International dishesGrilled DishesTaiwanAbout 6 hours, including 30 minutes marinating, 5 hours drying and the roasting
Taiwanese honey glazed pork jerky comes out thin, chewy and deeply sweet and salty. Managing the heat is the hard part: too little drying leaves the jerky damp, and too long in the oven scorches the corners.
The meat is spread thin between two sheets of plastic over a piece of card 8 x 12cm, which keeps every piece the same. It dries at 50C in two rounds, then gets brushed with honey before it goes into the oven.
This batch weighs about 715g, at roughly 183 calories per 100g.
Method
Put 550g ground pork in a bowl. Season it with 1g curing salt, 1/2 teaspoon table salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 54g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 2 teaspoons crushed peppercorns, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon ginger juice, 1.5 tablespoons char siu sauce, 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder, 1/2 teaspoon red yeast rice powder, 1 tablespoon honey and 2 tablespoons mai que lo.
Work the mixture with a spoon or spatula until the seasoning is absorbed and the meat turns sticky. Cover it and rest it for about 30 minutes.
Cut a piece of card about 8 x 12cm and set it between two sheets of plastic. Spread a spoonful of meat over the card and fold the plastic in along the four edges to shape it.
Press gently until the meat is even and thin, peel the plastic away and lift the sheet onto baking paper.
Arrange the sheets on a tray and dry at 50C for 2 hours, turn them over and dry for another 2 hours.
Meanwhile, mix 2 teaspoons water with 1 tablespoon honey. After 4 hours of drying, brush the honey over each side and dry for a further 30 minutes per side.
Move the tray to the oven and roast each side for 12 to 15 minutes at 150C. Pull the jerky out as soon as the corners start to color so it does not burn.
Tips
Minced pork with some fat in it keeps the jerky tender rather than hard and dry.
Press the ginger for juice and use only the clear liquid on top, discarding the starch that settles since it turns the meat bitter.
Curing salt stays at exactly 1 g as written, with no increase.
Honey is still sugar, so measure exactly the amount in the recipe.
Work the meat until it comes together as a springy mass before resting it, since a half hearted job leaves the jerky crumbly.
Mai que lo rose wine and red yeast powder are sold at Chinese grocery shops.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.