Easy & Simple Air Fryer Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
Air Fryer Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork). Juicy tender pork cooked to perfection in a sweet sticky glaze with a bit of char. A popular meat dish in Cantonese cuisine that you can make in the air fryer. If you don't own an air fryer, check out my standard Char Siu recipe using a conventional oven by clicking here.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 16 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 lb pork butt (aka pork shoulder (or any cut with fat marbling through it))
- 2 tsp vegetable oil (or any neutral oil for spraying air fryer basket)
- ⅓ cup red fermented bean curd
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup regular soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or sub with Dry Sherry )
- 1 tsp Chinese five spice
- 3 tbsp Honey
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp red fermented bean curd
Instructions
- 1
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.
- 2
In a medium size bowl, combine Marinade ingredients and mix until smooth. You may need a fork to mash the fermented red bean curd.
- 3
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.
- 4
In a small bowl, combine Basting Glaze and mix well until smooth.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
Slice on a bias into 0.5 - 0.75 cm thick pieces. Enjoy!