Book of Days Tales

The first week in August is known as Crop-Over in a number of Caribbean islands including Barbados and Jamaica.  It is a traditional harvest festival similar to carnival in Brazil.  Here is a recipe for jerk chicken from Jamaica.

Ingredients

1 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp packed brown sugar
1 tsp onion powder
½ teaspoon dried minced garlic
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ tsp dried thyme leaves
1 (2 to 3 lb) whole chicken, cut into pieces
¼ cup vegetable oil

Instructions

Mix salt, allspice, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic, nutmeg, black pepper, ginger, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and thyme in a large bowl; add chicken pieces and toss to coat with seasoning mix. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 to 4 hours (or overnight).

Preheat the oven to 350° F/175° C.  Pour vegetable oil into a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Place chicken pieces skin-side up into the baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink near the bone, 1 hour 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165° F/74° C.

Turn the oven on to broil, and cook until the skin crisps, 2 to 5 minutes.