1 pc Baby chicken whole Dry spices 10 g / 2 teaspn Sea salt 10 g / 2 teaspn Black peppercorns 20 g / 1 tablspn Cinnamon powder 10 g / 2 teaspn Clove powder 10 g / 2 teaspn Nutmeg powder 10 g / 2 teaspn All spice 10 g / 2 teaspn Cayenne pepper Wet spice mix 100 g / 3.5 oz Garlic 100 g / 3.5 oz Ginger 4 pc Chili spicy Last ingredients 20 pc Spring onions - fine sliced 100 ml / 10 cl Apple cider vinegar 60 ml / 6 cl Lime juice 60 ml / 6 cl Soya sauce light 100 ml / 10 cl Extra virgin olive oil 20 pc Basil leaves - chopped rough
Preparation Note: There are two ways of doing this
Blender method Blend the dry ingredients in a spice grinder, place in a bowl, ground in a mincer all the wet spices, add them to the bowl with the dry spices, followed by the vinegar, lime juice, soya sauce and then the oil, mix thoroughly, and then add the spring onions and the basil leaves.
Pestle and Mortar method Note: This is by far the better method by all accounts because the pestle and mortar pounds all the natural oils from the wet spices, giving a more intense flavor, you can either set these aside and pound the wet ingredients separately, and then add them together when your wet paste is ready, this is actually easier in terms of a sore arm!!
Pound the dry ingredients first until they are completely smooth, add the wet spices, and pound until they form a smooth paste, you can see the natural oils when you press the spoon on the mixture (this you would see if you have not mixed this with the dry spices).
When you have a smooth paste (or if your paste is getting a little dry, if you added it to the dry ingredients), you can add a little vinegar to loosen the paste.
Carrying on, then at this point add the following ingredients, the vinegar, lime juice, soya sauce and then the oil, mix thoroughly, and then add the spring onions and the basil leaves. Keep some of the jerk aside for dipping afterwards.
The chicken is ready for marinating, season the chicken well inside and out with sea salt and black pepper, cover inside and out with the jerk, set aside in a refrigerated place (or ice box) for a minimum of 12 hours.
Have your BBQ cinders ready for a slow and low experience, place the chicken on the grill and brush every 10 minutes, and turn as needed, Pinch the chicken at the legs to make sure it’s cooked, set aside to rest, and serve with the jerk dipping sauce.
A great addition is to cut a lemon or a lime in half and grill it until it caramelizes (it will naturally as surprisingly there is a lot of sugar in the citrus fruit), serve on the side and sprinkle if needed. Happy eating!!!