Bak Kwa Recipe (Pork Jerky)
![]()
Fresh from the oven: Home-made bak kwa (rougan; long yoke; 肉干)
Chinese New Year (CNY) is just a few days away (23 January, Mon), have you bought your bak kwa (Chinese bbq pork jerky) 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. 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!
Ingredients
- 200g minced pork
- vegetable oilSeasonings
- 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp 5-spice powder
- 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp Chinese wine (Hua Tiao/Shao Hsing)
- dashes of white pepper powder
- 2 tbsp castor or super fine sugar
- 1/2 tsp knorr ikan bilis seasoning powder (double light soy sauce if not using)
- 1/8 tsp red food colouring (I use Bake King Cochineal Red/Cherry Red)Tools
- wire mesh (the type used for bbq, cut to fit oven tray – see cooking note 2)
- parchment paper 35cm by 35cm
- wire rack for ovenDirections
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Brush the wire mesh with some vegetable oil. Align the wire mesh directly over the meat mixture, invert it, then carefully peel away the parchment paper.
4. 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 preheated oven of 100°C for 20 minutes to dry the meat.
5. Increase the oven heat to 180°C and bake for 12 minutes.
6. 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.
7. Return bak kwa pieces to wire rack, the other side up (the side with the wire grill lines), and continue baking at 180°C for 10-15 minutes, until the edges start to char slightly. Cool on wire rack and store in air-tight container.
Cooking Notes
1. It is essential to rest the bak kwa on a wire mesh instead of a flat oven tray. Otherwise, the underside of the bak kwa will become smooth and flat when cooked, looking unnatural. The wire mesh helps the bak kwa to retain its rough texture by reducing surface contact with it.
2. Obtain a piece of wire mesh from the BBQ section of any supermarket. Get those without a thick frame around it as you will most likely need to trim it down to fit your oven. Use a pair of wire cutters to snip off the excess length. You can bend the remaining protruding wires inwards with a pair of pliers to reduce the sharp edges. Scrub the wire mesh with a stiff brush and detergent and rinse well before using.







{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
does the juice leak out during baking?
Have people started hanging around outside your apt and ringing your doorbell? I have the nose of a bloodhound where bak kwah is being grilled.
Malcolm, the bak kwa is sitting on a wire mesh, so any liquid will be collected on the tray beneath.
I love you NoobCook for making every dish or types of food possible thru your clear and encouraging recipes!!! Am keeping all your recipes or life! Yay yay yay!!!
I want to make this but no time :( Maybe after CNY.
U r incredible!!
Thanks Yvonne ♥
Yum yum! Beats having to queue up and they’re just as tasty!
Is there a ratio of meat vs fat for the mince meat you used?
Candy, no particular ratio, but you can use slightly fattier minced pork for more fragrance if you like.
I really want to try this bak-kwa. Looks sooo yummy!
Lovely! Bak kwa for the CNY! I think I need to make some too!
I make my own in the US cos there is no chance to queue for Bak Kwa over there! LOL
Hi Wiffy, looks like you are also making your own bak kwa. I think the prices are already about $45 to $48 per kg now. Seems ridiculous to pay this amount just to eat it during CNY. I personally don’t crave for it, so it is no big deal to me. But I must salute you for attempting a home-made one. Wishing you and your family a happy Lunar New Year.
hi, i refrigerated but why i can see it is watery? something i missed out?
Hi Alice, it is supposed to be a gluey consistency, did you measure the ingredients?
yes.. seasoning n mince pork x 2 coz i wan to double size it. i just cover the seasoned meat in fridge but not wrap it like you mentioned. could this be the reason? hmmm… wondering it can be successful or not… :S gona grill it later..
Erm. .. I’m trying it out too and i used a baking tablespoon to measure all seasoning. It turned out too watery and i just threw in somemore meat.I think maybe a tablespoon that is used for eating was used originally?
do you use a tsp = teaspoon? only the 5 spice powder, fish sauce and sugar is measured in tablespoon (tbsp). I used the types for baking, not eating. 3 tsp=1 tbsp. let me know how it goes.
baking teaspoon? hmm… i used the normal spoon.. guess mine in trouble…
meaning mine need to top up rite?coz all my seasoning i measure in normal spoon.. anyway to save it before i go to grill later
Omg! Mine’s in trouble too. Haha Oh well. …. My son’s gonna eat it anyway. :-P
If that is the case, u have to add more minced meat until it reaches a gluey consistency. All my recipes are measured in baking teaspoons and tablespoons for precision, they are not the same as the eating types. You can buy the measurement spoons cheaply at Ikea SG (about S$2 or so).
ok.. add in meat but seasoning dun have to top up? i tasted a bit.. it taste ok now.. just the mince pork is soaking 1/4 of its watery..
I can’t believe it! I can’t believe you made your own bak kwa! Can’t wait to try it out myself
Now i in the midst of making 3kg of Bak Kwa, to given out to relatives..Homemade one always the best..Your Bak Kwa sound good too.
Wiffy, bak kwa prices are $50 and above now! I don’t own an oven… Any kind soul wants to donate home grilled bak kwa :-) Michelle
I like your cooking, very simple and easy.
Wow, homemade pork jerky? Must taste much better than the store bought. I used to buy them very often, but was a little skeptical of the ingredients and preservatives…now I can try to make my own.
Thanks for the recipe and hope you are having a wonderful week :-)
I’m coming back to re-read this post again but it would be awesome to make some in Aus! They look sooo tempting and glistering ..calling for me! haha
wow, looks soooo good!