Description
Jamaican jerk sauce brings fiery Caribbean flavors to your kitchen. Scotch bonnet peppers, allspice, and thyme combine in this authentic marinade that promises to elevate grilled meats with bold, spicy character you’ll crave.
Ingredients
Scale
Peppers and Aromatics:
- 4 organic scotch bonnet peppers or 6–7 regular peppers
- 1 large red onion or 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 5 stalks scallion (green onions), chopped
- 7 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
Spices and Seasonings:
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh pimento seeds (allspice), crushed
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Liquids and Oils:
- 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) white vinegar
- 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oil (olive or vegetable)
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Carefully remove stems from scotch bonnet peppers and chop coarsely, releasing their intense heat and vibrant color.
- Peel and dice onion, garlic, and scallions to create a fragrant aromatic base for the sauce.
- Gently strip thyme leaves from their woody stems, ensuring maximum herbal essence is captured.
- Lightly crush pimento seeds to unleash their smoky, warm undertones.
- Transfer all prepared ingredients into a high-performance blender or food processor.
- Pulse and blend the mixture until achieving a smooth, cohesive consistency with no visible chunks.
- If the sauce appears too dense, gradually introduce 1-2 tablespoons of water to thin it out.
- Taste the sauce critically, fine-tuning the flavor profile by adding brown sugar for sweetness, vinegar for tangy brightness, or extra pimento for deeper smokiness.
- Carefully decant the blended sauce into a sterilized glass container, ensuring complete cleanliness.
- Refrigerate the sauce for a minimum of 24 hours, allowing the complex flavors to harmonize and intensify.
- When ready, use immediately as a dynamic marinade, glossy grilling glaze, or zesty dipping condiment.
Notes
- Handle scotch bonnet peppers with caution, wearing gloves to prevent skin irritation from their intense heat.
- Customize spice levels by removing seeds from peppers for a milder sauce or keeping them for extra fire.
- Enhance flavor complexity by toasting pimento seeds before crushing to release deeper, smokier notes.
- Extend sauce shelf life by storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, allowing flavors to develop and intensify.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 24 hours
- Category: Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: Jamaican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 54
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 362 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg