The 10x Flavor Rule: This Simple Soy-Marinated Pork Is the Ultimate Bacon Replacement

We’re living in a time when you have to think carefully about how to spend half of your budget on groceries, which is why right recipes should be considered as well. Instead of cooking something with bacon which is pretty expensive right now, this recipe suggests you go with the usual pork, but make it the crispiest meat that will turn out better than any high-quality bacon.

Serve it with whatever side dish you prefer, but we recommend accompanying the pork with rice for a better Asian experience.

Ingredients: 1.3–1.5 kg of pork brisket, 500 ml of soy sauce, 50 ml of oyster sauce, salt and sugar to taste (3 tbsp of sugar) spices (3 bay leaves, 5 star anise pods, a handful of dried chili peppers, a handful of peppercorns, a handful of fennel seeds, cinnamon (optional)).

Cut the breast into long strips and make shallow cuts so that the marinade penetrates deeper. Lightly salt the meat and rub salt into all sides. Pour the soy and oyster sauces into a saucepan, add all the spices and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Bring to a boil, simmer for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat.

Pour the hot marinade over the meat, mix it in, cover with plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge for 2 days. Flip the meat every day so that it soaks up the marinade evenly. After two days, take it out, let the marinade drain off, and hang it in a cool place for 3 days to dry. The meat will darken and shrink.

Then slow-cook it in a multicooker without water or bake it in the oven at 150°C for 20–40 minutes, depending on the thickness of the piece. Slice it thinly; the aroma will be incredible, and the flavor will be richer than bacon’s.