Bak Kwa. Rou Gan. Long Nguk. No matter how you pronounce it, there’s no denying how beloved this succulent barbecued pork delicacy is – so beloved it’s considered quintessential to the Lunar New Year season, so beloved that Singaporeans are willing to queue for hours just to get their favourite brand. One reason is because the charred, sweet-savoury flavour is so appealing.  

Long queue at a bak kwa store during Lunar New Year - image credit Roslan Rahman, Getty Images

The other reason is tradition.
The origins of bak kwa can be traced all the way to ancient China, specifically the province of Fujian, at a time when most of the population was so poor that meat was considered a luxury. Meat was reserved for Lunar New Year as a symbol of wealth and abundance; bak kwa, with its auspicious red colour and tempting flavour, was even more popular – especially as a gift.

Originally, bak kwa was sliced pork that was air-dried and cooked; as time passed, there were more variations. The Singaporean version was brought by Fujian immigrants and has been tweaked to suit local tastes: marinated minced pork is grilled over charcoal after being air-dried.

Today, there’s a bak kwa to suit every taste!
Pork, mutton, beef and other exotic types of meat; minced or sliced; plain or combining other ingredients such as pineapple, ginseng, or chilli – if you can think of it, you can find it.

But amongst all of these, which type is most worth the calories?

Fear not! The GastroSense team sacrifices our waistline** to answer this question.

**We confess that this is an exaggeration.  

 
The three types of bak kwa in their packaging

We try three very different types:

• The Luxe: A Spanish iberico pork version from Century, so sumptuous that each and every piece is vacuum-packed for ultimate freshness

• The Classic: A charcoal-grilled minced pork classic from Lim Chee Guan, a family-owned brand founded in the 1930s so popular that queues of up to 8 hours have been reported in the weeks running up to Lunar New Year

• The Flavoured: the astoundingly popular Pineapple Bak Kwa from Kim Peng Hiang, also a family-run business founded in the 1930s with similarly long queues reported in the weeks close to Lunar New Year

And how did we try them?
Very simply.

After opening up the packets, we slice them up into smaller bite-sized squares. Then we toasted these squares until warm to simulate them being fresh off the grill.

After that, we put them into identical white bowls and tried not to reveal the brand in each bowl. This vote was completely anonymous*!

Toasted Bak Kwa Bites in identical white bowls!

After trying at least one piece (usually more!) of every type, each GastroSense team member voted for their favourite.

*To be frank, the different types of bak kwas all looked very different, so the sharp-eyed could guess what they were eating very easily.

Our Favourite?
Lim Chee Guan! It seems we love the classics.

 
Warmed-Up Winner - Lim Chee Guan!

Surprise Easter Egg!
Our greedy selves just couldn’t leave the extra bak kwa alone and we all gathered to eat more – straight from the fridge. To our shock – and we’re still shocked today! – all three bak kwa tasted completely different.

Our Lazy-time Favourite?
Kim Peng Hiang! The tangy hint of pineapple perfectly lifted the chewy savour of cold barbecued pork.

Lazytime Winner - Kim Peng Hiang, Pineapple Bak Kwa!

PSST! Check out our bak kwa tasting on the GastroSense IG account - appearing soon!