Home Made Singaporean Pork Jerky [Bak Kwa]

Bakkwa, or rougan is a Chinese salty-sweet dried meat product similar to jerky, made in the form of flat thin sheets. It is normally made from pork. Bakkwa is believed to have originated from a meat preservation and preparation technique used in ancient China that is still practiced in places with Hoklo (Hokkien) influence.

In Malaysia and Singapore, bakkwa or ba gua is the most widely used name. Cantonese speakers use the term yuhk gōn', Anglicised version long yok, while in China and Taiwan the product is more commonly known as rougan. Commercially available versions are sometimes labeled as "barbecued pork," "dried pork," or "pork jerky." Rougan is particularly popular as a snack in Macau, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. In Beidou, Taiwan, it is regarded as one of the three pork delicacies.



Ingredients:
* 1 kg ground pork

Marinate:

* 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
* 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 200g sugar
* 1/8 teaspoon five spiced powder
* 1/2 teaspoon kam cho (licorice) powder
* 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
* 1 tablespoon oil
* 2 tablespoons rice wine
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons honey
*dried chili flake (optional)

Directions:
1. Season the ground pork with the marinating ingredients and mix thoroughly.
2. Leave the pork in the fridge overnight or at least for four hours for the marinates to permeate the pork.
3. Preheat the oven to 175F.Place dollops of the marinated pork on a baking sheet and try to spread the meat as thinly as possible to cover the whole sheet.
4. Bake in the 175F oven for 15 minutes or until the meat is firm to the touch.
5. Use a paper towel to absorb the excess oil from the partially cooked pork before cutting it into smaller pieces.
6. The bak kwa is now ready for grilling or wrapped tightly in aluminum foil and freeze until needed.
8. Grill the bak kwa in medium heat to prevent burning.The meat does shrink quite a bit after grilling.

Oven result


Dehydrator result


Note: I using both oven and dehydrator to dry the meat.
-The dehydrator's is a lot more convenient, worry free to burn the meat and the result is great only I can't make them square.
-The oven, you got to watch very closely or you'll burn them easily but the taste absolutely best!