An easy air fryer char siu pork recipe that takes no time to put together and yields a flavorful BBQ pork that has a glossy sticky glaze just like the one from the restaurant. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}
Char siu pork, or Cantonese BBQ pork, is a classic dish that’s so well loved. You’ll see it served as a cold cut on the classic Cantonese BBQ platter at a dim sum restaurant, packed into rich, juicy char siu buns, cooked into flavorful crispy char siu fried noodles, or accenting scrumptious char siu fried rice. Did you know this meat is actually super easy to make at home?
Why air fryer char siu pork
I’ve shared the oven roasted char siu pork in the past. But once I cooked the char siu pork in the air fryer, I could never go back! Because the air fryer char siu pork is:
- Very fast cooking. You only need 12 to 16 minutes to finish the cooking.
- The glaze cooks better. Thanks to the circulated hot air, the glaze sticks to the pork better, resulting in a restaurant-quality result.
- The pork remains more juicy and tender due to the short cooking time.
Ingredients
What cut to use for air fryer char siu pork
There are several approaches you can take for char siu pork depending on your preferences.
My favorite cut for air fryer char siu pork is pork shoulder or butt. These two cuts have a perfect lean-fat ratio. The well marbled cuts keep juicy while not being overwhelmingly greasy, and the lean meat is quite flavorful.
If you prefer a fattier cut, pork belly is another popular choice. You will usually see it served at dim sum restaurants as an option for a richer mouthfeel.
If you prefer tender lean meat, pork loin or tenderloin can be used as well.
Ingredients for the marinade
Making char siu marinade is quite easy and the ingredients are easy to source. It’s important to get a good quality oyster sauce and hoisin sauce.
For the red color, traditional recipes use red yeast rice (红曲米) as a natural food coloring. I often opt for conventional red food coloring because it’s much more convenient. But if you prefer a more natural approach, you can purchase some red yeast rice, grind it into powder, and add it to the marinade.
What is maltose and why it’s important
Maltose (麦芽糖, mai ya tang) is a super thick syrup that’s commonly used in traditional Chinese cooking. It is the secret ingredient that gives the char siu its beautiful glossy look.
Maltose is made from rice and malt. At room temperature, it’s ten times thicker than your regular syrup. It won’t fall from the cup if you hold it upside down. It will become soft and sticky once heated up, but never runny. That’s why it gives the BBQ pork the best glaze that sticks to the surface.
These days you can easily get maltose on Amazon or at a Chinese market.
If you don’t want to use maltose, you can use honey to replace it. The coating will not stick as well but it will still end up delicious.
The perfect glaze
The air fryer char siu glaze is made with the marinade of the pork, maltose and a splash of water.
It’s very important to reserve some of the marinade for glaze once you’ve mixed it, before adding it to the pork. When the marinade is added to the pork, it will extract moisture from the meat and make the marinade watery. That watery marinade is not ideal for the glaze.
The very small amount of water matters a lot, because it creates a proper glaze that is not too runny. On the other hand, it keeps the glaze sugar ratio to the proper level, so the glaze will set properly before it burns.
How to cook air fryer char siu pork
How to cut the pork
It’s very important to cut the pork to the proper size for the best result. When you use pork shoulder or butt, you should cut it into smaller strips along the grain. So when the char siu is done cooking, you can then slice the pieces against the grain for the best texture.
I like to slice the pork into 1.5” (4 cm) thick pieces, which gives the pork just enough time to develop a nice layer of glaze while keeping the meat tender.
Cooking process
- The day before cooking, marinate the pork
- When you’re ready to cook, glaze the pork and air fry it
- The pork is ready to flip when the previous glaze has just set
- Brush the glaze on both sides and flip to cook the other side
- You will see the glaze start to get thicker after a few rounds
- At the end of the cooking, the glaze should be lightly charred on the edges and the meat cooked through
The whole cooking process takes about 12 to 16 minutes, depending on the type of air fryer you use. I use a Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven currently. It is quite powerful and it only takes me 12 minutes to cook the char siu. If you use a different air fryer, the cooking might take longer.
Storage tip
Air fryer char siu pork tastes the best the day you cook it. When you store the pork in the fridge, the glaze will start to lose its shine but the taste will remain good.
To always have freshly made air fryer char siu pork, I usually marinate the pork in smaller bags by dividing the marinade. I would cook one bag, and freeze the remaining bags. The next time I’m ready to cook, I simply thaw the bag with the pork in the marinade. Since the pork cooks so fast in the air fryer, it’s a really convenient way to enjoy freshly made char siu.
How to serve and use leftover air fryer char siu
There are so many ways to serve air fryer char siu!
- Serve it at room temperature or warm as an appetizer, just like at dim sum restaurants.
- Serve it over steamed rice with steamed vegetables drizzled with a bit of soy sauce. This is an easy lunch bowl you can put together in no time.
- Make char siu wonton noodle soup for a Cantonese restaurant experience.
If you have leftover char siu, here are some fun dishes you can make:
- Char Siu Chow Mein (叉烧炒面)
- Char Siu Bao (Steamed BBQ Pork Buns) 叉烧包
- Baked BBQ Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao)
- XO Fried Rice with Char Siu
- Singapore Noodles (星洲炒米粉)
Air Fryer Char Siu Pork (空气炸锅叉烧肉)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs (1 kg) pork shoulder , cut into 2” (5 cm) thick strips (or pork butt)
Marinade
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 clove garlic , grated (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1/4 teaspoon five spice powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 10 to 20 drops red food coloring (Optional) (Footnote 1)
Glaze
- 2 tablespoons maltose (or honey) (Footnote 2)
Instructions
Marinating
- Slice the pork along the grain into strips that are about 1.5” (4 cm) thick.
- In a large bowl combine the marinade ingredients. Stir to mix well. Transfer 3 tablespoons of the marinade to a small bowl and store in the fridge to use later to make the glaze.
- Transfer the pork to a large ziplock bag. Pour the rest of the marinade into the bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal the bag. Massage the bag a few times so the pork pieces are covered evenly with the sauce. Transfer to the fridge and marinate overnight (highly recommended), or for at least 6 hours.
Prepare the Glaze
- Microwave the maltose for 20 seconds or so, until the top loosens. Do NOT touch the maltose with your fingers. It will be very hot once heated. Grease your tablespoon with a thin layer of oil. Transfer 3 tablespoons of maltose into the 3 tablespoons of the marinade you reserved earlier, and 2 teaspoons of hot water (*Footnote 1). Stir to mix well. If the maltose is still very thick and hard to mix, you can microwave the glaze for 20 to 30 seconds and stir again.
Air frying
- Line the air fryer tray with parchment paper for easy cleaning. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C) for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the pork to the air fryer basket with space in between the pieces. Cook in batches if needed. Brush the pork with a thin layer of the glaze. Air fry at 400°F (200°C) for a total of 12 to 16 minutes. Flip the pork every 3 to 4 minutes (*Footnote 3), and brush both sides with glaze every time you flip. Once done cooking, the pork should have a nice shiny sticky glaze throughout, and some of the edges charred slightly. Repeat the cooking process with the rest of the pork. Transfer the cooked char siu to a plate to cool slightly before slicing.
- Serve the pork hot over rice or noodles as a main dish, or at room temperature as a cold appetizer.
Storage & other uses
- You can use leftover char siu to make char siu fried noodles, char siu fried rice, and char siu buns (baked buns or steamed buns).
- To store the char siu, place it in a sealed container or bag and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Use 10 drops of food coloring for a darker looking appearance. If you prefer a very red color, use 20 drops.
- If you use honey instead of maltose, skip the 2 teaspoons of water added to the glaze.
- The cooking time will depend on your air fryer. My air fryer is quite powerful and needs less time than many to cook the pork and set the glaze. So I flip and glaze the pork every 3 minutes. To judge when to flip the pork, the glaze you brushed earlier should be mostly set, sticky, and not runny.
?Has anyone tried this in a convection toaster oven?? Please reply on timing, outcome, suggestions, etc.
Hi Maggie! Would this recipe work with chicken thighs?
The recipe definitely works with chicken thighs! If you use boneless, the cooking should be the same. If using bone-in, you might need additional 3 to 5 minutes of cooking depending on the size of the thighs. If cooking longer time and the glaze starts to char too fast, lower the cooking temperature to 350F and cook until juice runs clear.
I love char si and this recipe looks great but I’m wondering how this recipe will work in a wood smoker? I guess I really know until I try it right?
I’m not familiar with cooking in a smoker. My only concern is that the glaze won’t stay properly since the cooking temperature will be lower. If you decide to try it out, I’d love to hear your result 🙂
Excellent recipe and love how you made it so simple to follow! Made this tonite and it turned out really well! The marinade is delicious. I’ve tried other char siu recipes before but this one will now be on repeat! Thank you so much ! Love your cooking blog!
In the video the meat is in the air fryer basket, but it looks like it might be sitting in another pan or try that’s lined with parchment. Does the meat need to be placed in the air fryer basket or would the air fryer roasting tray/pan work as well? Thank you so much for posting these recipes, I follow you on IG!
You can directly put the char siu in the roasting pan. I used the basket on top of parchment paper lined tray, and it roast the meat slightly more evenly. But I’ve done both ways and they all work.
To what temperature should the pork be cooked?
You should set the air fryer at 400°F (200°C) . Preheat for 10 minutes before start cooking.
Is the molasses necessary or is it okay to skip it? It’s the one ingredient I don’t have.
It is OK to skip it.
Hello Maggie, If I uuse the red yeast rice and grind it how much power to use and when to add it in the recipe. Thank you
You can use 2 teaspoon red yeast rice and add it along with the rest of the marinade.
I’ve read a lot about the nasty toxins often found in red yeast rice (not surprised!). What’s your opinion? I think I’ll stick to food coloring lol!
I actually have not heard about the toxins from red yeast rice. Since the food coloring in this one is not much, I wouldn’t mind using it.