HOME IN FOCUS

For the love of bak kwa

It's hot, painstaking work - and former butcher Ong Geok Hoo does it all himself

In the run-up to Chinese New Year, the wall of Mr Ong's shop is plastered with orders. It is an organised system that corresponds to the date of collection. The paint may be fading, but the scent of Mr Ong Geok Hoo's barbecued meat is strong. Kim Hoc
Mr Ong Geok Hoo with a tray of sliced pork before it is smoked. He uses only sliced pork for his bak kwa, which he has been making for the past 20 years. Compared to the minced version which is higher in fat, sliced pork is leaner and tougher to chew. The only other cut of meat he uses is bacon which he uses for his Chinese New Year speciality and bestseller, honey bacon bak kwa. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
In the run-up to Chinese New Year, the wall of Mr Ong's shop is plastered with orders. It is an organised system that corresponds to the date of collection. The paint may be fading, but the scent of Mr Ong Geok Hoo's barbecued meat is strong. Kim Hoc
The paint may be fading, but the scent of Mr Ong Geok Hoo’s barbecued meat is strong. Kim Hock Seng moved to Geylang from Keong Saik Road in 2017. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
In the run-up to Chinese New Year, the wall of Mr Ong's shop is plastered with orders. It is an organised system that corresponds to the date of collection. The paint may be fading, but the scent of Mr Ong Geok Hoo's barbecued meat is strong. Kim Hoc
In the run-up to Chinese New Year, the wall of Mr Ong’s shop is plastered with orders. It is an organised system that corresponds to the date of collection. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
In the run-up to Chinese New Year, the wall of Mr Ong's shop is plastered with orders. It is an organised system that corresponds to the date of collection. The paint may be fading, but the scent of Mr Ong Geok Hoo's barbecued meat is strong. Kim Hoc
First, slices of pork are marinated by hand in tubs for around four hours. They are then laid out on a circular bamboo tray about a metre in diameter. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
In the run-up to Chinese New Year, the wall of Mr Ong's shop is plastered with orders. It is an organised system that corresponds to the date of collection. The paint may be fading, but the scent of Mr Ong Geok Hoo's barbecued meat is strong. Kim Hoc
Mr Ong laying out honeyed bacon strips on a bamboo tray for his honey bacon bak kwa, which he makes only during Chinese New Year. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
In the run-up to Chinese New Year, the wall of Mr Ong's shop is plastered with orders. It is an organised system that corresponds to the date of collection. The paint may be fading, but the scent of Mr Ong Geok Hoo's barbecued meat is strong. Kim Hoc
Once the meat is smoked, it is taken off the tray, cut into smaller pieces and left to cool, before the final and most important step of grilling over a charcoal fire. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
In the run-up to Chinese New Year, the wall of Mr Ong's shop is plastered with orders. It is an organised system that corresponds to the date of collection. The paint may be fading, but the scent of Mr Ong Geok Hoo's barbecued meat is strong. Kim Hoc
Mr Ong grilling bak kwa at his shop in Geylang Road. Though his wife helps out, Kim Hock Seng is mostly a one-man show. Mr Ong works seven days a week, closing only on the first to fifth days of Chinese New Year, or during emergencies. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
In the run-up to Chinese New Year, the wall of Mr Ong's shop is plastered with orders. It is an organised system that corresponds to the date of collection. The paint may be fading, but the scent of Mr Ong Geok Hoo's barbecued meat is strong. Kim Hoc
Mr Ong grimacing after placing the trays of pork in a chamber of smouldering charcoal embers. The chamber can hold about 50 to 60 trays which must be turned by hand. The pork is left to smoke for almost 12 hours at a time.
 ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
In the run-up to Chinese New Year, the wall of Mr Ong's shop is plastered with orders. It is an organised system that corresponds to the date of collection. The paint may be fading, but the scent of Mr Ong Geok Hoo's barbecued meat is strong. Kim Hoc
A diagram of the different cuts of a pig on the wall of the shop. Next to it is a photo of a leaner Mr Ong in his early 20s when he was an amateur bodybuilder. He had come in fourth in a contest in the 1970s. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
In the run-up to Chinese New Year, the wall of Mr Ong's shop is plastered with orders. It is an organised system that corresponds to the date of collection. The paint may be fading, but the scent of Mr Ong Geok Hoo's barbecued meat is strong. Kim Hoc
The tantalising fragrance of freshly grilled bak kwa permeates the Geylang shop and the five-foot way outside. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Mark Cheong
Updated
Jan 24, 2020, 10:02 AM
Published
Jan 20, 2020, 05:00 AM
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

The rich, smoky aroma of barbecued meat wafts from a small shop as I turn a corner in Geylang Road on a sunny weekday afternoon.

The smell makes me think of Chinese New Year, except it is late November.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

ST One Digital

 $9.90/month

No contract

ST app access on 1 mobile device

Subscribe now

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 20, 2020, with the headline For the love of bak kwa. Subscribe

Available for
iPhones and iPads
Available in
Google Play

MCI (P) 066/10/2023. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2024 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.

Back to the top