The Betty Black Blog

Jerk is a Taino (native Jamaican people) barbeque which was adopted by the Maroons and the Buccaneers. In fact, the word barbeque is a Taino word. The word buccaneer or boucanier is derived from the French meaning “eater of smoked meat.”

Up until as recently as the 1970s you had to travel to Boston Bay in Portland on Jamaica’s north east coast to get jerk pork. Then in the late 1970s two sets of entrepreneurs started jerk businesses in Kingston, and from there it spread across the Island and across the world.

Authentic jerk must be prepared using only wood from the allspice tree to make the barbeque. Of course most of us don’t have allspice trees growing in our backyards so we use charcoal or make it in the oven. There are a lot of commercial jerk seasonings available; be very wary, many are not even close to the real thing. I personally prefer Grace, Busha Browne or Walkerswood. Whichever brand you use please buy one that is made in Jamaica as many of those made outside of Jamaica have neither of the two main ingredients: allspice berries and Scotch Bonnet peppers.

OK, here’s what you really want to know. Home-made Jerk Seasoning:

Home-Made Jerk
½ -1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper, chopped fine (wear gloves)
2 tsp crushed allspice berries or 1 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
2 cloves garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder
2 stalks scallion, chopped fine
1 sprig thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp ketchup (optional)
2 Tbsp oil (coconut if available)

Mix all ingredients and leave overnight for flavours to blend. (The mixture can be stored for several months in a clean air tight jar in the fridge).

Season your choice of meat with approximately 1 Tablespoon Jerk Seasoning per pound, place in a plastic bag and refrigerate two hours to overnight for pork or chicken. For fish or seafood, refrigerate for 1-2 hours before cooking. Grill or roast as usual. Jerk burgers are also great: Season ground beef, pork or chicken with approximately 1 Tablespoon Jerk Seasoning per pound, shape into patties and either freeze or cook immediately.

Read more about Jamaica at Jamaica-Allspice.com