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Bak Kwa Recipe (Pork Jerky)
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Chinese New Year (CNY) is just a few days away (23 January, Mon), have you bought your bak kwa (Chinese bbq pork jerky;rougan; long yoke; 肉干) yet? By this time, there will be long queues at popular bak kwa stores and the prices will be sky high (at least S$40 per kg). I have always hated queuing so I almost never buy bak kwa during the festive season anymore.
See Also: Pen Cai Recipe
This year, I experimented with making my own bak kwa and I was pleasantly surprised by the result. I will definitely be making a few more batches before CNY. The ingredients are really cheap (just minced pork and seasonings) and I am using the oven to do the grilling. The quantity listed below will fit one standard oven tray, but feel free to make several batches at a time according to your needs and oven size. As long as you have the proper set-up and equipment, believe me that making your own home-made bak kwa is actually a breeze to pull off!
Printable Recipe |
Bak Kwa Recipe (Chinese Pork Jerky) (Step-by-Step) |
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Combine minced pork and seasonings in a deep plate. Mix the ingredients with the back of a spoon in a circular motion, until the red hue is even; this will take several minutes. The resultant mixture will have a gluey consistency. Wrap plate with cling wrap and refrigerate for a few hours. |
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Place parchment paper on a flat surface and spread the meat mixture one layer as thin as possible (about 5mm) with the back of a spoon. |
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Align the wire mesh directly over the meat mixture and invert it. |
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Carefully peel away the parchment paper. |
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Place the wire mesh with the meat mixture on top of an oven wire-rack with a tray beneath it. Bake the bak kwa at low heat for 20 minutes to dry the meat, then increase the oven heat and bake for 12 minutes. |
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When cool enough to handle, remove wire rack and transfer bak kwa to chopping board. Use a pizza cutter or pair of kitchen scissors to cut bak kwa to desired shapes and sizes. Return bak kwa pieces to wire rack, the other side up (the side with the wire grill lines), and continue baking for 10-15 minutes, until the edges start to char slightly. Cool on wire rack and store in air-tight container. |
Hi, may I know is there any further use of this Bak Kwa? I mean can it be used in any cooking recipe? Because all the time people bought it as gift and we can hardly finish it due to its meaty nature. Can it be used to fry with vegetables?
Hi Wiffy, love your web. Think the Bak Kwa Recipe (Step by Step) descriptions do not match with the photos.
Thanks and regards.
Serene
Hi Serene, thanks for letting me know about the error! Just corrected the step-by-step description. The detailed recipe with the measurements and temperature is on page two :)
Hi, thks so much for the recipe! It works & my kids keep asking for more :) So I’m going to increase from 200kg to 1kg of meat using your recipe. Can I just multiply all the ingredients by 5? How about the oven temperature? Also I saw some other recipes use honey; u wanna explore and create another version of bak kwa…hhehehhe I bet u’ll make another signature recipe ;)
sorry typo error “from 200g to 1kg”
yes generally multiply by 5 … except for 5-spice powder, just add a bit more as it tends to overpower in aroma in larger quantities. Oven temp should be same as you are still baking them in batches. Thanks for your suggestion, I sometimes use honey as a glaze when baking the bak kwa.
Hi, this takes me back to childhood days in Penang. Bak kwa in a bun with sauce as a cinema snack! Thanks for sharing the recipe. May I ask if chicken can be use as a substitute? Gave up eating too bak.
Yes, can substitute minced pork with minced chicken.