The Air Fryer Char Siu My Dad's Made 100,000 Times
Why this recipe
Most air fryer char siu recipes online are tested only a handful of times. My dad used to make this dish multiple times a day, every day, for 50 years and can make this in his sleep.
I know you'll love it as much as our community does! This recipe has over 326.6K views, 7.4K likes on YouTube.
Cantonese Char Siu is one of my dad's most popular and beloved recipes. Here, we're giving it a remix by taking the classic Chinese barbecue dish and cooking it in a modern-day appliance: the air fryer. My dad will walk you through all the steps needed to reproduce the succulent, sweet and savory pork in a fraction of the time for maximum efficiency.
On air fryers
An air fryer is essentially a small countertop convection oven. It has a fan that circulates hot air all around the food, which cooks it quickly and evenly. It also creates a dry environment for better browning. Most air fryers are outfitted with a fan at the top, which air fryer fans say produces the crispiest food. To learn more about this small appliance, check out Chris Young's Instagram video.
My dad loves the air fryer for its convenience and speed for cooking dishes like his Chinese-Style Baked Cod and also recommends using it to reheat crispy foods such as Salt & Pepper Wings and Lemon Chicken.
Ingredients
Instructions
Prep marinade
In a small bowl, combine the ground bean sauce (2 tablespoon), hoisin sauce (2 tablespoon), red fermented bean curd (1 piece), Shaoxing wine (1 tablespoon), red wine (1 tablespoon), garlic salt (2 teaspoon), sugar (2 tablespoon), black pepper (0.50 teaspoon), and five spice powder (0.50 teaspoon).
Crush the piece of red fermented bean curd and mix everything together until smooth.
Taste and adjust flavor as needed.
Marinate pork
Cut the pork butt (1.5 lb) into thin pieces, going with the grain, then slice into a length that fits your air fryer tray, if needed.
Use a fork to poke holes into both sides of the pork.
Place the pork in a zip-top bag, then pour in the marinade.
Using your hands on the outside of the bag, mix and massage the sauce into pork for about 1 minute.
Press out all of the air and seal the bag.
Set on plate and put it in fridge to marinate, at least 4 hours (and up to 24 hours).
Air fry pork
About 1 hour before cooking, take the pork out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
Use tongs to place the pork into air fryer tray, making sure to leave room between each piece.
Put the tray back into air fryer and cook 20 minutes at 385°F.
After 10 minutes of cooking, take out the tray. Brush the honey (1 tablespoon) on top of each piece of pork using a basting brush. Flip the meat and add it back into air fryer.
After 10 more minutes of cooking, take out the tray.
Brush the remaining honey (1 tablespoon) on the top of each piece of pork.
Add tray back into air fryer for 1 to 2 minutes to get a final char.
Remove tray & set pork aside, let rest for 10-20 minutes
Slice pork
Glaze the pork with honey again (optional). Let the meat rest 10 to 20 minutes.
Holding the char siu with a pair of tongs, cut pork into 1/2-inch thick slices. Only cut into slices if serving immediately.