Jerk Sauce: Friend Or Foe On Keto?

Jerk sauce, a Jamaican cooking style, is a marinade used with meats, especially chicken. It can be made keto-friendly by substituting sugar with sweeteners like stevia, monk fruit, or erythritol. While store-bought jerk sauces may be high in carbs, homemade recipes can be keto-compliant and still capture the traditional flavours of Jamaica.

Jerk sauce ingredients

Jerk sauce is a Caribbean flavour blast, and its ingredients can vary from cook to cook. The ingredients and their measurements listed here are a guide, and you can adjust them according to your taste preferences.

The key ingredients in jerk sauce are scotch bonnet peppers, which provide heat and flavour, and aromatics such as red onion, garlic, and scallions or green onions. For liquids, you can use soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, and pineapple juice. Spices include ginger, brown sugar, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, thyme, salt, and black pepper.

Some recipes also include butter, minced green onions, dark brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, cayenne, parsley, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, ground cloves, and golden monk fruit.

If you want to make a milder version of the sauce, you can reduce the amount of scotch bonnet peppers or replace them with milder peppers. For a hotter sauce, you can incorporate hotter peppers, such as ghost peppers or Carolina Reapers. You can also add spicy chilli flakes or powder.

When handling the hot chilli peppers, it is important to wear gloves and to work in a well-ventilated area to avoid skin and eye irritation.

Keto-friendly jerk sauce options

Jerk sauce is a cooking style native to Jamaica and is popular in the Caribbean and West Indian communities throughout North America and Western Europe. The smoky taste of jerked meat is usually achieved by cooking the meat over a wood-burning fire. The jerk spice is either used as a spicy dry rub or a wet marinade with meats like chicken and beef.

A keto diet is a low-carbohydrate method of eating. While most jerk seasonings or marinades include quite a bit of brown sugar, there are some keto-friendly options available. Here are some keto-friendly jerk sauce options:

Sugar-Free Jerk Seasoning

This jerk seasoning is not authentic, but it is a good Jamaican-inspired option for those on a keto diet. The brown sugar in the original recipe is replaced with a keto-friendly sweetener like Swerve Granular or Brown Swerve. The Scotch bonnet peppers are also usually skipped as they are extremely spicy and not easily available. Cayenne pepper is used instead to allow the user to adjust the heat according to their preference.

Walkerswood Spicy Jamaican Jerk Marinade Alternative

Walkerswood Spicy Jamaican Jerk Marinade is not keto-friendly as it is high in net carbs. However, there are alternative brands of jerk marinade that are low in net carbs and use keto-friendly sweeteners like stevia, monk fruit, or erythritol. Some examples include Green Goddess Dressing, Organic Pantry Lemon Pepper Dressing, Roasted Garlic & Peppercorn Dressing, and Sundried Tomato & Garlic Vinaigrette & Marinade.

Keto Jerk Chicken Marinade

This marinade uses Coconut Aminos instead of soy sauce and Brown Swerve instead of sugar to make it keto-friendly. It also includes olive oil, garlic, ginger, black pepper, smoked paprika, scallions, and butter. The chicken is marinated for at least 4 hours and can be baked in the oven or grilled.

Oven-Baked Jerk Chicken

This recipe suggests using a brown sugar substitute with zero net carbs instead of real brown sugar to make the jerk seasoning keto-friendly. The chicken can be cooked in the oven at 300 degrees for about 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grilled Jerk Chicken

This recipe also uses a brown sugar substitute and is grilled over medium heat. The chicken is marinated for 12 to 24 hours and then grilled for about 30-35 minutes.

These recipes and seasoning options allow you to enjoy the delicious flavors of jerk sauce while staying within the keto diet guidelines.

Carb allowance for keto diets

A keto diet is a popular low-carb, high-fat diet that has been used for decades to help with weight loss and manage certain health conditions. To succeed on keto, it’s essential to know your daily carb limit to keep your body in a state of ketosis. Typically, the ketogenic diet limits carbohydrate intake to 50 grams or less per day and can go as low as 20 grams, depending on individual needs. Maintaining this low-carb intake helps your body switch to burning fat for fuel, leading to weight loss and other health benefits.

To achieve ketosis, keep your daily carb intake under 50 grams, and for some, as low as 20-30 grams. Tools like MyFitnessPal and Carb Manager can help you track carb intake and stay within your limits. Ketosis is a metabolic state where the body uses stored fat as its primary energy source instead of carbohydrates. This state is achieved by following a low-carb diet, where your body shifts from burning glucose (from carbs) to burning ketones (from fat) for fuel.

The keto diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-carb diet designed to promote fat-burning. The ideal macro split for a keto diet is:

75-80% Fat: Healthy fats are the cornerstone of the keto diet, providing sustained energy and helping you stay full. Include foods like avocados, olive oil, fatty fish (e.g. salmon and mackerel), nuts, and seeds in your daily diet.

15-20% Protein: Protein is crucial for muscle maintenance, immune health, and satiety. Opt for high-quality protein sources like grass-fed beef, poultry, eggs, and plant-based options like tofu if you're on a vegan or vegetarian keto diet.

5-10% Carbohydrates: To achieve and maintain ketosis, limit your carb intake to 20-50 grams of net carbs per day. Focus on low-carb vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower to ensure you're getting essential vitamins and minerals.

It's important to note that the number of carbs you can consume on keto may vary depending on individual factors such as activity level, weight goals, age, gender, and health conditions. For personalized guidance, it is recommended to consult a healthcare professional or dietitian.

Making jerk sauce from scratch

Jerk sauce is a spicy, sweet, and savoury Caribbean sauce native to Jamaica. It is typically served with chicken and pork. The name jerk sauce comes from the style of cooking that was first used by the Indigenous people of the Caribbean, which involved seasoning and slow-cooking pork over pimento wood.

Ingredients

• Scotch bonnet peppers
• Fresh mangoes (optional)
• White onion
• Green onions
• Garlic cloves
• Fresh thyme leaves
• Dark brown sugar
• Honey or agave nectar
• Soy sauce
• Fresh ginger
• Cinnamon powder
• Ground allspice
• Peppercorns

Method

• Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender.
• Process the ingredients together until smooth. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. If you like more heat, just add more Scotch bonnet peppers.
• Transfer the sauce to a glass jar and serve immediately or refrigerate.

You can store your homemade jerk sauce in a covered container for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months.

Uses

• Dipping sauce for vegetables, chicken fingers, chicken wings, etc.
• Marinade for pork, chicken, seafood, or vegetables and rice
• Base for jerk pulled pork or chicken in the slow cooker

Foods to eat jerk sauce with

Jerk sauce is a flavourful and spicy Caribbean staple, and there are many foods that it can be paired with. Here are some ideas:

Meat

As jerk sauce is commonly used as a marinade for meats, it is a natural pairing. Chicken is the most common meat to be cooked with jerk sauce, especially chicken thighs, legs or drumsticks. However, it can also be used with other meats such as pork or beef.

Seafood

Jerk sauce is also a great pairing with seafood. It can be used as a marinade for shrimp, white fish such as mahi-mahi or swordfish, or tofu.

Vegetables

Jerk sauce can be used to add a spicy kick to vegetables. It can be used as a marinade for vegetables before barbecuing, such as cauliflower steaks, or added to quinoa or rice.

Sandwiches

Jerk sauce can be spread in sandwiches, adding a spicy and flavourful kick.

Sides

Some keto-friendly side dishes that can be served with jerk sauce include grilled asparagus, keto coleslaw and jicama fries.

Drinks

A low-carb vodka and Sprite can be a good pairing with jerk sauce.

Frequently asked questions