Charred, spicy, pimento-scented Jamaican grill tradition

Jerk is one of Jamaica’s most recognizable food traditions: meat (most famously chicken and pork) is coated in a fiery, aromatic seasoning and cooked to pick up smoke and char. The signature flavor profile is built around Scotch bonnet heat plus warm spices (especially allspice/pimento), herbs, and aromatics—giving jerk that “hot, smoky, fragrant” identity people associate with Jamaican cookouts.