It’s been one week since another successful Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival event, which was held last Sunday, November 13th at the Miramar Regional Park. Of course, at the event people enjoyed a plethora of jerk dishes of all kinds, alongside a healthy dose of authentic Jamaican culture and musical performances.
Whether you were at the event or not, here’s a quick guide to what Jamaican jerk seasoning actually is, and how you can enjoy it.
Culture & History
Jerk is arguably the most popular seasoning to come out of Jamaica. Usually cooked on spicy, charred meat – typically chicken or pork – in Jamaica, jerk dishes are cooked to perfection on grills made from metal barrels (jerk pans) on almost every street corner or in large jerk houses that churn through thousands of pounds of chicken and pork a day.
It’s a dish with a rich history that encapsulates all of what Jamaica is. Jerk is the collaboration of two cultures that are foundational to the island. Escaped slaves, aka Maroons, were taught by the indigenous Jamaicans, the Arawaks, how to season and preserve meat. This was a useful technique when on the run from British soldiers. The Maroons would cook their meat in pits to trap the smoke so it would not give away their location. This inadvertently produced jerk’s sought-after smoky flavor.
DIY Jerk
If you want to make jerk at home, you don’t need to go digging a pit just yet. Any grill or even an oven will do the trick. As for the seasoning, it’s a combination of pimento (allspice berries), brown sugar, garlic, scotch bonnet peppers (habanero can be used as a substitute), thyme, scallions (green onions), cinnamon, nutmeg, soy sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.
The ratios depend on spice preference. All these ingredients need to be blitzed in a food processor, blender, or mortar and pestled until turned into a chunky paste. Alternatively, store bought jerk marinade can be found in many immigrant markets and increasingly big supply chains if sourcing the ingredients proves too big a hassle.
Meat is marinated in this blend overnight and then grilled over a low fire until done. For authentic jerk flavor, you want to use pimento wood as your flame base, but if you’re short of backyard space or a grill, instead cook the meat low and slow in the oven with a bit of liquid smoke or charcoal in a foil cup.
For real Jamaican street-food style, serve the jerk with hard-dough bread and ketchup.
