A slight cheat, this one, as traditionally jerk
wouldn’t be eaten in a sandwich. It’s such a summer classic, however, and it
tastes so fine… basically, it’s my book and I’ll bend the rules if I want to.
The cornerstone flavors of jerk are allspice berries,
Scotch bonnet chilies, and thyme. It must be cooked on a BBQ, preferably a
“jerk drum,” and there should be plenty of smoke. It’s fun to soak some
allspice berries in water and chuck them into the coals; this creates a
beautifully scented smoke and a bit of food theater for guests if nothing else.
Makes 4
INGREDIENTS
FOR
THE JERK CHICKEN:
1½ tbsp allspice berries, ground to a
powder
¼ cup (55g) dark brown packed
(muscovado) sugar
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
A bunch of large scallions (spring
onions)—about 5
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
3 fresh Scotch
bonnet chilies, seeded
Juice of 2 large limes
Slug of dark rum
1 tsp sea salt
Black pepper, to taste
4 chicken legs
(or other chicken pieces of an equivalent size)
Extra allspice berries soaked in water
(optional)
FOR
THE PINEAPPLE SALSA:
1 tsp runny honey
Juice of 1–2 limes
1 small fresh pineapple, peeled, cored,
and finely diced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
A small bunch of fresh cilantro
(coriander), finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely
chopped
4 white rolls, to serve
To make the marinade for the jerk chicken, put
all the ingredients, except the chicken and soaked allspice berries, in a
blender and whizz together until smooth. Smother the marinade over the chicken
legs, rubbing it in well. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Allow the meat to come to room temperature and
brush or wipe off most of the excess marinade before grilling the chicken on
the BBQ. To set up your BBQ for the indirect cooking method, light the coals in
the middle in a kind of volcano shape, then wait for the flames to disappear,
leaving you with coals that have a light gray ash coating. Move them to the
sides. This gets the indirect heat circulating around the kettle when you put
the lid on. I find it helps to also brush the grate with a little oil. Chuck
the soaked allspice berries into the coals before you start cooking, if using.
The chicken pieces will probably take about 30 minutes to cook (although it
depends on size)— always check that the juices run clear before serving.
While the chicken is cooking, make the pineapple
salsa. Mix the honey with the juice of 1 lime in a bowl. Mix this with all the
other ingredients in a larger bowl, plus some salt and pepper. Add more lime
juice to taste, if necessary.
To serve, split the rolls, fill with the hot
cooked chicken meat (discarding the bones), top with the salsa, and serve.
