Pork char siu, also known as Chinese pork BBQ, is a staple in Chinese restaurants and takeouts. It’s a sweet and savory marinated pork that caramelizes when cooked, creating an irresistible sticky glaze.
Try making this dish with my foolproof air fryer recipe to achieve its restaurant-style, juicy, and tender meat. You don’t need to go to a restaurant or order takeout to enjoy a plate of finger-licking Chinese pork BBQ.
- What Is Char Siu?
- Is Char Siu Good For You?
- What Makes Air Fryer Great For Char Siu
- How To Store And Reheat Char Siu
- Air Fryer Char Siu Cooking Tips
- Kitchen Items And Ingredients To Cook Char Siu
- Steps To Make Air Fryer Char Siu
What Is Char Siu?
Char siu is marinated pork meat typically cooked in an oven or grill. In this recipe, we are going to use an air fryer to cook this dish faster and hassle-free. The most popular pork cut used for this dish is pork shoulder, while some recipes also use pork belly for juicier and softer meat.
Alternatively, my recipe uses pork neck or pork collar butt. The dish is recognizable for its red-colored glaze and char that is sweet and sticky. The red exterior color of the meat is taken from the char siu sauce, while others use red fermented bean curd or beetroot powder to achieve its color.
Here’s an overview of the steps you will take in making this recipe:
- Marinating the pork meat in the savory sauce overnight
- Baking the marinated meat
- Glazing it with honey
That’s it! Air Fryer Char Siu Pork (空气炸锅叉烧肉) is best served with Jasmine rice, noodle soup, or BBQ pork buns, to name a few.
Is Char Siu Good For You?
As we all know, pork is a good source of protein no matter which pork cut you choose. For instance, per 100g of pork shoulder, you get 25.1g of protein. On the other hand, 100g of pork belly has only 9.34g of protein.
It may be a tasty source of protein, but you also have to remember its downsides, such as high cholesterol and fat. For every 100g of pork shoulder, there are 17.7g of total lipid fat and 98mg of cholesterol. Moreover, you get 53g of total lipid fat, 19.3g of saturated fatty acids, and 72mg of cholesterol per 100g of pork belly.
Plus, you won’t get healthy amounts of carbohydrates or fiber. So, always remember to consume this dish in moderate amounts. Moreover, it is better to pair this dish with healthy vegetables high in fiber and nutrients.
What Makes Air Fryer Great For Char Siu
Why do I need an air fryer when I already have an oven that cooks quality dishes too? Well, there are a couple of reasons why an air fryer is better and a lifesaver.
- First, it cuts your cooking time in half. Yes, you read that right! An air fryer cooks your food faster than an oven.
- Second, you can achieve better quality results since an air fryer can make your dish juicy with a bit of char and sticky glaze. It does not dry out the meat.
- Third, it promises an easy clean-up minus the extra labor, especially if you use parchment paper or foil to line the air fryer basket. It is easier to clean since all the grease and spills are contained in the basket.
- Fourth, you get to lessen the oil since you do not need to add oil for air fryers. The fat from the meat will juice up and cook the meat itself in the basket.
How To Store And Reheat Char Siu
Pork neck can be marinated in advance by storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Keep leftovers in a sealed container as well to avoid spoilage and the meat absorbing odors from other foods in the fridge. The leftovers can be stored for an additional three days.
I suggest reheating leftovers in the air fryer for about five minutes at 375°F. You can get a crispy texture using an air fryer instead of a microwave for reheating. While you can reheat char siu in a microwave, you won’t get that slight crunch since it will only make it soggy and soft.
If you want to extend the shelf life of the pork meat, you can freeze it for about one to two months in a plastic wrap or zip-lock bag. Keeping it in the freezer, however, will decrease its quality as time passes.
Air Fryer Char Siu Cooking Tips
Follow my tips and recommendations to ensure a successful char siu pork. I share below my suggestions when choosing meat, substituting ingredients, and cooking ideas. Hopefully, these tips will be able to help you create quality char siu.
- Choose your cut: The pork cuts you can use in this recipe are pork shoulder, pork collar butt, pork belly, or pork loin or tenderloin. Pork shoulder and collar are preferable since it has less fat and just the right amount of meat. Unlike pork belly, it tends to be too greasy since it has higher fat content than meat. However, if that’s what you are going for, then pork belly will be a great option for you. If you like pork belly so much, you can also try my Crispy And Juicy Air Fryer Pork Belly For a much lower fat content, opt for lean meat such as pork loin or tenderloin.
- Get the freshest meat at the supermarket: Pick fresh cuts of meat with white fat parts and a pinkish hue. Moreover, check the smell. It should not smell sour or ammonia-like, which indicates it is spoiled already. When in doubt, just don’t buy it.
- Clean the pork meat: Before proceeding with the marinade, make sure to clean the pork thoroughly. Wash it with water and rub coarse salt or vinegar all over. This helps remove the foul smell and bacteria.
- Test your air fryer: Air fryers vary in setting and temperature, depending on the model or brand. So, what works for others may not work for your air fryer. In this recipe, I baked the char siu for 15 minutes at 160°C (320°F). You may have to play around to discover whether this setting works for you or not. In addition, you must check whether the pork is undercooked or overcooked with this setting. So, you have to adjust the time and temperature, either you increase or decrease it.
- Cook according to the type of meat: The time and temperature may also vary on the type of meat you use and how thick the slices are. If you have thick slices, you may need extra time to cook them well. In this case, I recommend cutting the pork into thin slices to cook them faster. If you are using pork loin, the cooking time is usually shorter than pork shoulder.
- Achieve firmer and crispier meat: If you want a firmer or crispier texture, it helps if you refrigerate the marinated meat overnight. Place it in a sealed container on a single layer and not on top of each other.
- Line the air fryer basket: It’s a dream to have the easiest cleanup after cooking. You can make this possible by lining the air fryer basket with parchment paper or foil. If you do not use any of these, it will be hard to clean the basket since the glaze tends to stick and harden.
- Buy or make char siu sauce: An important ingredient in this recipe is none other than the char siu sauce. It gives the meat its red-colored glaze and flavor. You can typically buy this in grocery stores or make your own. The homemade char siu sauce recipe generally includes Chinese Five Spice Powder (五香粉), agave syrup, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, salt, water, garlic, and cornstarch. Your homemade char siu sauce can be used for marinades, glazing, ramen soups, steamed buns, and dipping sauces.
- Bring out the red color: If you think the meat is not red enough, there are several ingredients that you can use to make it red. For natural food coloring, use red fermented bean curd, red yeast rice powder, or beetroot powder. These examples will give you that reddish-dark brown exterior. However, if you don’t have these, you can also try red food coloring found in supermarkets.
- Glaze it with honey or other alternatives: Get the slight char and stickiness on the meat by glazing it with honey. The honey from the sugar caramelizes and gives the meat extra flavor. If you don’t have honey, you can use other alternatives, such as maple syrup or molasses.
- Serve char siu with sides and entrees: Char siu is delicious enough to be eaten even without a side dish. However, you don’t want it to be too lonely. So, why not pair it with Jasmine rice or fried rice? You can enjoy it as a topping for noodle soup. Moreover, you can have it with other side dishes such as Hotplate Tofu or Black Pepper Beef Stir-fry.
Kitchen Items And Ingredients To Cook Char Siu
As a first step, let’s prepare these kitchen items and ingredients. To prepare this dish, you’ll need a chopping board, a mixing bowl, foil for lining, and of course, an air fryer.
It’s a good thing that most of the ingredients are pantry staples, such as garlic, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. However, you may have to go to a special store for the Char Siu sauce.
Kitchen Items
- Air fryer
- Parchment paper or foil
- Mixing bowl
- Knife
- Chopping board
- Plastic gloves for massaging the marinated meat
- Basting brush
Ingredients
- 1000g pork neck or pork belly
- 5 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp Char Siu Sauce
- 4 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 3 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- Honey for glazing
Steps To Make Air Fryer Char Siu
The recipe only has three basic steps: prepare the marinade, cook the pork meat, and glaze it with honey. The first and third steps are essential and cannot be skipped. You should marinate the meat for at least 4 hours.
However, I recommend marinating it overnight to allow the meat to absorb the flavors fully. Then, glazing with honey is also vital to create its sweet and moist charred skin. Read the full steps below:
Prepare The Marinade
Wash and clean the pork meat thoroughly.
In a bowl, add the pork meat, 5 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp char siu sauce, 4 tbsp light soy sauce, 3 tbsp oyster sauce, and 1 tbsp dark soy sauce.
Mix the marinade well and massage it onto the pork meat, ensuring it is well absorbed.
Marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge.
Cook The Pork Meat
Prepare the air fryer by lining the foil inside the basket. Ensure the foil covers the entire basket from the base to the sides so that the melted fat or spills stay inside the foil.
Next, add the marinated pork neck to the basket in a single layer and pour the extra marinade sauce on top.
Bake for 15 minutes at 160°C (320°F). After 15 minutes, turn the pork meat over.
Using a basting brush, glaze the pork meat with honey.
Then, bake for another 10 minutes at 160°C (320°F). Once it’s done, you can chop the meat into smaller pieces and serve it with rice or sides!
Air Fryer Char Siu Pork
Equipment
- Air fryer
- Parchment paper or foil
- Mixing bowl
- Knife
- Chopping board
- Plastic gloves for massaging the marinated meat
- Basting brush
Ingredients
- 1000 g pork neck or pork belly
- 5 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp Char Siu Sauce
- 4 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 3 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- Honey for glazing
Instructions
Prepare The Marinade
- Wash and clean the pork meat thoroughly.
- In a bowl, add the pork meat, 5 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp char siu sauce, 4 tbsp light soy sauce, 3 tbsp oyster sauce, and 1 tbsp dark soy sauce.
- Mix the marinade well and massage it onto the pork meat, ensuring it is well absorbed.
- Marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge.
Cook The Pork Meat
- Prepare the air fryer by lining the foil inside the basket. Ensure the foil covers the entire basket from the base to the sides so that the melted fat or spills stay inside the foil.
- Next, add the marinated pork neck to the basket in a single layer and pour the extra marinade sauce on top.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 160°C (320°F).
- After 15 minutes, turn the pork meat over.
- Using a basting brush, glaze the pork meat with honey.
- Then, bake for another 10 minutes at 160°C (320°F).
- Once it's done, you can chop the meat into smaller pieces and serve it with rice or sides!
