Wah Gwan® Jerk Chicken

scotch bonnet peppers

💰Cheaper: jalapeño peppers

Jalapeños provide heat but are milder and easier to find.

brown sugar

🥗Healthier: coconut sugar

Coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index.

soy sauce

🥗Healthier: tamari

Tamari is gluten-free and has a similar flavor.

vegetable oil

🥗Healthier: olive oil

Olive oil offers healthier fats.

Peel onions and slice them, then give them a rough chop.

Slice scallions, ginger, and smash some garlic.

Add fresh thyme and pimento leaves to the mix.

Add bay leaf and crushed cinnamon sticks.

Add fresh and dried Scotch bonnet peppers.

Drizzle a few cups of soy sauce into the mixture.

Add brown sugar and squeeze fresh lime juice into the jerk sauce.

Add dried allspice berries and dark rum, preferably from Jamaica.

Drizzle in about a cup or two of olive oil.

Blend all the ingredients together using a Cuisinart.

Cut each chicken in half down the backbone and tops sides to create two perfect halves.

Squeeze fresh lime juice over all the chicken halves and rub it in.

Heavily season the chicken with dry brine and Wah Gwan spice, ensuring every part is covered.

Rub the seasoning into the chicken with your hands.

Place the chicken into a bowl, add some jerk sauce, and rub it into all the crevices of the chicken.

Add the used limes back into the bowl with the chicken and refrigerate for at least eight hours, preferably overnight.

Soak pimento leaves in water to keep them moist while smoking.

Turn on the Traeger grill and set it to 225°F.

Make a bed with the soaked pimento leaves in the grill.

Lay each half of chicken on top of the pimento leaves, arranging them neatly.

Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of one piece of chicken.

After the first hour, baste the chicken with Red Stripe beer and jerk marinade.

Continue to baste every hour or hour and a half for a total of 18 hours.

Cook the leftover jerk marinade in a pot with olive oil to remove rawness.

Add a heavy pinch of Wah Gwan spice to the marinade and sauté it.

Cut a bulb of garlic in half and add it to the marinade along with dark rum and Red Stripe beer.

Add espresso, honey, and maple syrup to the marinade for extra flavor.

Add lime peel and juice from fresh tangerines to the sauce, straining to remove seeds.

Add cubed mango to the sauce and adjust acidity with lime juice as needed.

Bring the sauce to a boil and let it thicken, then baste the jerk chicken with it.

Remove the chicken from the grill and place it on a cutting board.

Chop the chicken into pieces larger than bite-sized for serving.

Garnish with fresh rosemary and serve with pickled Scotch bonnet, greens, and bread.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: