Jerk seasoning is popular in Caribbean cooking, especially for adding spicy flavor to meat. What’s in jerk seasoning that makes it taste so good? It turns out, quite a few things!
The ingredients in jerk seasoning vary depending on the brand or recipe, but usually contain herbs and spices like:
- Cayenne pepper
- Allspice
- Thyme
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Paprika
- Parsley
- Brown sugar or another sweetener
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
What all can you use jerk seasoning for? We have the answer to that question and more next!
What is jerk seasoning?
Jerk seasoning is a seasoning blend used to flavor foods. It contains a blend of herbs, spices, and other ingredients and is also referred to as ‘Jamaican Jerk Seasoning’ or ‘Caribbean Jerk Seasoning’. Jerk seasoning is pretty spicy, and you can find different levels of heat in the seasoning similar to salsa (mild, hot, etc).
Jerk seasoning is popular for adding to meat before cooking, such as a marinade or simply rubbing the dry herbs (dry rub) into the meat. Marinades contain other ingredients that help tenderize meat along with the flavoring of herbs and spices, such as an acid (like vinegar) and different types of vegetable oil.
You can add jerk seasoning to any recipe you want to, though! If you like jerk seasoning, you can make jerk chicken, jerk fish, and jerk vegetables—the possibilities are endless!
Here are some examples of recipes containing jerk seasoning from Taste of Home:
- Jerk-Seasoned Meatloaf
- Jamaican Jerk Pork Chops
- Shrimp and Scallops Tropical Salad
- Caribbean-Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Peach Salsa
Which herbs and spices are in jerk seasoning?
What are the herbs and spices that make jerk seasoning so spicy? While the exact blend of herbs and spices used will vary depending on the recipe or manufacturer (e.g. some contain salt and others don’t), the ingredients usually contain at least several of the following ingredients:
Cayenne pepper
Jerk seasoning gets its spicy kick from cayenne pepper, a type of pepper classified as “medium-spicy” based on its 40,000 Scoville Heat Units (a method of classifying how hot different peppers are — for reference, a bell pepper has 0 SHU).
Allspice
Allspice gets its name because it has flavors of several spices including cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It provides a spicy but sweet flavor that is described as “warming”, similar to cinnamon.
Thyme
This herb is described as tasting peppery and sweet, with a taste similar to cloves.
Garlic powder
Garlic has a unique flavor that some call “buttery”, but it’s really hard to describe its exact taste. When using garlic powder, keep in mind that 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder is the equivalent of around one clove of fresh garlic.
Onion powder
One of the more popular spices, onion powder offers the convenient flavor of onions in powder-form — no watery eyes here!
Paprika
Paprika is made from peppers that aren’t hot (bell peppers), so it has a sweet flavor that complements the spicy and sweet spices in jerk seasoning.
Parsley
This herb is slightly bitter and peppery with an “herbaceous” flavor (fitting since it’s an herb!) that complement the other flavors that come together to make jerk seasoning.
Sweetener
A sweetener of some kind is included in jerk seasoning to balance the other spices. Brown sugar and cane sugar (table sugar) are often used in premade jerk seasoning mixes.
Ginger
Made from the spicy ginger root, ground ginger also makes appearances in other spice blends like garam masala and gingerbread spice!
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is one of the most popular spices, and for good reason. Cinnamon’s sweet, woody, and slightly spicy flavor goes well in both sweet and savory dishes.
Nutmeg
Nutmeg often makes an appearance alongside spices like cinnamon, allspice, and ginger because the flavors pair well together. Nutmeg is a bit warming with a nutty and sweet flavor.
Is jerk seasoning allowed on special diets?
Jerk seasoning often contains some sort of sugar to balance out the heat of the hot spices. Added sugar isn’t allowed on some diets like Whole30 and Paleo, which means not all jerk seasoning is allowed on special diets.
You can make a diet-friendly version of jerk seasoning for special diets if the premade kinds contain ingredients you want to avoid. For instance, coconut sugar is a Paleo-friendly sweetener, so you could make homemade jerk seasoning with coconut sugar instead of brown sugar.
Be on the lookout for other added ingredients in premade seasonings that might not be allowed on special diets. For example, cornstarch is a common additive in some seasonings because of its thickening properties, which isn’t Whole30-approved. In addition, some brands of jerk seasoning contain dextrose (sweetener from wheat or corn) and ‘sulfiting agents’, which aren’t allowed on Whole30.
FAQs:
Prepared jerk seasoning often contains added sugar, which means it contains some carbs. However, the carb content for jerk seasoning is usually low enough given the amount used (McCormick’s jerk seasoning contains 0 grams of carbs per ¼ teaspoon) that you can usually get away with using it on keto.
You can also make your jerk seasoning without sugar (just the herbs and spices) which is perfectly keto-friendly!
Premade jerk seasoning usually contains cane sugar (table sugar), which isn’t allowed on paleo. Other non-paleo ingredients like dextrose (another sweetener from corn or wheat) can also be added to some brands of jerk seasoning. You can always make your own paleo jerk seasoning blend without added sugar or a paleo-friendly sweetener like coconut sugar!
Jerk seasoning and creole seasoning are similar in some ways (they’re both savory and contain some shared ingredients), but they aren’t the same. Jerk seasoning is typically hotter than Creole seasoning and is associated with Caribbean cooking, whereas Creole seasoning is more popular in Cajun or Creole dishes.
Some versions of Jamaican jerk seasoning contain sage, but not all of them do. Sage offers an earthy, slightly minty flavor that is often paired with sausage and other meat, so it can be included in jerk seasoning depending on the recipe or brand.
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