Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meats, traditionally pork and goat but including chicken, fish, beef, sausage and tofu, are dry-rubbed with a very hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice. Jerk seasoning principally relies upon two items: allspice (Jamaican pimento) and Scotch bonnet peppers (among the hottest peppers on the Scoville scale). Other ingredients include cloves, cinnamon, scallions, nutmeg, thyme, garlic.
Jerk chicken, pork, or fish is said to be at its best when barbecued over aromatic wood charcoal or briquettes. Pimento (allspice) wood or berries placed over coals give jerk its authentic flavor.
The Quechua word charqui (dried meat) gave the name to both jerk and jerky. Jamaican "jerk" ties well into its first people; American Indian (Tainos) roots, since of all the modern barbecueing processes, in its purest form it corresponds the closest to historical descriptions of the Tainos' method. The Tainos would construct a grid of green sticks some distance above a smoldering fire of green pimento wood (that is, the wood of the allspice tree) in a shallow pit, place meat on the grid and cover it with pimento leaves to impart further flavour while trapping the smoke for maximum effect.
Originally the jerk meat was cut into strips and dried in the sun for use at a later date. A small fire was lit under the meat so that the smoke would prevent flies from laying their eggs on the raw meat. Native Americans also use this method and also call it jerk meat, as was shown in an episode of Ray Mears the survivalist's programme on the BBC. (See also jerky.)
A grill over an open fire suffices in the modern rendition. The widely available pre-made seasoning mixes give a passable jerk flavour to meat baked in a kitchen oven.
