Jerk
Also spelled: jrk
Meaning
A method of cooking meat (classically pork or chicken) by rubbing or marinating it in a fiery spice blend built around pimento (allspice), Scotch bonnet and thyme, then slow-cooking it over pimento wood. It refers both to the seasoning and the cooking style, not merely spicy food.
Examples
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“Mi a buy some jerk chicken dung a di corna.”
I'm buying some jerk chicken down at the corner.
Jerk chicken is commonly sold from roadside pans and drum grills.
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“Di man jerk di pork ova pimento wood.”
The man cooked the pork jerk-style over pimento wood.
'jerk' used as a verb; the pimento wood gives the authentic smoke flavour.
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“Dis jerk sauce hot bad, mi mout a bun mi.”
This jerk sauce is very hot, my mouth is burning.
'hot bad' means intensely hot; 'bad' intensifies rather than negates.
Origin
Generally traced to the Spanish 'charqui' (dried meat), the same root as English 'jerky'; the technique is credited to the Maroons who developed it in the Jamaican interior.
How it's used
Widely known internationally, but abroad 'jerk' is often reduced to just heat; true jerk is defined by the pimento-allspice profile and wood smoke. Can be a noun (the dish), an adjective (jerk chicken) or a verb (to jerk meat).