Caribbean · Marinade · All year
Jamaican Jerk Marinade
4.6 · community
10m
Prep
0m
Cook
Easy
Level
80
Energy
Allspice, thyme, scotch-bonnet heat (jalapeño-adjustable), and scallions blended into the Caribbean's most famous paste. Heat and perfume in equal measure.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
4
Before you start
Mise en place
Yield: Enough for 1 kg of chicken or pork
Equipment
Bowl or jar
Whisk
Zip-top bags
Prep checklist
Jalapeño — or 1 scotch bonnet for the real thing
Cloves — ground allspice is traditional — use 1 tbsp if you have it
Lime — juice
3 steps
Method
1
Blend everything to a coarse dark paste.
2
Massage into chicken or pork and marinate 4–24 hours.
480 min — timer available in cooking mode
3
Grill over medium (not blazing) heat — jerk's sugar and spices want slow char, and the smoke is half the dish. Rest, chop, serve with rice and peas.
Why this works
True jerk is smoked over pimento wood. A handful of soaked allspice berries on the coals gets you surprisingly close.
From the pass
Chef's notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Unused marinade keeps 5 days refrigerated. Once it touches raw protein, discard it — or boil 3 full minutes to serve as a sauce.
Freezing
Freeze protein IN the marinade: it seasons as it thaws. 2 months.
Reheating
Marinades aren't reheated — but boil any used marinade for 3 full minutes if you want to serve it as a sauce (it touched raw protein).
Make ahead
Mix up to 5 days ahead and refrigerate; marinate proteins in zip bags so cleanup is nothing.
Wine pairing
Follows the finished dish.
Beer pairing
Follows the finished dish.
On the plate
Serve it with
Sides
Applies to whatever you marinate
Garnish
Reserve a spoonful (before it touches raw meat) to finish the cooked dish
Taste map
Flavour profile
Sweet
2
Salty
4
Sour
3
Bitter
0
Umami
3
Heat
1
Per serving
Nutrition
80
kcal
1g
protein
8g
carbs
4g
fat
3g
fiber
520mg
sodium
Asked and answered
Questions
How long should I marinate?
Acidic marinades: 30 minutes–4 hours for thin cuts (acid "cooks" the surface mushy past that), up to 12 for thick cuts. Yogurt and enzyme marinades: 4–24 hours. Salt-forward soy marinades: 1–24 hours. Seafood: 15–30 minutes only.
Can I reuse the marinade as a sauce?
Only after a hard 3-minute boil — it touched raw protein. Better habit: reserve a clean portion before the meat goes in.
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