Forget the store-bought stuff, instead make your own batch of homemade jerk marinade with this easy, straight-forward recipe.
I make a lot of jerk recipes, and for a long time relied on a few different commercial brands like Grace and Walkerswood. Both are decent and serve their purpose, especially when you need convenience. However, I always felt like I could level up.
This jerk marinade recipe tastes fresh and natural, mainly because it is both those things. So there is just no point going back once you’ve made this one.
MOOD MUSIC
Jerk Marinade Ingredients
Fresh is da word with this jerk paste. Fresh thyme, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, fresh scallions, and fresh onions. Good pimento (all-spice) is the key ingredient. Pimento is Jamaican pepper but sweeter and looks like whole dried berries. It has a warm, fragrant aroma and combines multiple flavors from cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
How To Make Jerk Paste
You can easily use ground ingredients for easier, more convenient jerk paste. However, the key to jerkilicious paste is to grate fresh nutmeg and ground your own pimento seeds.
Step 1: Grate the nutmeg
Step 2: Grind the pimento
Step 3: Puree
Serving Suggestions:
I put this jerk marinade on both meat and vegetables, especially in recipes calling for a wet marinade.
Instant Pot Jerk Chicken Thighs
Jerk Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Expert Tips For Making Jerk Marinade
- Where possible use fresh ingredients for more clean and natural flavor
- To dial heat up or down adjust for seeds and veins. For milder jerk paste remove seeds and veins
- Texture can be tweaked based on liquids (oil, soy, vinegar) to solids (thyme, onions, scallions) ratio. For more of a paste consistency dial down the liquids
- Use a coffee grinder to grind the pimento seeds into all-spice. If no grinder available then use a quality ground all-spice mix.
For similar recipes you might like, try these:
If you make this delicious jerk paste recipe or any other from the site, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.
You can also keep up with my food exploits as well as original recipes! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. If you like any of the music you find on the site, visit me at Spotify to find curated monthly playlist.
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Allspice Berries ground
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Thyme 10 sprigs
- 2 whole Scotch Bonnet Peppers
- 4 green onions Scallions whites and green parts chopped
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Ginger
- 6 Garlic
- ½ Whole Nutmeg grated
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon Brown sugar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup Soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
- 1 medium Onion
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Pepper
- 2 limes juiced
Instructions
- Grind pimento berries in coffee grounder and place in mixing bowl.
- Grate the nutmeg directly into same mixing. Set aside
- Add remaining ingredients to blender starting with liquid ingredients first.
- Add ground pimento and grated nutmeg to blender. Pulse to paste consistency
Video
Notes
- Where possible use fresh ingredients for more clean and natural flavor
- To dial heat up or down adjust for seeds and veins. For milder jerk paste remove seeds and veins
- Habanero is a good substitute for scotch bonnet
- Texture can be tweaked based on liquids (oil, soy, vinegar) to solids (thyme, onions, scallions) ratio. For more of a paste consistency dial down the liquids
- Use a coffee grinder to grind the pimento seeds into all-spice. If no grinder available then use a quality ground all-spice mix.
Mick
Monday 20th of December 2021
Thanks a lot for this. For allspice - do you take a 1/4 cup of berries and grind them, or do you grind them and then add 1/4 cup of ground allspice?
Marwin Brown
Monday 20th of December 2021
I take a 1/4 cup of berries then grind them. If using ground allspice it is about just a little more than 1 tbsp. You can adjust up or down depending on your preference.