If you have ever smelled chicken or fish on an open BBQ grill smeared in authentic dark Jamaican Jerk Marinade waft up your nose, (even worse on an empty stomach) there is NO better smell and no walking past without your belly saying, hey grab me a piece ASAP!
If you ever tried to make jerk at home, you may have been like me and bought a jar from the local shop BUT these store bought jars will never come close to homemade once you try your hand at it, you will NEVER look back!
So if you ever wanted to make jerk marinade or never thought it was even possible I am here to tell you, you can do it, and you will be amazed how great it tastes and how versatile you can use this marinade on various meats, poultry or even veggie dishes. It stores great in the fridge.
Now, what makes this recipe have an extra kick is adding a splash of dark rum to your marinade. It’s up to you to experiment with adding as you blend, or add the dark rum as per recipe. Have fun and see what tickles your taste buds.
Authentic
CAUTION: You will need a blender or food processor for this recipe.
Ingredients
- A measure of dark rum (depends on what and how much you are cooking so use your own discretion) but a capful to begin adjust to your liking.
- 3 scotch bonnet peppers, depending on size (if using this many you can de-seed peppers) or I use 2 scotch bonnets with seeds (if you enjoy heat)
- 1 small onion
- 4–6 cloves garlic (try less first to see what you like)
- small bunch of fresh thyme (fresh is best) try to remove stalk if your blender cannot break down
- 5 stalks spring onion (use the green top too)
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp ginger,
- chopped 1/2 lime
- 1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg or powder
- 8-10 pimento berries or 2 tbsps all spice powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon TIP can also use cinnamon stick during cooking meats
- 2 tbsp brown sugar TIP I use date syrup for dark colour and toffee flavour!
- 1-2 tbsp sea salt (desired taste)
- 2 tbsp black pepper (you can add at the end in case the scotch bonnet is a bit fiery for you)
Instructions
- wash and chop ingredients
- add to a blender or food processor
- blend for about 20 secs if you like texture or until smooth if you prefer
- adjust seasoning if more needed
- TIP if it tastes too spicy, add a bit more sugar or a couple of small tomatoes
- store in fridge with lid, keeps for about 2 weeks
Have you tried making this authentic jerk marinade? Share a comment on our socials #rumora