Is there anything better than a simple plate of rice and char siu?
Chinese BBQ is a weird and wonderful thing. Like the European community bakeries, its origins date back to ancient times when Chinese villages could only maintain one central oven capable of making slow-roasted meat. It would be a master BBQ and there would be whole pig carcasses, ducks and always, sweet, smoky char siu hanging in their window.
Making char siu at home is not difficult, and there are many recipes online, but most of these recipes are oven-based. However, in my opinion, an air blower is a million times better. It heats up faster; air circulation gives you a better carbon; and the inside is perfectly cooked in a tenth of the time.
What is char siu?
Char siu, if you’ve never had it, is Chinese BBQ pork. It’s slightly sweet, smoky and smooth, but strong. You’ll often see small bits of it in restaurant fried rice, but if it’s done right, it’s best served thickly sliced over plain rice and some stir-fried vegetables.
How to make a char siu air fryer
- Cut the pork. Because we are doing this in an air blower, the surface is your friend. Plus, more carbon equals more flavor.
- Make the marinade. Only 5 ingredients, plus a few options.
- marinate overnight. You can go up to 30 minutes, but longer is better.
- Fry in the air to perfection: 8 minutes at 375º is what I did.
- Enjoy on fluffy white rice with some fresh greens, or use in a recipe of your choice (more below).
Is this better than baked?
This recipe is based on our standard char siu recipe, but replaces the oven with an air fryer, and honestly, I’ll probably never go back to a conventional oven again unless I somehow need a giant batch. Hey, it could happen.
I also replaced the standard pork shoulder with a 1.5-inch thick, well-marbled cut. It was much easier to find in the store than a pork shoulder. Moreover, it comes out juicy, sweet and delicious, just like Chinese BBQ should be. Like Steph with her baking, sometimes a small batch is the way to go, although for how delicious this is, you may want to save the marinade and make an easy second or third batch. It will go quickly.
What to do with char siu
Recipe for Air Fryer Char Siu
It serves 1
- 1 £ thick cut pork chop
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon I am willow
- 2 carnation garlic torn apart
- 1 INCHES ginger slices
- 2 SPOON shaoxing wine optionally
- 1/2 SPOON Chinese five spice powder optionally
- 1/4 SPOON ground white pepper optionally
Feel free to refrigerate the marinade to use again within 24 hours, or let it simmer for 1-2 minutes to use as a sauce or glaze for an extra-rich char siu.
