The Grand Tour Story
The Grand Tour leaves West Africa and crosses the Atlantic to the Caribbean, where the air feels warmer, the music
gets louder, and the smell of jerk smoke hangs over the roadside long before you reach the grill.
Welcome to Jamaica.
We pull into Boston Bay, the spiritual home of jerk cooking, where huge oil-drum barbecues line the roadside
beneath swaying palm trees. Pimento wood crackles underneath blackened chicken while reggae drifts through the
humid evening air.
Our guide, Dwayne, turns another rack of chicken over the fire and grins.
"Jerk isn't just heat."
"It's patience, smoke, and respect."
One bite later, we finally understood why people travel halfway around the world just to eat here.
You’ll Need
For the Chicken
4 whole chicken legs (thigh and drumstick attached)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 spring onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely grated
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger, 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp allspice, 1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 Scotch bonnet chilli, finely chopped (or 1 tsp chilli flakes)
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
To Serve
Rice and peas
Lime wedges
Fresh spring onions
Optional but dangerous
Fried plantain
Mango salsa
Extra jerk sauce
Cold Red Stripe-style lager
Method
Preheat your air fryer to 190°C.
In a large bowl, combine the vegetable oil, spring onions, garlic, ginger, thyme, allspice, smoked paprika, cinnamon,
nutmeg, Scotch bonnet, brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, sea salt and black pepper.
Score the chicken legs lightly in several places and coat them thoroughly in the jerk marinade.
Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour, although overnight delivers the best flavour.
Place the chicken legs into the air fryer basket skin-side down.
Air fry for 15 minutes.
Turn the chicken over and continue cooking for 15–18 minutes, until the skin is deeply caramelised, lightly charred
around the edges and the chicken is cooked through.
During the final 3 minutes, brush over any remaining marinade to build an extra sticky glaze.
Allow the chicken to rest for 3 minutes before serving.
Serve with rice and peas, lime wedges and fried plantain if using.