Chinese BBQ Pork also known as Char Siu Pork is a sweet, sticky, tender and moist meat recipe that is so quick and easy to make in the Air Fryer. It is added to many recipes such as soups, sandwiches, stir fry or served as a main protein with fried rice and vegetables.
Using an Air Fryer to prepare this meat keeps it juicy and takes much less time to cook than in an oven. Chinese BBQ pork, also known as Char Siu, is one of my most favorite meat dishes to eat. I always ordered it whenever I had Chinese Food. It is a very versatile meat dish that goes well in many recipes.
Chinese BBQ Pork is fantastic in Asian soups such as Wor Wonton Soup and Hot and Sour Soup. It can be added to any noodle soup or dish as well. One of my favorite recipes that I include it in is my Pancit recipe. It gives the noodle dish great taste and color. It is common in South Asia to serve BBQ Pork (Char Siu) with rice.
Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu) is a recipe that is from the Cantonese Cuisine. The region it originated in is Guangdong, China. This province is in South China and is highly populated.
Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu) was usually prepared in markets stalls that had access to barbeque ovens and pits. It was skewered onto long forks and roasted over the fire. Most residents during the early years didn’t have an oven at home and relied on these market vendors to provide them with roasted meat dishes. They would display the cooked meat hanging on hooks for the customers to see. Asian grocers are still selling roasted meats in the same manor in their deli. You can get Chinese BBQ pork, Duck, Chicken, Asian sausages. They are displayed hanging as they did in the past in a glass warming case and you can choose which one you want.
Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu) is also known in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is known by different names and is usually served with rice. This dish made its way to North America with early Asian settlers. It is a very popular dish in the Western world.
The north American version of this dish uses red food coloring to get that perfect color. My recipe also uses red food coloring. There are alternative ingredients to use such as Red Bean Curd. I tried the red bean curd ingredients once before and found that it didn’t give me the red color that I was accustomed to. I prefer the red food coloring. It doesn’t alternate the flavor in anyway as food coloring doesn’t have a flavor to it.
I don’t season my pork from scratch. I cheat and buy Char Siu sauce from the Asian Grocers. It is easy to find in the sauce aisle. The jar sauce also aids in the red color. All the ingredients you need are in the jar version and the Char Siu sauce can also be used on other meats such as chicken. I do add garlic and onion powder and salt and pepper. Just to give it my special touch.
I always use Pork Butt, also known as Pork shoulder. I buy a Pork Butt roast from the butcher at the Asian grocers. Once I get it home, I cut it into 2 rectangular shapes. I use one and freeze the other for another day. You can use pork tenderloin as well, but it doesn’t have much fat marbling in it. Pork butt has great fat marbling throughout and that fat gives the meat great flavor and juiciness.’
This recipe doesn't have a lot of ingredients. Gather all your ingredients so that you don't have to look around while you are preparing your meat.
Cover the meat all over with the red food coloring or Red Bean Curd. Ensure all the meat and fat are covered
You can make this recipe with just the Char Siu sauce, but I prefer to add a little touch of garlic and onion powder, along with salt and pepper.
Cover all areas of the pork roast with the Char Siu sauce. This sauce is sticky so I use a oiled back of spoon to help spread it evenly.
After you season the roast with seasonings and char siu sauce it is time to marinate the meat in a Ziploc bag. You can marinate overnight or for just a few hours. I prefer overnight as it allows the flavor and red food coloring to be absorbed into the meat well.
Spray oil on your Air fryer rack and place in meat. Set Air Fryer temperature to 390 degrees. Air Fry for 20 mins.
The meat will cook evenly if you flip it. Once the meat is flipped, brush more char siu sauce onto the meat and set temperature to 390 degree and cook for another 20 minutes.
I continued to add more char siu sauce as it cooks. I definitely add it at the end of the 40 minute cooking time. Brush more sauce on and air fry for additional 2 minutes. This will give you that extra crispy char that adds great flavor and texture to the pork.
Allow the pork to rest for about 20 minutes before slicing. Slice thinly and serve.
Servings 4
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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