Authentic Jamaican Jerk Marinade

Jamaican jerk marinade stored in a glass bottle

Once you try this homemade Jamaican Jerk Marinade, you'll never reach for store-bought again. This quick and easy recipe is packed with bold, authentic Jamaican flavour from scotch bonnet peppers to warm spices. It's the foundation for Authentic Jamaican Jerk Chicken but works beautifully on everything from pork to seafood and vegetables.

Prep Time15

Cook Time0

Total Time15

Course: Condiments, Sauces & Marinades, Jamaican

Cuisine: Jamaican

Keyword: authentic jerk marinade, caribbean jerk marinade, homemade jerk marinade, how to make jerk marinade, Jamaican jerk marinade, jamaican jerk marinade recipe, jerk chicken marinade, jerk marinade, jerk marinade recipe

Servings: cups (3–4 pounds of meat)

Author: Taneisha Morris

Equipment

1 Large Cutting Board
1 Knife
1 Food Processor
1 Airtight Glass Storage Jar

Ingredients

1 med Onion chopped in quarters
5 stalks Scallion cut in half
1 bunch Thyme hard stems removed
1 head Garlic 12 - 15 cloves
2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers more or less, depending on preference
1 pinch Ginger (23g)
10 Whole Pimento Seeds allspice berries
2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Ground Nutmeg or freshly grated
1/4 tsp Ground Allspice
1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1/2 tbsp Browning or Homemade Browning Sauce
1 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp Brown Sugar
Juice from 1/2 Lime optional
Juice from 1/2 Lemon optional
Juice from 1/2 Orange optional

Instructions

Wash and dry all fresh herbs. Roughly chop the onion into quarters, cut scallion in half, remove hard stems from thyme. Wear gloves when handling scotch bonnet peppers.
Add the chopped onion to the base of your food processor first then add all remaining ingredients on top.
Pulse until finely chopped or blend until smooth depending on your preference. Scrape down the sides as needed to ensure everything is evenly incorporated.
Taste the marinade and adjust to your preference — more scotch bonnet for heat, more citrus for brightness, more brown sugar to balance the spice.
Transfer to an airtight glass jar and store in an airtight glass jar on the coldest bottom shelf of your fridge for maximum freshness. Alternatively freeze in tablespoon-sized portions in an ice cube tray and transfer to a freezer bag — keeps for up to 3 months.

Notes

Add Onions First - add the chopped onion to the base of the processor or blender first, as it has the most water content and will help things along.

Amount of Herbs - feel free to add more or less of each herb to suit your taste.

Marinating Time - for best results marinate your meat for a minimum of 2 hours, ideally overnight in the fridge. The longer it sits the deeper the flavour.

Use Gloves – when handling and cutting the scotch bonnet peppers use gloves to prevent burns.

Back of Fridge – store in the rear of the refrigerator to ensure temperatures remain stable when resting.

Nutrition