Jerk is a style of cooking that originates from the island of Jamaica. In this style of cooking, a mixture of hot spices, known as “Jamaican Jamaican spice”, is dry rubbed into the meat before cooking. Goat or pork meat is traditionally used, but other meats (or even fish) can be substituted, and for many non-Jamaicans, the most familiar jerky dish is, in fact, chicken.

Jerk spice is primarily a mix of Jamaican bell pepper and Scotch Bonnet peppers, but small amounts of other spices are also added to the mix, and these typically include cinnamon, cloves, garlic, nutmeg, chives, and thyme. Some people prefer to make their own hot spice mix, but nowadays, of course, you also have the option of buying ready-made seasoning mixes, and many people actually find them very tasty.

The word “jerk” (as well as the word “jerky”) derives from the word “charqui”, which in the Native American Quechua language means “dried meat”. This is because, historically, dried meat was made by cutting the meat into strips and drying them in the sun over a small fire: the smoke from the fire prevents flies and other insects from laying their eggs in the meat and also helps to preserve it.

Nowadays, jerk dishes are generally not prepared smoked, but over a barbecue grill, or even in a regular kitchen oven. Many people believe that jerky dishes taste best when cooked on a wood or charcoal grill, and some even suggest placing a bit of pepper wood or berries on the coals when cooking to add flavor. In any case, if you’ve never tried jerk before, I suggest you give it a try; You won’t know if you like it until you’ve tried it.