Chinese-style Pork Jerky and Beef Jerky (豬肉乾, 牛肉乾)

Here are two very traditional Chinese-style snacks that are a bit pricey to buy, but relatively easy to make at home.  Besides, we are often uncertain about the preservatives and food colors vendors use when making the products, to prolong shelf life and to improve the appearance.

I. Chinese-style Beef Jerky (牛肉乾)

1. Get two pounds of Beef Eye of Round, and place it in the freezer until its half frozen (30- 60 minutes), Slice the round-shaped beef along its fiber, into 1/4" slices.  Note- Cut along the fiber, not across the fiber. Preserving the fiber threads makes the meat chewy. Half-frozen beef is easier to slice.  Please still cut with care!
2. Blanch the beef in boiling water for a minute or two in a pot.  Drain the water and fill the pot with fresh water to cover the beef slices.  Season with 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 stalk of scallion (cut into 2" segments), 4-6 slices of ginger, 2-3 Star Anise (八角), 15-20 pieces of Chinese Pepper (花椒), 2-3 Tbsp of Rice Cooking Wine.  Note- No soy sauce at this point, unless you want your beef jerky in dark color.  Bring the pot to boil, and let simmer for an hour.  
3. Pour about 1-2 cups of the stock soup left from Step 2 into a non-stick pan, and season with your favorite flavor for the beef.  We used 1 Tbsp of sugar, 2 Tbsp of light soy sauce, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1 Tbsp of crushed chili pepper.  Place the beef slices side-by-side into the non-stick pan,  Turn on low-to-medium heat, and cook the beef slices in the seasoned sauce till the sauce turns into thick paste.  Flip the slices frequently to dip both sides of the beef in the sauce. 
4. Preheat the oven to 300-deg-F.  Lightly grease a baking pan.  Place the beef slices on the pan, and sprinkle some curry power on the slices (optional).  Bake for 15 minutes, flip the slices to the other side (and sprinkle curry powder again), and bake for another 15 minutes. Let the beef slices cool, before serving.  Here ia picture of the finished product.
   

II. Chinese-style Pork Jerky (豬肉乾)

1. Place a pound of ground pork in a mixing bowl.  Note- We usually ask the butcher in a Chinese market to wash and grind a chunk of Pork Butt, which has less fat content than the ready-made ground pork.
2. Add the following into the mixing bowl: 1 Tbsp of rice cooking wine, 1 Tbsp of veggie oil (for leaner ground pork), 2 Tbsp of Fish Sauce (魚露), 2 Tbsp of sugar, 3 Tbsp of Honey, 1/2 tsp of Five-Spices (五香粉), and 1/2 tsp of white pepper.  When it comes to the red color, add 1 Tbsp of red wine or red rice yeast (i.e., Anka Sauce), or 1 tsp of your favorite red chili pepper powder (only if you like your pork jerky spicy).  But the red color is optional, and a secondary consideration here.
3. Stir the seasoned ground pork in one direction only with a pair of chopsticks (either clockwise or counterclockwise, but one direction only!) for a good 5-6 minutes, until the ground pork is as thick as paste.  Let the seasoned pork sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours.  
4. Now, place a layer of parchment paper (NOT wax paper, which is NOT oven safe) on a 10"  x 15" baking pan.  Scoop half of the seasoned ground pork on top of the parchment paper.  Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the pork.  Use hand to spread the ground pork first, then a rolling pin to flatten the pork to ~1/10" in thickness (i.e., to spread the half pound paste thin enough across the pan, where the pan size is the limit).  Use a spoon to shape and even out the thin layer of pork paste.  Note- Repeat this step for the second half of the ground pork.  Also, if you like your pork jerky really thin, consider using 1/3 lb of seasoned ground pork a time, i.e., making 3 sheets of pork jerky with 1 lb of ground pork.
5. Preheat oven to 350-deg-F.  Take out the top parchment paper, and bake for 15 minutes.  Take the pan out of the oven, and drain out any fluid in the pan (while pressing the sheet of pork down with a spatula. Yes, it's a movable sheet of pork now!)  Flip the thin sheet of pork to the other side using two heat-resistant spatulas.  Bake for another 5 minutes.  Flip again and bake until the sheet of meat is dry, and the edges are slightly blackened (3-5 minutes each side, and repeat if necessary).  Note- Repeat this step for the second half of the ground pork.  Or, bake both halves in two pans at the same time, with the pan on the middle rack following the standard instructions here, and the pan on the lower rack observed closely (i.e., baked a bit longer or shorter, depending on your oven).
6. Dab both sides of the still-hot sheet of pork with paper towel to aborb the extra oil on the surface.  Let it cool, then cut it into your favorite snack size, e.g., 1.5" x 3" (easier if you cut with a pair of kitchen scissors), and serve.  Here is a picture of the finished product (with no red color enhancement).