Air Fryer Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork). Juicy tender pork cooked to perfection in a sweet sticky glaze with a bit of char. So easy to make!
A popular meat dish in Cantonese cuisine that you can simply make at home. If you have an air fryer and you love barbeque pork, then you must try this easy char siu recipe! This flavorful BBQ pork is so juicy and delicious you'll be amazed that the air fryer method works for this!
No Air Fryer?
I also share a standard char siu recipe using the conventional oven if you click here.
Popular in Asian Cuisine
Char Siu is a delicious barbeque meat that is popularly served all over Hong Kong in Chinese restaurants or Asian BBQ Meat delis. It's famous in Chinese culture as we use this meat in many other dishes as well. It's fast and convenient to pick up especially for a busy weeknight.
Easy Recipe
There are many air fryer char siu recipes online but mine is so easy and only takes 16 minutes to cook in the air fryer! You can also make this the night before to marinate overnight so you can easily air fry on the day of.
Authentic
My version is an authentic char siu made without red food coloring. Instead, my barbecue pork is naturally colored like most traditional recipes using red bean curd. Your local Asian grocery store or an online retailer like Amazon will carry this item.
Char Siu Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients. ***Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for full measurements***
- Pork butt: Or boneless pork shoulder will work for this recipe. Any cut of boneless cut of pork with fat marbling through it will work. You may use pork belly too for a fattier cut. For a leaner cut, feel free to use boneless pork tenderloin.
Marinade:
Red fermented bean curd: This will give the meat that natural red color. Most Asian grocery stores will carry this ingredient, or you may find it online on Amazon.
Hoisin sauce: This sauce gives the meat that sweet barbecue flavor. Most Asian grocery stores will carry this ingredient, or you may find it online on Amazon.
Brown sugar
Regular soy sauce: We're just your regular all-purpose soy sauce. Do not use light or dark soy sauce for this recipe. Most Asian grocery stores will carry this ingredient, or you may find it online on Amazon.
Honey
Shaoxing wine (or sub with dry sherry wine): This is a Chinese cooking wine. Most Asian grocery stores will carry this ingredient, or you may find it online on Amazon.
Chinese five spice: This Chinese five-spice powder offers a lovely and signature aroma and taste to this dish as it primarily consists of Chinese cinnamon, fennel seed, star anise, and cloves. Most Asian grocery stores or Western grocers will carry this ingredient, or you may find it online on Amazon.
Basting Glaze:
- Honey
- Hoisin sauce
- Red fermented bean curd
Recommended equipment:
- Meat thermometer: I love using my meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of my meat dishes. This ensures it's safe to consume. They can be affordably purchased at many Kitchen stores or online. I like the instant read digital thermometers.
How to make Air Fryer Char Siu
Below are visuals to show you how to make Chinese BBQ pork in air fryer. ***Please scroll down to the recipe card below to find full instructions and details***
- 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 oil spray 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.
- Cut into 0.5 - 0.75 cm thick pieces. Enjoy!
FAQ
Below are frequently asked questions about this recipe:
What cut of pork is best recommended?
Pork butt or boneless pork shoulder. You can also use any kind of pork with a higher fat content. So, look for cuts with fat marbling through it. You may also use pork belly for a more indulgent cut.
For a leaner cut, you may use pork tenderloin or lean boneless pork loin but please 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.
What gives char sui the red color?
Red fermented bean curd.
Where can I purchase red fermented bean curd?
The Asian market or an online retailer like Amazon will carry this item.
How long will this dish last for?
Up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also freeze leftover char siu up to a month to use in other recipes. Be sure to wrap it in plastic wrap and then place into a freezer friendly zip lock bag.
Can I make this in the oven?
Yes! I share a standard char siu recipe using the conventional oven if you click here.
Ways to Enjoy Char Siu
Cooked char siu is one of those tasty versatile dishes that pair well or can be used in many other dishes. My favorite way of eating this meat is with steamed white rice and leafy greens. But here are some other ways to enjoy this dish:
- Char Siu Fried Rice
- Noodles in Soup
- Lo Mein or Chow Mein
- Char Siu Bao aka BBQ pork buns
Other Air Fryer recipes you may like!
If you enjoyed this Air Fryer Char Siu, you may like these other Air Fryer recipes:
- Soy Sauce Chicken - Air Fryer
- Korean Fried Chicken - Air Fryer
- Soy Sauce Chicken Wings - Air Fryer
- Ginger Miso Salmon - Air Fryer
- General Tso Chicken - Air Fryer
- Orange Chicken - Air Fryer
Other Chinese BBQ recipes
I hope you give my Air Fryer Char Siu recipe a try and enjoy it!
If you enjoyed my easy air fryer char siu pork recipe, please leave a star rating and share it with your family and friends or on social media! Take a picture of your re-creation and make sure to tag me @ChristieAtHome in your feed or stories as I would love to see it!
Christie
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The BEST Air Fryer Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork butt aka pork shoulder (or any cut with fat marbling through it)
Marinade
- ⅓ cup red fermented bean curd (75 g)
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce (50 g)
- ¼ cup brown sugar (50 g)
- ⅓ cup regular soy sauce not light or dark soy sauce (75 g)
- 2 tablespoon honey (30 g)
- 2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or sub with Dry Sherry (30 g)
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice (5.69 g)
Basting Glaze
- 3 tablespoon Honey (45 g)
- 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce (30 g)
- 2 tablespoon red fermented bean curd (30 g)
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 oil spray 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.
- Cut into 0.5 - 0.75 cm thick pieces. Enjoy!
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!
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.
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.
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!