This homemade Chinese pork jerky is a must-try for anyone who loves delicious, savory snacks. What makes this recipe even better is that you can control the ingredients and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
What is Chinese Pork Jerky?
Chinese pork jerky, also known as Bak Kwa in Chinese, is a sweet and savory dried meat snack that’s especially popular during Chinese New Year. It’s made from thinly sliced pork that’s marinated, dried, and grilled to perfection.
Why Homemade?
Making homemade Chinese pork jerky is an easy, cost-effective way to create a healthier, more flavorful snack for your family.
The best part is, you won’t have to worry about any artificial additives or preservatives that are often found in store-bought jerky.
I don’t want my kids eating ingredients I can’t recognize, so I take the time to make it at home.
In this detailed guide, I’ve shared everything I’ve learned over the years, including tips for success to ensure you’ll nail the recipe on your first try.
Once you master it, you’ll never need to buy jerky again—just whip up a batch whenever the craving hits!
Tips for Success
- Choose the Right Meat: Use fresh, lean pork tenderloin for the best texture and quality. Unlike steamed pork patties, I don’t recommend manually chopping the meat—it’s much easier and more consistent to use a meat grinder or food processor.
- Cleaning and Drying: Thoroughly clean the pork and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Removing excess moisture is crucial to prevent the meat from releasing water during baking, which can affect the texture.
- Grinding the Meat: Cut the pork into small chunks and grind it into a fine paste. Avoid large chunks to ensure the jerky has a smooth, even texture.
- Marinating: Add the seasoning and mix the meat paste in a clockwise direction until it becomes sticky and slightly stringy. This ensures the flavors are evenly distributed. Let it marinate for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight for deeper flavor.
- Rolling and Shaping: Place the meat paste between two sheets of parchment paper. Flatten it with your hands first, then use a rolling pin to roll it into a thin, even layer (about 2mm thick).
- Baking: Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) for 15 minutes. Bake the jerky in multiple stages, brushing it with a honey-water mixture (a small amount of honey diluted with water) between each stage. Keep an eye on the color and texture to avoid over-baking.
Ingredients:
- 750g pork tenderloin
- 30g honey (mixed with 30g water to make honey water)
- Sesame seeds to taste
Seasoning:
- 50g sugar
- 5g salt
- 3 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 3 tsp oyster sauce
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp Shaoxing wine (or white wine)
- 1 tsp chicken powder (optional)
- 4g red yeast rice powder (optional)
Instructions
Prepare the Pork: Clean the pork tenderloin, drain off excess water, and cut it into medium-sized pieces to fit into a meat grinder. Start the meat grinder and grind the pork into a smooth, fine paste.
Marinate and Season: Transfer the ground pork to a large bowl. Add the sugar, salt, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper, Shaoxing wine, chicken powder, and red yeast rice powder in order. Mix thoroughly with chopsticks or your hands, ensuring all the pork is evenly coated with the seasonings. Once the mixture is sticky, cover with plastic wrap and let it marinate for 1 hour. For best results, refrigerate overnight to allow the pork to fully absorb the flavors.
Roll the Pork into Thin Sheets: On a clean surface, lay a sheet of baking paper. Place a portion of the marinated pork paste onto the paper, then cover it with another sheet of baking paper. Flatten it with your palm, then roll it out with a rolling pin (keeping the baking paper in place) to an even thin layer, about 2-3 mm thick. Use a spatula to trim any uneven edges, shaping the pork into a uniform shape.
Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), usually taking 10-15 minutes.
Initial Baking: Carefully place the rolled pork (with the baking paper at the bottom) onto a wire rack, then place the rack into the preheated oven. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes. During this time, you can observe the pork slowly changing color and slightly shrinking in size.
Brush with Honey Water: After 10 minutes, remove the rack from the oven (wearing oven mitts). Prepare a bowl of honey water (mix equal parts honey and water). Use a brush to evenly coat both sides of the pork with the honey water. By this point, the jerky will have firmed up, so feel free to flip it over to coat both sides. Be gentle while brushing to avoid distorting the shape.
Second Baking: After brushing the honey water, return the pork to the oven and bake at 180°C for an additional 7 minutes. At this point, the pork will begin to release its aroma, and its color will deepen.
Sprinkle Sesame Seeds and Final Baking: After 7 minutes, remove the rack again. Brush another layer of honey water on both sides of the pork, and evenly sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Place the pork back into the oven and bake at 180°C for another 5-8 minutes.
Cool and Serve: Once baked, remove the pork from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack. As it cools, the texture will become crispier and the flavor will improve. Once completely cooled, cut the pork into bite-sized pieces or strips, then plate and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different cut of pork?
While pork tenderloin is ideal for its tenderness, you can use other cuts of pork as well, like pork shoulder, but keep in mind that they may require longer cooking time to achieve the same texture.
How to Store It?
Once you’ve made your homemade jerky, storing it properly will help it last for a longer time. You can store it at room temperature for up to a week. However, if you want to keep it fresh longer, vacuum sealing it and refrigerating it will extend its shelf life significantly. I personally have kept jerky in my fridge for up to a month, and it still tastes just as good as when I first made it. The vacuum-sealed option also helps lock in the moisture and flavor, making sure your jerky stays tender and juicy for a longer period.
Do I need to use red yeast rice powder?
The red yeast rice powder is optional and primarily used for color. If you don’t have it, you can still make delicious jerky without it.
How to Make Tender and Flavorful Chinese Pork Jerky
Ingredients
- 750 g pork tenderloin
- 30 g honey mixed with 30g water to make honey water
- Sesame seeds to taste
Seasoning:
- 50 g sugar
- 5 g salt
- 3 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 3 tsp oyster sauce
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp Shaoxing wine or white wine
- 1 tsp chicken powder optional
- 4 g red yeast rice powder optional
Instructions
- Prepare the Pork: Clean the pork tenderloin, drain off excess water, and cut it into medium-sized pieces to fit into a meat grinder. Start the meat grinder and grind the pork into a smooth, fine paste.
- Marinate and Season: Transfer the ground pork to a large bowl. Add the sugar, salt, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper, Shaoxing wine, chicken powder, and red yeast rice powder in order. Mix thoroughly with chopsticks or your hands, ensuring all the pork is evenly coated with the seasonings. Once the mixture is sticky, cover with plastic wrap and let it marinate for 1 hour. For best results, refrigerate overnight to allow the pork to fully absorb the flavors.
- Roll the Pork into Thin Sheets: On a clean surface, lay a sheet of baking paper. Place a portion of the marinated pork paste onto the paper, then cover it with another sheet of baking paper. Flatten it with your palm, then roll it out with a rolling pin (keeping the baking paper in place) to an even thin layer, about 2-3 mm thick. Use a spatula to trim any uneven edges, shaping the pork into a uniform shape.
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), usually taking 10-15 minutes.
- Initial Baking: Carefully place the rolled pork (with the baking paper at the bottom) onto a wire rack, then place the rack into the preheated oven. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes. During this time, you can observe the pork slowly changing color and slightly shrinking in size.
- Brush with Honey Water: After 10 minutes, remove the rack from the oven (wearing oven mitts). Prepare a bowl of honey water (mix equal parts honey and water). Use a brush to evenly coat both sides of the pork with the honey water. By this point, the jerky will have firmed up, so feel free to flip it over to coat both sides. Be gentle while brushing to avoid distorting the shape.
- Second Baking: After brushing the honey water, return the pork to the oven and bake at 180°C for an additional 7 minutes. At this point, the pork will begin to release its aroma, and its color will deepen.
- Sprinkle Sesame Seeds and Final Baking: After 7 minutes, remove the rack again. Brush another layer of honey water on both sides of the pork, and evenly sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Place the pork back into the oven and bake at 180°C for another 5-8 minutes.
- Cool and Serve: Once baked, remove the pork from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack. As it cools, the texture will become crispier and the flavor will improve. Once completely cooled, cut the pork into bite-sized pieces or strips, then plate and enjoy!
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