Jerk-Spiced Frog Legs on the Grill Grate
Gigged frogs, a dry jerk rub, and a hot grate over coals.
- calories
- 330
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 37
- protein
- 42 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 40 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Grill grate
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Frog legs, skinned | 2 to 3 lb | pairs left whole, kept cold until they hit the grate |
|---|---|---|
| Ground allspice | 1 tbsp | |
| Dried thyme | 1 tbsp | stands in for fresh; it travels |
| Brown sugar | 2 tsp | |
| Ground cinnamon | 2 tsp | |
| Coarse ground black pepper | 1 tsp | |
| Sea salt | 1 tsp | |
| Cayenne or dried habanero flakes | 1/2 to 1 tsp | start low, the heat builds |
| Dried minced onion | 1 tbsp | |
| Cooking oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Lime | 1 | optional, worth the weight on a car trip |
Method
- Build a fire and let it burn down to coals, or run a gas grill at medium. You want steady heat, not flame.
- Stir the allspice, thyme, brown sugar, cinnamon, pepper, salt, cayenne, and dried onion together in a bag.
- Pat the legs dry, coat them with the oil, then shake them in the bag until every pair is covered. Let them sit 15 minutes.
- Lay the legs on an oiled grate. Four to five minutes a side, turning once. They are done when the meat pulls back from the bone and runs opaque white.
- Pull them off before they go stringy. Squeeze lime over the pile if you brought one.
Jerk seasoning is usually a wet paste built on scallions, fresh chile, and lime. None of that keeps in a pack, so this is the dry version: allspice and thyme carry the flavor, brown sugar and cinnamon fill in the sweet backbone, and dried chile does the work the habanero used to. The rub goes together at home and lives in a jar.
Frog legs are lean and small, which means they overcook fast. Oil before the rub keeps the sugar from scorching and helps it stick. Ten minutes total over coals is enough — past that the meat tightens and pulls off the bone in dry threads.
Packing
Mix the rub at home in a small jar so camp prep is one bag and one shake. Frog legs ride in a zip bag on ice; cook them the first night. Grill over foil if the grate is wide enough to lose a leg through.
Variations
- No grate: wrap the seasoned legs in a foil packet and set it in the coals for 12 minutes.
- The same rub works on rabbit, squirrel, or chicken thighs.
- Halve the cinnamon if you want the allspice and heat to lead.
https://realtree.com/timber-2-table-wild-game-recipes/jamaican-jerk-grilled-frog-legs