Air Fryer Char Siu Pork (空气炸锅叉烧肉)

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? To make the dish gluten-free, use a gluten free oyster sauce. Replace the Shaoxing wine with dry sherry, and use tamari to replace soy sauce.

Why air fryer char siu pork – I’ve made 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.

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 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.

Ingredients:
2 lbs pork shoulder, cut into 2” (5 cm) thick strips (or pork butt)
Marinade:
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp molasses
1 clove garlic , grated (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
¼ tsp five spice powder
¾ tsp salt
10 to 20 drops red food coloring (Optional) (Footnote 1)
Glaze:
3 Tbsp maltose (or honey) (Footnote 2)

Instructions:
Marinating:
Slice the pork along the grain into strips that are about 1½” (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.

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