Bak Kua / Bak Kwa / DIY Pork BBQ / Pork Jerky

If you’re a fan of jerky but not of the chemicals and preservatives that go into it, I think you’ll enjoy this. Me? I *hate* jerky. The store-bought kind, I mean. What’s to like? Have you ever read what’s in those things? The USDA has this to say about Jerky and Food Safety. And there’s this data sheet from the Internet Nutrition Database. I wasn’t always so nutrition-conscious, but with four kids and all….

Thankfully, you can make it at home and these people show us how (they’re all doing the same thing, but you’ll have fun visiting their blogs because they have other dishes you’ll want to try!):

Little Corner of Mine
Tazz in the Kitchen, Singapore
Leisure Cat Forum Thread on Bak Kua
My Zest, Italy
Amy Beh’s recipe in The Star Online
Evan’s Kitchen Ramblings

It’s not the same jerky you buy at those travel centers of course, this is decidedly Asian. But it’s oh-so-good…..

And it’s not exactly the same jerky I loved a child, my aunt who worked in Mindanao always brought us goodies from Cebu and Davao, and one of the things she’d bring were these spicy jerky things, don’t even remember the name now. So when I made bak kua for the kids, I added some cayenne pepper in there for some heat. I’d have barbecued them on the grill after baking, but the winter weather has finally caught up with us, and it’s sixteen degrees outside. Can’t wait for the summer barbecuing season — our friends are sure to enjoy these too!!

Processed, because I wanted that meat as finely ground as possible, to mimic my childhood jerky.

Rolled on the bottom of a baking sheet over wax paper or parchment — to about 1/4 inch thickness — if I weren’t in a hurry I would have tried to make it even thinner. This was then flipped onto another (same sized) baking sheet.

Here it is after baking, 20 minutes at 250 degrees and another 20-30 at 350 degrees. See how much that meat has shrunk? There was some fat rendering, but not much. Mostly your kitchen is filled with hunger-inducing aromas at this point.

And here it is after cutting. I prefer the jagged edged pieces myself. Now all we need is some sunshine so we can put these on the grill. This is sure to be a hit!