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Jerk Sauce

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sauces & condiments•jamaican•vegan
45 minutes•about 2 cups (enough to marinate 4–5 pounds protein)•

Ingredients

  • 4 scallions – trimmed and roughly chopped
  • 1/2 onion – medium, roughly chopped
  • 2 Scotch bonnet peppers – stems removed, seeded to taste, roughly chopped (wear gloves)
  • 6 cloves garlic – roughly chopped
  • 1 ounce ginger – peeled and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons thyme – fresh leaves stripped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons allspice – ground
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon – ground
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg – ground
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar – packed
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper – freshly ground
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice – freshly squeezed
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil – neutral
jerk sauce

Instructions

1. Prep the aromatics: Trim and roughly chop the scallions. Peel and roughly chop the half onion and ginger. Wearing gloves, stem the Scotch bonnets and remove some or all seeds to control heat, then roughly chop. Roughly chop the garlic.

2. Start the paste: Add the scallions, onion, Scotch bonnets, garlic, and ginger to a blender or food processor. Pulse to a coarse paste.

3. Season and blend: Add the thyme leaves, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, and oil. Blend until smooth and thick, 30–60 seconds, scraping down the sides as needed.

4. Adjust: Taste and adjust seasoning for salt and brightness. For more heat, blend in some reserved chile seeds.

5. Rest: Let the sauce sit 30 minutes at room temperature to meld. For later use, transfer to a clean jar and refrigerate up to 1 week.

6. Use: For marinating, use about 1/2 cup per pound of chicken or pork and marinate 4–12 hours refrigerated. If serving as a table sauce, reserve a clean portion before marinating or bring any sauce that touched raw meat to a full boil for 1 minute before serving.

Jerk sauce is Jamaica’s signature marinade and table sauce, balancing searing Scotch bonnet heat with the warm perfume of pimento (allspice), herbal thyme, and savory scallion. It’s thick, aromatic, and tangy-salty, with a subtle sweetness that rounds the edges without dulling the spice. Whether brushed on chicken over a smoky grill or folded into pork, seafood, or vegetables, it delivers a vivid, heady flavor that clings and caramelizes beautifully.

Rooted in the cooking of the Maroons—descendants of Africans who escaped enslavement into Jamaica’s interior—jerk evolved around pimento wood, Scotch bonnets, and slow fire. Over time, pounding fresh aromatics and spices into a paste became the standard base, with vinegar or citrus adding preservation and tang. Today, jerk is both a technique and a flavor profile, found from roadside jerk centers to home kitchens, yet it remains defined by pimento and Scotch bonnet heat layered with thyme and smoke.