Culinary yoU

Marinades work extremely well with rabbit as it is firmer in flesh than chicken and can be marinated longer allowing more flavor to enter the meat as well as tenderizing the meat. I you have ever been to the Caribbean you will know that jerk chicken is probably it's most popular dish. Originating in Jamaica, jerk chicken is simply Caribbean barbecue. Well jerk spices go really well with rabbits mild and firm flesh leaving you with a delicious way in which to savor the tastes of the Caribbean.

The base for my recipe came from a Jamaican jerk cookbook which over the years I have made small subtle changes. Having been to Jamaica three times I can attest for it's authenticity and flavor. I hope you will enjoy it as much as my family and I do.

Now we raise both rabbits an chickens on our small place in Canton, TX. Besides marrying my wife, eating Jerk chicken is one of my favorite memories from our journeys to Jamaica. This recipe works equally well with both chicken and rabbit, so while the meat in this recipe is rabbit, you can simply substitute chicken if you prefer. 

Jerk Rabbit

2 to 3 pounds rabbit (forelegs and hind legs work best)

1 recipe 'Jerk' Marinade

Combine marinade ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Wash and clean rabbit and place in a one gallon plastic zip lock bag or container and pour marinade over the rabbit and marinate for 24 hours for best flavor, turning every 8 hours or so to make sure the meat gets thoroughly marinaded. After 24 hours the meat will look dark, almost to dark, but this is a product of the marinade (primarily the soy sauce), just relax it is supposed to look like this and I promise you the rabbit will taste great.

Fire up your gas or charcoal grill, personally I use a gas grill as it is easier to regulate the heat with a two burner grill. Once the grill comes up to temperature, turn off one burner and that is the side in which you place the rabbit. The other burner maintains the heat and you do not have to worry about burning the meat (this is known as cooking by indirect heat). Cook the rabbit for 12 to15 minutes and then turn both burners back on and move the rabbit to the other side of the grill and then turn off the burner on the side of the grill in which you have just moved the rabbit and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes. Check the meat to see if it is done and continue the procedure until you are satisfied the rabbit is cooked to your liking.

Jerk Marinade (Makes 1 ½ to 2 cups)

½ cup soy sauce

½ cup pineapple juice (or water)

1 onion diced

3 scallions or green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Although I like the heat of the habanero or scotch bonnet pepper, I substitute 1 teaspoon cayenne for one pepper in this recipe for two primary reasons. One, because it is more readily available where I live although I grow them in my garden most years. And secondly the habenaro is too much heat for my wife. If you do not like habanero peppers or cayenne peppers, drop a few jalapenos in there in it's place until you get the heat level you like or omit them all together. When using whole peppers, I put all the ingredients in my blender and puree, otherwise I just combine all the ingredients into a one gallon plastic bag with the rabbit.

I hope you guys will enjoy this dish, it is one of my families favorites and holds many memories for me and my wife as we were married in Jamaica. So turn on some Jimmy Buffet or Bob Marley, fire up the grill and have a cold one and transport you and your family back to Jamaica. Ya Mon!