Jerk spices, Scotch bonnet and lime, with Rhode Island coffee syrup standing in for the brown sugar a jerk marinade usually carries. The syrup does two jobs: sweetens the marinade, then gets brushed on at the end as a glaze that darkens over the coals.
Untested: not yet made in this kitchen. It is here for the Coffee Milk and Coffee Syrup page and is adapted from Dave’s Coffee’s published recipe. It is not a traditional Jamaican jerk.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds (1.4 kg) bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
- ½ cup (120 ml) coffee syrup, Rhode Island style, plus 2 tablespoons for glazing
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and minced (wear gloves)
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 bay leaves, crumbled
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
Directions
- Whisk the ½ cup syrup, oil, lime juice, Scotch bonnet, spices, bay and salt in a large bowl.
- Slash each piece of chicken two or three times to the bone, add to the bowl and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 3 hours.
- Set up a grill for two-zone cooking. Lift the chicken out of the marinade (discard what is left) and grill over indirect heat, lid closed, turning once, until the thickest thigh reads 175 °F (79 °C), 30 to 40 minutes.
- Move the chicken over the direct heat, brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of syrup and grill 1 to 2 minutes a side until glazed and dark in spots. Watch it: the sugar burns fast.
Notes
Where this recipe came from Adapted from the “Coffee Jerk Chicken” on Dave’s Coffee’s syrup-recipes page: 3 pounds of chicken, ½ cup of syrup, a jerk spice mix, one lime and ¼ cup olive oil, marinated 1 to 3 hours, grilled and brushed with syrup near the end. The individual spice amounts and the grilling method are this kitchen’s. Safety Chicken is safe at 165 °F (74 °C); dark meat is more tender taken to 175 °F. Do not brush raw marinade on cooked chicken. No grill Roast at 400 °F (200 °C) for 35 to 40 minutes, glaze, and finish under the broiler. The photo Grilled jerk chicken, not this recipe’s batch.