Pimento-Smoked Charcoal Jerk Chicken

Method

1. Toast the allspice berries and peppercorns in a dry pan on medium-low heat for 2 min, shaking the pan, until deeply fragrant and a shade darker. Let them cool, then grind finely in a mortar or spice grinder. Freshly toasted spices give jerk its depth.

   Add in this stepWhole allspice berries (to grind) 1½ tspBlack peppercorns ¾ tsp

   medium-low heat

2. Wearing gloves, roughly chop the spring onions, onion, Scotch bonnet, garlic and ginger and put them in a blender. Add the ground spices, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, soy sauce, lime and orange juice, oil and salt and blend to a thick paste. Before it touches raw chicken, spoon a quarter of it into a covered container and refrigerate; this becomes the sauce.

   Add in this stepSpring onions (scallions) 4Onion ½Scotch bonnet chilli (or habanero) 1Garlic cloves 4Fresh ginger 15 gFresh thyme leaves, chopped 2 tspGround cinnamon 1 pinchFreshly grated nutmeg 1 pinchBrown sugar 1½ tbspSoy sauce 2 tbspLime (juice) 1Orange (juice) ½Neutral oil 1½ tbspSalt 1¼ tsp

3. Pat the chicken dry and cut 3 or 4 deep slashes down to the bone across the thigh and drumstick. Rub the rest of the paste deep into the cuts and under the skin, cover and refrigerate for 12 h (overnight).

   Add in this stepChicken leg quarters (about 300 g each) 2

4. Put the reserved paste in a 14 cm small saucepan with the ketchup, cider vinegar, honey and water and simmer on medium-low heat for 5 min, stirring, until the raw onion smell has gone and it lightly coats a spoon. This sauce never touched raw chicken, so it is safe for dipping.

   Add in this stepKetchup 1½ tbspCider vinegar 1½ tbspHoney 1½ tspWater (for the sauce) 3 tbsp

   medium-low heat

5. Soak the smoking allspice berries and thyme sprigs in water for 30 minutes before grilling. Light 1.5 kg of charcoal; when covered in white ash and settled to charcoal (medium heat), bank it all on one side of the grill to make a hot zone and a cool zone. Scatter the drained berries and thyme over the coals and place the chicken skin side up on the cool side. Close the lid and cook for 35 min, keeping the lid thermometer around 160 to 180 °C and swapping the pieces round once.

   Add in this stepWhole allspice berries (for smoke) 1 tbspFresh thyme sprigs (for smoke) 4

   charcoal (medium heat)

6. Move the chicken directly over the coals (charcoal (medium heat)) and cook for 6 min, turning every minute or two, brushing on a little sauce in the last few minutes until the skin is charred and glossy. If flames flare up, shift it back to the cool side for a moment. It is done at 75 °C in the thickest part of the thigh, not touching the bone; legs are even more tender at 80 °C.

   charcoal (medium heat)

7. Rest the chicken on a board for 5 min, then chop it through the bone into chunky pieces with a heavy knife, the Jamaican way. Serve with the remaining jerk sauce.