Jerk Chicken

I mean what else needs to be said? If anyone knows anything about Jamaican cuisine, jerk chicken would probably be one of the first foods that comes to mind. Jerk chicken is a dish that is made by marinating chicken with a spice mix called jerk that originates from Jamaica. Jerk spice seasoning usually contains pimento/allspice and habenero peppers, but the spice is not limited to these ingredients The meat is traditionally smoked over pimento wood, but some might choose not to smoke the chicken because of the time it takes to smoke meat. This method of cooking is known as jerking and can be used on numerous meats including goat, beef, pork, fish, vegetables, and even fruit. Jerking is believed to have been started by the Arawak Indians, Native Indians who were kicked out of their land after Columbus discovered Jamaica. The Arawaks escaped into Jamaica's Blue Mountains and learned to avoid the British hunting them. During their time in the forest of the Blue Mountains, the Indians used the same method used today to create Jerky today to preserve meat until they could cook it. They dried meat with a spice mixture and barbecued it when ready. The spice mixture used to dry the meat evolved to become what is known today as Jerk. Anyways now that history class is over, here's a recipe for some delicious jerk chicken.