, chunky paste. The mixture will keep in tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for several months, Most Jamaicans grind their spices by hand in a mortar and pestle. The whole spices tend to retain more aromatic oils in them and therfore more of a natural pungency. To save time, you can pulverize the spices in a spice grinder or coffee mill, and then add them to the other ingredients.

Jerking is a two step process. First you must marinate the meat for at least four hours, preferably overnight. Then you slow cook the marinated meat over hardwood coals.

To make jerk at home, marinate the pork or chicken in the refrigerator overnight. Use a lot of jerk in proportion to the amount of meat. You can use a water smoker or a covered grill with a drip pan. It is best to have a drip pan directly under the meat to prevent scorching. For the fire,charcoal briquettes work, but suggest the addition of hardwood chips (pecan, apple, peach wood, maple, walnut, almond, hickory or mesquite) for favor. Start the fire, when the coals are ashen, add the wood chips. The wood chips should be soaked for at least 1 hour for intense smoky favor.

The meat should be turned every 15 to 20 minutes to insure even cooking and to prevent burning. Pork takes 2 to 4 hours, chicken 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the heat of the fire.

From: Traveling Jamaica with Knife, Fork and Spoon. A Righteous Guide to Jamaican Cookery. By Bob Walsh and Jay McCarthy. 1995. The Crossing Press, Freedom, CA. 95019
Posted By: Richard T. Proost, rproost@facstaff.wisc.edu
Post Date: 3/23/99