A savory seasoning with heat. When you think jerk seasoning, you think Jamaican foods: jerk chicken, shrimp, and steaks. And it’s true, this homemade jerk seasoning is perfect with all of these things. But it’s a seasoning that’s a lot more versatile. Try it on pizza and sandwiches for a little extra savory oomph, or mix it with mayonnaise to make a phenomenal dipping sauce. Add it to sweet potato fries or your morning scrambled eggs, and you’ll find lots of uses in your kitchen. The heat source: cayenne pepper powder.
🌶️ Quick recipe snapshot
| Flavor profile | Sweet and warm-spiced: brown sugar and allspice up front, with cinnamon, cloves, ginger and thyme behind them. |
| Primary heat source | A tablespoon of cayenne pepper powder, plus a teaspoon of black pepper. |
| Heat level | Medium-hot. Cayenne is a milder chili than the scotch bonnets in traditional jerk. |
| Texture | A damp, crumbly rub, not a free-flowing powder. |
| Best uses | Rubbed on chicken, pork, shrimp or fish before grilling, or stirred into mayo for a dip. |
| Customization ideas | More or less cayenne, a pinch of habanero powder, nutmeg and garlic, or no oil for a dry blend. |
| Before you start | About 5 minutes and one bowl. Nothing to cook. |
Flavor notes
What makes it taste like jerk? Mostly the allspice, the dominant flavor in jerk cooking, and this recipe uses a full tablespoon of it, as much as the cayenne or the salt. Cinnamon, cloves and ginger add more warmth in small amounts, and thyme is the one herb. Our guide to what jerk seasoning is covers where the blend comes from.
Traditional jerk gets its heat from scotch bonnets, which run 100,000 to 350,000 Scoville heat units, but this version swaps in cayenne at 30,000 to 50,000 so that everything comes off a regular spice rack. Don’t let that fool you, though, because a tablespoon of cayenne still gives it a real kick.
Brown sugar is the biggest ingredient, and it balances all that spice. There’s a full tablespoon of salt in the mix, too, so go easy if you also salt the meat. And the canola oil binds everything into a damp rub that clings to meat, so expect something closer to wet sand than a shaker blend.
Adaptation ideas
Most of these are about the heat, and a few take it closer to the jerk you’d get in Jamaica.
- Want it milder? Cut the cayenne to 1 or 2 teaspoons and leave the rest of the recipe as it is.
- Want it hotter? Add a small pinch of habanero powder, since habaneros share the scotch bonnet’s heat range and a little goes a long way.
- Need a dry blend? Leave out the oil and you’ll get a powder you can sprinkle and keep in a jar, then add oil when you rub it on.
- Closer to traditional: Add a pinch of nutmeg and some garlic and onion powder, which show up in a lot of jerk blends.
- Which ginger? Use ground ginger here, since everything else is dry.
- No canola oil? Any neutral oil, like vegetable or avocado oil, works the same way.
Serving ideas
Jerk is traditionally for pork and chicken. This blend goes well beyond those, though.
- On chicken: Rub it over thighs, drumsticks or wings before they go on the grill or into the oven.
- On pork: Press it onto chops or a pork tenderloin before grilling or searing them in a hot pan.
- On shrimp and fish: Give them a light coat right before a quick turn on the grill.
- As a dip: Stir a spoonful into mayo for fries, wings or sandwiches.
Grilling? Keep the heat at medium, or finish the meat over indirect heat, because with this much brown sugar the rub can scorch over a hot direct flame before the inside is done.
Storage notes
With the oil mixed in, it’s best made the day you plan to cook. Want a jar on hand? Make the dry version without the oil and store it airtight with your other spices.
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Jamaican Jerk Chicken: Allspice, brown sugar and soy over tender chicken, the classic way to use jerk.
- Jamaican Jerk Wings: Jerk seasoning with apple cider vinegar and orange juice for tangy wings.
- Homemade Jamaican Jerk Sauce: A wet jerk marinade built on a half dozen scotch bonnets.
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Homemade Jerk Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon allspice
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, then add in canola oil. Mix thoroughly.
Notes
- Use ground ginger.
- For a dry blend you can store in a jar, leave out the oil and add it when you rub the seasoning on.
- The brown sugar can scorch over high direct heat, so grill over medium heat or finish over indirect heat.
- For more traditional heat, add a small pinch of habanero powder.
