Moo Dad Deaw (หมูแดดเดียว) – Thai Pork Jerky on the Streets of Bangkok

Frequently in Bangkok you stumble into a street food cart that’s so deliciously attractive you simply can’t pass without stopping.

Along the Bangkok street food haven of Petchaburi Soi 5 is a man who sells moo dad deaw (หมูแดดเดียว), a Thai street meat that any carnivore will appreciate.

His cart looks like it’s been rolled straight out of the slaughterhouse and onto the streets of Bangkok – loaded with hanging slivers of pork.

Moo Dad Deaw (หมูแดดเดียว) is sun dried pork, or what can basically be called Thai pork jerky.

The pork it normally sliced into little pieces and marinated in soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, and sugar before being laid in the scorching Thailand sun for a day. If you’ve explored Bangkok much, you’ve probably seen flat baskets of moo dad deaw drying out in the sun.

The sun dehydrates the pork and turns it into that oh-s0 attractive jerky texture.

After being dried, the moo dad deaw (หมูแดดเดียว) is then either deep fried or grilled. Both ways can be delicious, but I’m always a little fonder of grilling meat over deep frying.

This man’s cart is packed with pork and being located along the busy Petchaburi Soi 5, he gets plenty of customers who are looking for a tasty afternoon snack.

On the streets, the vendors normally tie three or four pieces of the dried pork together using little slivers of bamboo string. They are then grilled until fully cooked.

After being grilled the moo dad deaw (หมูแดดเดียว) is fully ready to be consumed. Each strand of pork costs 10 Thai Baht, and you can either just eat them as is, or accompany them with some sticky rice.

Some pieces of moo dad deaw (หมูแดดเดียว) can be on the fatty side, but I prefer the leaner pieces.

It’s really just like Thai pork jerky, nicely marinated in soy sauce and sugar so it’s both salty and sweet, a little tough from the dehydration, and fragrant with smoke from the grill. A couple strands of moo dad deaw (หมูแดดเดียว) sure makes a tasty Bangkok street food snack.

And when the cart is that neatly decorated, it’s simply impossible not to be attracted.

You’ll find moo dad deaw (หมูแดดเดียว) street food carts all over Bangkok, and you’ll even find the dish at many Isan restaurants like Isan Rod Ded (normally just the deep fried version though).

But if you’d like to go to this same street food cart, he normally positions himself somewhere along Petchaburi Soi 5 starting in the evening at about 5 pm. Sometimes he parks his cart across the street from P’Aor tom yum goong noodles.

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