Scotch bonnet peppers are the chiles of choice in Caribbean cooking, lending a fiery bite to sauces and marinades. Pureed with sugar, green onion and warm spices, the yellow-red pepper pods are an essential ingredient in jerk chicken, one of the best-known Jamaican dishes to have been exported from the island.
Scotch bonnets are among the hottest chiles on the market, so handle them with care. If you can't find them, substitute another hot chile such as habanero.
Jerk Chicken
For the marinade:
1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
6 green onions (white and light green parts only), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons tamari
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons ground allspice
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
For the chicken:
1 whole chicken, cut into 6 pieces
1 lime, cut into wedges
In a blender, combine marinade ingredients. Puree marinade, stopping to scrape down the inside of jar as needed and add a little water if it is too thick.
Place cut-up chicken in a 13-by-9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Pour marinade over chicken and use tongs to turn and coat the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 18 hours, turning the chicken occasionally.
Prepare grill for direct and indirect cooking over medium-low heat (350 to 400 degrees).
Remove chicken from dish, letting any excess marinade drip back into the dish. Transfer marinade and juices in the dish to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate.
Grill chicken, skin side up, over indirect medium-low heat, with the lid closed, for 45 minutes. Turn chicken over and baste with some of the reserved marinade. Continue grilling until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, 30 to 50 minutes longer, occasionally basting with the reserved marinade until the last 20 minutes of grilling. Discard any remaining marinade.
Remove from grill and let rest 3 to 5 minutes. Cut leg pieces in half at the joint, and cut the breast pieces crosswise in half. Serve warm with a squeeze of lime on top.
Makes 6 servings.
Recipe from Weber's New American Barbecue: A Modern Spin on the Classics by Jamie Purviance
Food on 06/21/2017