Jerk Chicken - a hit

From left to right, Jerk chicken spices, marinating diced and deboned chicken thigh in the spices for 4 hrs then grilling on a Weber pulse grill at 250 F.

   It is commonly agreed upon that barbecue started in the Caribbean and South America hundreds of years ago. The word "barbecue" itself comes from the Spanish term "barbacoa," which was derived from an Arawak word used by indigenous peoples in the Caribbean. This term originally referred to a wooden structure used to cook meat over an open fire or in a pit. When looking for spices for grilling chicken I came upon recipes for Jerk chicken, which is said to be soul food in Jamaica. 

   I originally started making Jerk Chicken using a recipe called, “Easy Jamaican Jerk Chicken”. However, for the Japanese people's pallet, I felt the above linked recipe needs some modification to adjust its flavor. Hence, I reduced the cayenne pepper and increased the sugar. There are about 10 different spices that are used as shown in the picture. In addition, I added cumin and reduced the allspice powder by half. After several attempts of preparing it and adjusting the spices, the modified recipe was a hit with Japanese friends. Note the taste is slightly different if cooked in a skillet on a gas range or grilled on a charcoal bbq grill. Enjoy. 

1 kg boned chicken thigh

1 tsp liquid smoke

⅓ cup olive oil

3 TBS light brown sugar, packed

1 TBS dried thyme

1 tsp ground allspice

2 tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

2 ¼ tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 TBS parsley

1/2 tsp Cumin