Bak Kwa (Chinese Pork Jerky)
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5.0
15 reviews
Excellent
Bak Kwa (Chinese Pork Jerky)
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Bak Kwa, or Chinese Pork Jerky, is 1 of the most popular Chinese New Year snacks in Singapore & Malaysia. Save yourself time and money by making your own using this super simple recipe with easy-to-find ingredients! It's tender, savory and delicious!
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Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground pork 15-25% fat. I recommend minimum 20%. Substitute: some people use thinly sliced pork instead of minced but it takes skill to get the meat so thin!
- ¾ cup white sugar Substitute: honey but I find it a waste as the nutrients get destroyed in the heat!
- 2 Tablespoons rosé wine Substitute: shaoxing, huatiao or brandy
- 2 Tablespoon dark soy sauce Substitute: sweet soy sauce but you'll need to reduce the sugar or the bak kwa will be sweeter.
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon white ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon 5 spice powder Click through for homemade 5 spice for the tastiest results- extra can be used in these recipes
- salt optional. omit if your soy sauce is salty. To test, pinch off a bit of the marinaded meat, fry, taste, then season accordingly.
For the glaze
- maltose traditional and vegan, but a little difficult to find outside of an Asian grocery. Substitute: maple syrup, a neutral honey or sugar to glaze the bak kwa instead. You'll need about ½ Tablespoon (mixed with a bit of water to make it easy to apply) per pound of meat.
Instructions
Making the mixture
- Mix the pork with all the ingredients, except for the glaze. Stir for a few minutes till it turns into a gooey and sticky mess. (No mixer needed- you can do it by hand!)Note: you can bake it straightaway as the seasonings are pretty flavorful but it'll definitely taste better if marinated! If not marinating, skip the next step to "Roasting"
- Cover with plastic wrap then refrigerate for 4-8 hours (overnight.)Note: it is normal for some juices may leak out after marinating.
Roasting
- Preheat the oven to 250F/ 120CScoop ⅓-¼ of the meat mixture onto parchment paper (the paper you are going to use to bake later. I recommend Parchment not Silpat for quicker drying in the oven. (It's thinner.))
- Next, cover with a Silpat (more sustainable) or parchment paper/plastic wrap then use a rolling pin to roll flatten the meat into a thin sheet of 2-4 mm. Place the parchment paper on a wire rack or baking tray.Note: if your meat is too thick, some juices will ooze out later. Don't worry and just dry it with a paper towel. If it's too thin, the meat will shrink and form holes (see below.)
- Repeat till all the meat is used up.
- Bake at 250F/ 120C for 20 minutes till the meat forms a dry sheet. Blot off any juices that ooze out with paper towels. (The time will vary a little depending on the moisture and thickness of the meat.) Tip: if you want charred edges around each slice, cut each sheet into the desired sizes now (about 6 pieces per sheet.) If not, just skip to the next step (easier as you don't have to worry about whether the meat is firm enough to be cut easily.)
- Increase the oven temp to 425F/ 220C, glaze the pieces then grill them for 4-9 minutes, watching carefully to make sure it doesn't burn (the concentrated sugars means it will char easily.)
- Remove the trays from the oven, flip the meat with tongs, baste again then grill the other side for 3-5 minutes.
- When charred to your desired color, remove and allow to cool then cut into 6 pieces.
Notes
- Tip #1: Be careful when you open the oven to turn the trays around (there are hot spots in the oven) as there will be a lot of very hot steam.
- Tip #2: Placing the parchment paper on a wire rack over a baking tray makes it easier for you to pour out the extra juices that ooze out after the 1st bake.
- Tip #3: Watch the bak kwa carefully once the glaze is on as sugars burn very fast. You want chargrilled jerky, not burnt-to-a-crisp ones!
- Tip #4: If you have a pizza roller to cut the bak kwa, that would be perfect. If not, you can cut the jerky with a pair of scissors- you need to make sure it's pretty dry and firm before you cut, if not the jerky will break into small pieces which is NOT what you want!
- Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its accuracy.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
3183kcal
(159%)
Carbohydrates
171g
(57%)
Protein
155g
(310%)
Fat
197g
(303%)
Saturated Fat
72g
(360%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
19g
Monounsaturated Fat
88g
Cholesterol
653mg
(218%)
Sodium
9446mg
(394%)
Potassium
2721mg
(78%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
27g
(54%)
Vitamin A
78IU
(2%)
Vitamin C
7mg
(8%)
Calcium
165mg
(17%)
Iron
10mg
(56%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 18pieces
Amount Per Serving
Calories 3183 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 3183kcal | 159% |
| Carbohydrates | 171g | 57% |
| Protein | 155g | 310% |
| Fat | 197g | 303% |
| Saturated Fat | 72g | 360% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 19g | 112% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 88g | 440% |
| Cholesterol | 653mg | 218% |
| Sodium | 9446mg | 394% |
| Potassium | 2721mg | 58% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 27g | 54% |
| Vitamin A | 78IU | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 7mg | 8% |
| Calcium | 165mg | 17% |
| Iron | 10mg | 56% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
15 reviews
Excellent
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