What is Bak Kwa?
Bak kwa is a Chinese sweet and salty jerky. It is very popular in Chinese-Indonesian culture and this food is traditionally eaten during the Lunar New Year. This jerky is very different from American jerky. Bak kwa is grilled over charcoal while the jerky that you can most often find in American grocery stores is dehydrated. This is my favorite snack from home. Just a note I will not be grilling with charcoal for this recipe. The jerky will be made using an oven!
Tips
- The meat tastes best when you allow the mixed meat to marinate overnight!
- When transferring the meat to the parchment paper for baking, make sure to shape it into a rectangle and spread it evenly. You can follow the visual instructions below.
Place meat onto parchment paper. 
Spread with a spatula. 
Place additional sheet of parchment before rolling. 
Roll to approximately 1/4 inch thickness.
- Remove the upper layer of parchment before baking!
- After you bake the meat, I prefer to cut the jerky into bite size pieces but if you like it in a bigger square, feel free to do so.
Chinese Pork Jerky / Bak Kwa
Course: SnacksCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Medium4
servings1
hour45
minutes602
kcalChinese Pork Jerky that is traditionally served during Lunar New Year.
Ingredients
- Jerky / Bak Kwa
1 lb minced lean pork
1 tbsp Shao Xing wine / Chinese Rose Wine
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp Chinese five spice
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp white pepper powder
1/2 cup of brown sugar
red food coloring (optional)
- Honey Syrup for brushing
3 – 5 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp water
3 – 5 tbsp of spicy fermented soybean paste (optional)
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix all the bak kwa ingredients until combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours or overnight.
- In a small bowl, mix the honey and water to create a mixture for brushing the meat. Set aside.
- Spread the meat mixture evenly over the parchment paper following the visual instructions shown above. Remember to remove the top layer of parchment. Bake at 390 F for 15 – 20 minutes.
- Cut the meat into bite pieces or larger squares and transfer onto a wire rack.
- Brush the honey syrup mixture onto one side of the jerky and broil for 3 minutes until the jerky starts to brown on the edges. Remove from the oven and flip the jerky around. Brush the honey mixture again and repeat the broiling.
