The Best Sweet And Spicy Jerk Sauce

This is the perfect sweet & spicy jerk dipping sauce for all your jerk meats. It’s super easy to make and bursting with tons of smoky flavor.

Ingredient Rundown

Ketchup – provides the base for the sauce + added sweetness.

Water or chicken stock – dilutes the thick consistency of the ketchup. The chicken stock does the same + adds flavor.

Jerk seasoning – brings the Jamaican flavor + a spicy kick to the sauce. You can use more or less to control the heat.

Pink Himalayan salt– rounds out the other flavors – you can add more or less base on taste.

 Liquid smoke or a piece of your jerk meat – brings that smoky flavor you krave. Liquid smoke has a highly concentrated flavor so using a little bit will go a long way. The jerk meat will do the same. **Extract and discard meat when done.

 Brown or granulated sugar– brings the sweetness. Adjust for taste.

*** The full recipe, including all ingredients, measurements, and instructions, and recipe video is located in the recipe card below.

Substitution

Can I Use A Dry Jerk Seasoning Instead Of The Wet Jerk Seasoning?

You sure can. Both bring the spiciness and Jamaican flavor to the sweet and spicy jerk sauce.

Variation

For added flavor, you can also add 2 tablespoons of your favorite BBQ sauce to the jerk sauce recipe.

What Goes Well With This Jerk Sauce?

You and pour this delicious sweet and spicy jerk sauce over your:

• Jerk chicken
• Jerk chicken wings
• Jerk Pork
• If you can You jerk it, then the jerk sauce will compliment it.
• ***I’ve had a few people tell me they love it on potatoes and veggies.
• Let me know in the comments what you paired yours with!

Got Leftovers?

How To Store Leftover Jerk Sauce In The Fridge?

You can store your leftover jerk sauce in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.

How To Store Leftover Jerk Sauce In The Freezer?

You can freeze your jerk sauce in small batches. This way you don’t have to reheat the whole thing for small servings; it reheats really well.  You should freeze it covered in airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags, or wrap tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil or freezer wrap for best results.

Properly stored, it will maintain the best quality for about 4 months but will remain safe beyond that time. 

Need To Reheat?

How To Reheat Leftover Jerk Sauce On The Stovetop?

The jerk sauce reheats really well on the stovetop. You can remove the frozen sauce from the freezer and allow it to thaw in the fridge until you are ready to reheat. It tastes a lot fresher and much better in my opinion. I pre-heat in a saucepan over low heat and allow the food to heat all the way thru slowly. It does take some patience to re-heat this way, but of course, you can use the microwave. (see microwave instructions below) 

How To Reheat Leftover jerk sauce In The Microwave?

The microwaves reheat quickly and easily. Place the food in a microwave-safe container, cover it with a damp paper towel to maintain moisture, reheat until the food heats all the way thru. The time will depend on the power of the microwave you’re using.

Kraving More?

Check out my other krave-worthy Dipping Sauces or explore The Recipe Index for even MORE KRAVE-WORTHY EATS.

Sweet And Spicy Jerk Sauce

This is the perfect sweet & spicy jerk dipping sauce for all your jerk meats. It’s super easy to make and bursting with tons of smoky flavor.

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Recipe by Kerri-Ann Bryan

5 from 1 vote

Course: CondimentCuisine: JamaicanDifficulty: Easy

Cook Mode

*keeps your device screen on

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

161.14

kcal

Total time

15

minutes

Gather Your Ingredients

• 1 cup ketchup 

• 1 cup water or chicken stock

• 1 tablespoon jerk seasoning (or to taste)

• 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt

• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke or a piece of your jerk meat

• 1/2 cup brown or granulated sugar 

Instructions

• Add all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Mix to combine the ingredients.
• Bring mixture to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and allow the sauce to reduce by half to a thicker consistency (approximately 7-10 minutes). Stir periodically.
• Remove the pot from the burner and turn off the stove.
• Taste and adjust accordingly.
• Give thanks and Enjoy!

Kerri’s Recipe Tips

• You can use dry jerk seasoning instead of wet jerk seasoning. They both add the Jamaican flavor and spiciness.
• Liquid smoke has a highly concentrated flavor so using a little bit will go a long way.
• I ALWAYS recommend reading through the recipe in full a couple of times before starting. That way you know exactly what to expect and you can prep accordingly.
• Gather all your ingredients before cooking. This way you don’t forget to add an ingredient or two. Believe me, It has happened so many times so I use “mise en place” to save my sanity and the recipe.
• For your convenience, you can automatically generate a shopping list of all the ingredients + save the recipe (below scroll ￬).

Made this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comment section below!

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Key Equipment/Products Used

Jerk Seasoning

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Liquid Smoke

Buy Now →

Nutrition Information

kerriannskravings.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. For more information read our Nutritional Disclaimer.