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Jerk Chicken/Marinade Help, Please

Brown sugar, soy sauce, and processing/bottling can alter color. 
 
Second time from the OP...

To score, or not to score the chicken, that is still the unanswered question. I'm talking hindquarters.
 
Roguejim said:
Second time from the OP...

To score, or not to score the chicken, that is still the unanswered question. I'm talking hindquarters.
Click to expand...
I do not score my chicken whether it is pieces, whole or spatchcocked. Straight smoked chicken skin is not like it is out of the oven or fryer. 
 
I use Myers rum makes my marinade dark brown. And smoke roast over pimento wood for perfect skin otherwise I scrape fat layer off skin if just smoking at low temps for perfect bite thru skin! :)
 
Roguejim said:
Second time from the OP...

To score, or not to score the chicken, that is still the unanswered question. I'm talking hindquarters.
Click to expand...
 
I don't score the chicken either, but then again I'm smoke roasting jerk - not smoking it.  If one is smoking chicken the skin will most often be undesirable unless you follow OS and scrape all the fat OR if you finish on a high temp grill.  Bite through chicken skin for BBQ comps is one of the hardest things to pull off.  Scraping and then season/reapply skin like OS talked of is the only way I know how.  
 
I don't like separating the skin and scraping the fat, then putting the skin flap back. I don't know, I just don't like it. So you get a crispy flap. Big deal. I like it still attached.
 
When doing jerk I separate the skin but not detach it. Just get in there with your finger or the butt end of a chopstick and work it. Then jam enough jerk rub in there to keep the skin lifted. I also mix the jerk rub with a little butter beforehand. The air space, butter, and sugar from the rub will crisp the skin perfectly! And the meat will remain moist. You don't need it too lifted just enough to create airspace.
 
Most authentic jerk puts rub under the skin as well as on top. It's never flaccid. You can skip the butter even, for me, it helps move flavors around and caramelization/bonding as well as crispiness. 
 
Here's BigB's recipe- Is 3/4 cup allspice a typo???
 
 
1tsp nutmeg
2tsp white pepper
1/4 cup black pepper
1/2cup kosher salt
3/4cup ground allspice
3/4cup brown sugar
3/4cup orange juice (if you live in places where oj sucks like ohio, I suggest squeezing a few oranges)
8 whole scotch bonnets (you choose how many, but the heat surprisingly doesn't come through unless you add 8+ peppers)
1 bunch of jamaican thyme (10 stalks, but any thyme will do)
8 whole peeled garlic cloves
3/4 cup scallions
(optional) 2 cups of ajicito/pimento/trinidad seasoning peppers. This gives it that nice chinense flavor without the heat, but it's not necessary. especially since these pepper aren't easy to find unless you grow them. Not even all jamaican stores have them
 
There's also a half cup of salt... a lot of jerk rubs to me are too salty AND to allspicy so I'm not sure if this is real or just one I would not favor. 
 
Well never seen that much salt either. Did a quick search and the recipes range from none to a tablespoon at most for this size recipe. So if not a typo, yeah, not for me.
 
I'm not that familiar with jerk seasonings, so I had to ask.  But knowing spices....I'd equate that to 3/4 cup cinnamon....which definitley wouldn't work!!!  Thinking like JayT of 2 Tbsp allspice.
 
maybe it was supposed to be 3/4 Tbsp????
 
 
thanks for the comments. 
 
To clarify, yes that much salt and yes that much allspice. However, i should have said 3/4 cup allspice berries then ground. It reduces down to about 1/2 cup. It's a marinade and you really want that allspice / pimento wood flavor to soak into your meat. By the time you're cooking and eating it, the marinade isn't on there anymore in large quantities. I would do less if i had allspice/pimento wood to cook with, but I can't find a source for that anywhere
 
BigB said:
To clarify, yes that much salt and yes that much allspice. However, i should have said 3/4 cup allspice berries then ground. It reduces down to about 1/2 cup. It's a marinade and you really want that allspice / pimento wood flavor to soak into your meat. By the time you're cooking and eating it, the marinade isn't on there anymore in large quantities. I would do less if i had allspice/pimento wood to cook with, but I can't find a source for that anywhere
Click to expand...
http://www.pimentowood.com/Pimento_Wood/Pimento_Wood.html
 
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