Recipe#5797

Title: Grilled Jerk Chicken

From: The Meades 
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 1996 07:56:05 -0500 

     1/4  cup           Inner Beauty -- or other
                        hot sauce -- OR
  10                    Scotch bonnet chile -- pureed
                                        
  15                    Chile, fresh -- your favorite
   2      tablespoons   Rosemary -- dried
   2      tablespoons   Parsley -- chopped
   2      tablespoons   Basil -- dried
   2      tablespoons   Thyme -- dried
   2      tablespoons   Mustard seeds
   3                    Scallions -- finely chopped
   1      teaspoon      Salt
   1      teaspoon      Black pepper
                        Juice of 2 limes
     1/4  cup           Mustard -- cheap prepared
   2      tablespoons   Orange juice
   2      tablespoons   White vinegar
   6                    Chicken leg quarter
Combine all the rub ingredients in a food processor, or blender, and blend
them into a paste, making sure that all the ingredients are fully integrated.
The paste should be approximately the consistency of a thick tomato sauce. If
it is too thick, thin it out with a little more white vinegar.  Cover the
paste and let it sit n the refrigerator for at least 2 hours for the flavors
to blend together.  Overnight is the ideal amount of time to give them to get
acquainted.
 (**NOTE** If you want to avoid making a fresh batch every time you make this
 dish, you can multiply the amount of paste easily.  Don't worry about it
 going bad, since it keeps almost indefinitely.)  Rub the chicken leg quarters
 with paste and place them on the grill over very low heat.  If you have a
 covered cooker, put the coals to one side and the chicken on the other, and
 cover.
 Cook about 1 hour without a cover or 1/2 hour if covered.  The key here is to
use a very low heat.  You need to be patient and give yourself plenty of time.
The chicken is technically done when the meat is opaque and the juices run
clear.  However, the ideal is about 10-15 minutes past that point, when the
meat pulls away from the bone easily. It is very hard to overcook this. In
fact you can only screw it up if you burn the paste by having the heat too
high.  The longer the chicken stays on the grill, the more superior the smoky
flavor.  After cooking, separate the leg from the thigh by cutting at the
natural joint between them. Serve one leg or thigh per person accompanied by a
few spoonfuls of Banana-guava ketchup.
 Serves 4 as an entree or 6 as a light meal.