Homemade Bak Kwa/Long Yoke (Pork Jerky)

First of all,I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my beloved readers,friends and family "Gong Xi Fa Cai"!! May this Dragon year brings you and your family a Prosperous and Healthy year!!

I think to celebrate Chinese New Year without "bak kwa or long yoke" is not a complete celebration!! lol! who am I kidding?? Most of the time,we eat all the "bak kwa" before our guests can try it!! As I said before  getting"bak kwa Malaysia style" in New York  City is extremely  pricey like eating gold.No kidding!! Yes, we have few Malaysia store selling "bak kwa/pork jerky" at Chinatown  in New York City.I can leave bak kwa out when celebrating Chinese New York in States.Since last year I tried making my own "bak kwa" and the result is not bad at all..Of course, my skill is not as same as "Hock Seng Guan" or other brand names in Malaysia but acceptable,I think..(pat my own back)

Ingredients:
4 kg minced pork ( ready minced fatty mix pork at supermarket)
3-4 cups sugar(I like mine tangy sweet but free to adjust to your taste bud)
3 tsp five spices powder
4 tsp seasalt (adjust your to taste bud)
8 tbsp fish oil
8 tbsp Shaoxing wine or hua tiu or Chinese rice wine
8 tbsp soy sauce ( adjust to your saltiness)
2 tbsp thick soy sauce ( reminder to myself: need to reduce the tbsp to tsp in future bcos the after cooked meat was too dark)
1/2  or more tsp red food coloring paste ( I only have Wilton's paste,so have to mixed with 1 tsp water)*optional*

Method:

1:Combined all ingredients in a large mixing bowl,mix well(I wear hand gloves for easy and faster mixed)

2:Preheat oven to 220 F.Prepare 2 to 4 cookie sheets lining with aluminum foil.Scoop minced pork mixture onto the foil,spread it out with spatula evenly.Cover the whole cookies sheet with the meat mixture.Use a large plastic cling wrap to cover the meat.Then use a rolling pin to roll the meat mixture until surface flatten evenly.If you like your pork jerky meaty,scoop more meat to make it thicken.

3:Remove the plastic cling wrap,bake in oven for 30-40 minutes or until the pork dry out.Remove dry pork mixture from oven and cut with pizza cutter to your desire shape and size,set aside.Repeat the same procedure until all the meat mixture finish..If you have 4 cookie sheets,you might work  on the other 2  while the first 2 sheets in the oven to save time.

4:Turn oven to broiler setting to normal.Since the outdoor weather temperature  is about 30 F,I'm not going to stand freezing at my patio to BBQ this jerky on the pit.Use another cookies sheet or tray lined over a wired rack or aluminum foil for catching the dripping oil.

5:Be very careful when using broiling bcos the meat easily burn.Must keep an eyes on the meat all the time.Grill both side until slightly charred on the side..
Remove the meat and place aside until completely cool.Store in container or wrap with parchment paper or ready to eat.

minced meat with all the seasoning

Minced meat mixture,well mixed

spread out on a cookies sheet

cover with plastic cling wrap and roll with rolling pin for even surface

removed the cling wrap and ready to bake until dry

cut with pizza cutter and ready to grill until slightly charred on the side.