Updated April 2026
Over the years, I have grilled, smoked, baked and added fire to many recipes in the backyard. One dish that keeps getting requested by my wife is Big Green Egg jerk chicken. It is almost always her first choice for a birthday dinner or any occasion worth celebrating.
My relationship with jerk chicken goes back a while. Years ago, we went to The Real Jerk in Toronto, which is the real deal if you have never been. Then, on a family vacation in Turks and Caicos, we had open flame jerk chicken that kind of ruined everything else. You know the kind. Cooked over fire, charred on the outside, juicy through to the bone. That’s the standard I’m chasing every time I fire up the Egg.
There are few dishes I make that pack more flavour into the final product. For almost a full day, the spicy smell of pepper is stuck in your nose and on your hands. This is not a bad thing.
TL;DR: Marinate chicken legs for 24+ hours in a scotch bonnet and allspice marinade. Smoke indirect at 300°F for 40 minutes using soaked allspice berries and apple wood for authentic pimento smoke. Finish direct at 400°F until internal temp hits 165°F. Rest 10 minutes and chop.
Also, since I can’t stand online recipes that have a 1,000-word story added before the vital information, here is the recipe.
Full disclosure, this recipe is based on Matty Matheson’s Jerk Chicken.
Big Green Egg Jerk Chicken
What you need to know before you start:
Like any marinade, the more time, the more flavour. While you can get away with a few hours, I like to do my jerk for 24 hours plus.
This recipe serves two adults and two kids. Add more chicken if needed.
Prep time is about 30 to 45 minutes. Blending is fun.
Cook time is approximately one hour on the Big Green Egg plus 10 minutes of rest.
Wash your hands a lot.
Ingredients
- ½ cup canola oil, divided into 2
- 1 bunch of scallions (I save some for garnish)
- 7 garlic cloves
- 1 onion, chopped into big pieces
- ½ red onion chopped into big pieces
- 1 decent-sized piece of ginger, peeled
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- 6 tsp ground allspice (fresh ground ideally)
- 3 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 poblano pepper, chopped, keeping some seeds
- 2 banana peppers, chopped, keeping some seeds
- 3 scotch bonnet peppers, chopped, keeping some seeds
- 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped, keeping some seeds
- ½ bunch fresh thyme
- ½ cup of orange juice
- 4 whole chicken legs (original asked for 6-8 legs, but I saved a jar of marinade for something else.
- Allspice berries
- Wood chips
- Bay leaves
- Large Ziploc bag
Mix and match the peppers and the level of heat you prefer. Just be sure to keep the scotch bonnets. From the videos I have watched online, orange ones seem to be the most authentic.
Instructions
Place half the canola oil plus the scallions, garlic, onion, and ginger in a blender and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.
Place the soy sauce, ground allspice, nutmeg, peppers, and thyme in the blender with the remaining oil and orange juice. Blend until smooth, then combine with the onion mixture. If you have a large blender, try it all at once.
Score the skin side of each chicken leg, then put them in a large Ziploc bag. Pour in the marinade and coat completely. Squeeze out the air, seal the bag, and refrigerate for 24 hours. Whenever you open the fridge, squish it around some more.
Wash your hands again. More than you think you need to.
The next day, fill a bucket with water and soak a few handfuls of apple wood chips, allspice berries, and bay leaves for at least an hour. If you want to understand what wood chips actually do when smoking, that post breaks it down. The short version: this combination is how you fake the pimento wood smoke that is essential to authentic jerk. The allspice berries are the fruit of the pimento tree. When they hit hot coals, the smoke they produce is close enough to make a difference.
Set your Big Green Egg for indirect cooking and bring it to 300°F. Add the soaked wood and berry mixture directly to the coals and wait for smoke. This low first stage is deliberate. You want the chicken sitting in that allspice smoke for a while before any serious heat touches it.
Add the chicken skin side up, wiping off the excess marinade first. Cook indirect at 300°F for 40 minutes.
Pull the chicken off. Remove the convEGGtor and open the vents to climb to 400°F. Go direct.
Finish the chicken over the open flame until the internal temperature hits 165°F. The skin should char. That is the point. The sugars in the marinade caramelize fast at this temp, so keep an eye on it and rotate as needed.
Transfer to a cutting board and rest for 10 minutes. Then take your cleaver or heaviest knife and chop the legs into 4 to 5 pieces. The chicken should be juicy and smoked to the bone.
That’s it. Hopefully, you remembered not to wipe your eyes.
Here you see the marinade being poured into the bag and covering the chicken.
FAQ
How long should I marinate jerk chicken? 24 hours minimum. 48 hours is better. The marinade is thick and bold, and the chicken needs time to absorb it properly.
Can I skip the allspice berries? You can, but you’ll lose the closest thing to authentic pimento wood smoke that’s realistic outside of Jamaica. It’s worth the extra step.
Why smoke low first before going direct? The low smoke phase lets the chicken absorb the allspice smoke without the marinade burning off immediately. The high heat finish handles the char and crisps the skin.
What internal temperature should jerk chicken reach? 165°F for chicken legs, though many cooks prefer to take dark meat to 175°F for better texture. Use a thermometer.
What can I serve with it? Rice and peas is traditional. Grilled corn or a simple slaw also works well alongside it.
Ta-da! chicken.
Until next time.
For more recipes and technique posts, head to the Big Green Egg guide.
