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chunks of jamaican jerk chicken pieces on.a white plate

Smoked Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Easy jerk chicken leg quarters marinated with spicy and fragrant sauce then slow smoked on the grill. 
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Caribbean
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 650kcal
Author: Marwin Brown

Ingredients

For the Chicken

  • 4 whole chicken leg quarters
  • 2 cups jerk marinade or store-bought

For the Brine

  • 1 quart water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup salt
  • 1 tablespoon jerk marinade
  • ½ cup cider vinegar

Instructions

Brine the Chicken

  • Mix brine ingredients in a large bowl. Stir well until both sugar and salt are fully dissolve.
  • Place chicken in a large bowl or ziplock back and add the brine. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Marinate the Chicken

  • Remove chicken from the brine, rinse and set aside. Cut several 1-inch-long slits in each piece of chicken.
  • Blend your marinade ingredients and place chicken along with marinade in large ziplock back. Rub paste all over chicken, rubbing it into slits.
  • Marinate, covered and chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 1 day (longer is better for flavor).

Smoke the Chicken

  • Set up frill for indirect heat and pre-heat to 250-275 degrees. Smoke the chicken, skin sides up on indirect heat until cooked through, 1-2 hours.

Video

Notes

  • Wear gloves when handling the peppers as they are super hot
  • Wash knife, cutting board, and any other surface the peppers may have come into contact with
  • Cut slits into the chicken before marinating. This will help the chicken absorb more of the flavors
  • Adjust heat levels up or down by amount of peppers used as well as seeds and veins. Heat comes from the seeds and veins of chili peppers.
  • Let chicken reach room temperature before cooking
  • Allspice berries and bay leaves can help replicate flavor from pimento wood. Smolder them with your heat source when grilling
  • This recipe can easily be converted to oven bake if you don't have access to a grill or prefer to use your oven. To roast chicken in oven: Place chicken skin sides up, in large baking pan on middle of a preheated 450°F oven, until cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Then turn on broiler and broil chicken, about 4 inches from heat, until skin is browned and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 650kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 2051mg | Potassium: 2603mg | Fiber: 41g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 35187IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 402mg | Iron: 21mg
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