Air Fryer Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork). Juicy tender pork cooked to perfection in a sweet sticky glaze with a bit of char. An easy main made with simple and minimal ingredients rivalling Chinese takeout and saving you money!
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What is Char Siu?
Char Siu features a delicious, red-colored barbeque meat roasted in a sweet, savory hoisin-bean curd sauce. The word "char siu" translates to "fork roasted" in Cantonese.
It's popularly served all over Hong Kong in Chinese restaurants and comes from Guandong, China. This pork is famous in Cantonese cuisine for it's barbecue flavors and the bright red color, which comes from the fermented red bean curd.
At Chinese deli's or restaurants, you'll usually see large pieces of char siu, Chinese Roasted Pork Belly or Soy Sauce Chicken hanging from the butcher's window and you can request how much you'd like in pounds.
Chinese BBQ pork is typically served with white jasmine rice and Chinese napa cabbage or served as a main course. Leftover pork is commonly repurposed in fried rice, stir-fried noodles, soup noodles, baos to avoid wasting food!
My mother would always pick up Chinese BBQ pork for dinner because it conveniently fed a large family fast. All she had to do was slice it up and simply serve it with rice and greens. It was always a treat!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for full measurements
- Boneless Pork Butt (aka boneless pork shoulder) is the best cut for char siu because it has a good portion of fat and meat. Any cut of boneless cut of pork with fat marbling through it will also work. You may use pork belly too for a fattier cut.
- For a leaner cut, you may use boneless pork tenderloin but a warning that it won't be as juicy. Make sure to reduce the cooking time to 12 minutes and if the internal temperature has reached 145 F by then, then remove from the air fryer. I wouldn't recommend using pork chops for this recipe.
Char Siu Marinade
- Red fermented bean curd: this gives the meat that natural red color. You can find this ingredient at most Asian markets in the sauce aisle. As a last resort, substitute with a few drops of red food coloring until you have a maroon colored marinade.
- Hoisin sauce: This adds a caramelized sweetness to our sauce.
- Brown sugar: avoid using white granulated sugar as it doesn't contain molasses.
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Honey
- Shaoxing wine: this is a Chinese rice cooking wine. Or substitute with Dry Sherry. For a non-alcoholic version, substitute with any broth. If you're gluten-free, substitute with rice vinegar or any broth.
- Chinese five spice powder: this primarily consists of ground Chinese cinnamon, fennel seed, star anise, and cloves and offers that iconic flavor in BBQ pork.
Basting Glaze
- Honey
- Hoisin sauce
- Red fermented bean curd
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry these ingredients, or you may find it online on Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Pat dry the pork with paper towel so the marinade sticks better to it.
- Cut the pork in slices as per the instructed dimensions for an even cooking time.
- Mash the bean curd with a fork so it mixes well with the other marinade ingredients.
- Allow pork to marinate for at least 6 hours or overnight for best taste.
- Lightly spray air fryer basket with neutral oil so the pork won't stick to the grates.
- Give each piece of pork enough space in the air fryer basket.
- Rest the cooked pork for the juices to redistribute in the meat before slicing.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make air fryer char siu:
Prepare Pork
Pat dry your pork butt or pork shoulder with paper towels. Slice pork into two long equal pieces with enough fat marbling through each piece. Approximate dimensions: 2 inches thick x 3 inches wide and 6 inches long. It's okay if you're off by a few centimeters.
Create Marinade
In a medium size bowl, combine Marinade ingredients and mix until smooth. You may need a fork to mash the fermented red bean curd.
Marinate Pork
Place both pieces of pork in a Ziploc bag or large bowl. Pour marinade over the pork and ensuring most of pork is covered by the marinade. If you're using a Ziplock bag, squeeze out any air pockets. If you're using a large bowl, cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Marinate for at least 6 hours or overnight in the fridge.
Make Basting Glaze
In a small bowl, combine Basting Glaze and mix well until smooth.
Brush Basting Glaze on Pork
Lightly spray oil onto the air fryer basket. Place marinated pork into air fryer basket in a single layer giving each piece enough space. Brush basting glaze on top of each pork piece and along the sides.
Air Fry
Air fry for 16 minutes in total at 400 F, flipping over and basting at every 4-minute mark. Until you reach an internal temperature of 145 F with a digital instant read thermometer or until juices run clear. If you'd like it more charred, air fry for another 2 minutes but no more than that.
Rest the pork
Remove the pork from air fryer basket and place on cutting board. Let this sit for 10 minutes before cutting to keep in the juices.
Slice pork
Cut on a bias into 0.5 - 0.75 cm thick pieces. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? This can be stored in a freezer friendly bag and frozen up to 3 months or until you see freezer burn. To reheat, defrost it and reheat in the microwave or in the air fryer at 350 F until hot.
Pairing Ideas
Char siu is a versatile meat dish and serves well with:
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, or plain noodles
- cooked vegetables like Chinese cabbage, bok choy, choy sum, or gai lan.
- or integrate it into fried rice, soup noodles, chow mein, lo mein, in buns (aka Char Siu Bao aka BBQ pork buns) or egg foo young.
FAQ
If you don't own an air fryer, I also share a standard char siu recipe using the conventional oven if you click here.
Red fermented bean curd is a thick paste with chunks of bean curd in the jar. It has a vibrant red color. 
Yes, char siu can be prepared or cooked in advance. Simply marinate the pork prior and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1-2 days before air frying it.
You can also cook the marinated pork in advance and it will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, air fry at 350 F or microwave until hot through out.
Various factors can cause for overcooked pork such as:
- choosing too lean of a cut without any fat marbling it
- air frying for too long without monitoring the temperature with an instant read thermometer
- pork shoulder was not cut into the instructed size portions
Yes, chicken is a great substitute. Check out my Air Fryer Char Siu Chicken recipe!
📖 Recipe
Easy & Simple Air Fryer Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork butt aka pork shoulder (or any cut with fat marbling through it)
- 2 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil for spraying air fryer basket
Marinade
- ⅓ cup red fermented bean curd
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup regular soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or sub with Dry Sherry
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
Basting Glaze
- 3 tablespoon Honey
- 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoon red fermented bean curd
Instructions
- Pat dry your pork butt with paper towels. Slice pork butt into two long equal pieces with enough fat marbling through each piece. Approximate dimensions: 2 inches thick x 3 inches wide and 6 inches long. It's okay if you're off by a few centimeters.
- In a medium size bowl, combine Marinade ingredients and mix until smooth. You may need a fork to mash the fermented red bean curd.
- Place both pieces of pork in a Ziploc bag or large bowl. Pour marinade over the pork and ensuring most of pork is covered by the marinade. If you're using a Ziplock bag, squeeze out any air pockets. If you're using a large bowl, cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Marinate for at least 6 hours or overnight in the fridge.
- In a small bowl, combine Basting Glaze and mix well until smooth.
- Lightly spray vegetable oil or any neutral oil into air fryer basket. Place marinated pork into air fryer basket in a single layer giving each piece enough space for air circulation.
- Brush basting glaze on top of each pork piece and along the sides. Air fry for 16 minutes in total at 400 F, flipping over and basting at every 4-minute mark. Until you reach an internal temperature of 145 F or until juices run clear. If you'd like it more charred, air fry for another 2 minutes but no more than that.
- Remove the pork from air fryer basket and place on cutting board. Let this sit for 10 minutes before cutting to keep in the juices.
- Slice on a bias into 0.5 - 0.75 cm thick pieces. Enjoy!
Taryn
Very juicy, flavourful and just like Chinese takeout!
christieathome
I am so glad to hear this! Thanks for making it Taryn! Have a lovely day!
Zoé
Hi, i love your recipes. I live in France and we don't use cup for the ingredients... Can you please give me the recipe of Char siu in grams? Thank you so much!
christieathome
Hi Zoé, I've updated the recipe card to reflect the measurements in grams in parenthesis or brackets. Hope this helps!
Zoé
Thank you! I've tried yesterday, really not bad!
Kent
Using Country Style Ribs is a good option. They are available almost every where, cut in the right size already and made from pork butt.
John
isn't pork butt usually kind of tough and requires a long cooking time?
christieathome
No, that's quite the opposite. The fat marbling through it makes it tender and very juicy.
Lisa
Fantastic!!!! 5 stars is an understatement!
christieathome
I am so happy to read this kind comment! Thank YOU for making my recipe and sharing this with me! Have a wonderful day Lisa!