Char Siu is the sticky, deep red pork you know from the windows of Cantonese butchers’ shops — tender inside, caramelised outside and soaked through with hoisin, soy and honey. Traditionally the meat hangs freely over glowing coals or in a blazing hot oven, and that is exactly why the air fryer works so well for this dish: the circulating hot air hits the meat from every side and gives you the dark, slightly charred edges that are the whole point of a proper Char Siu.
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The best thing about making it at home is how little work it takes. You mix the marinade, turn the meat in it and let the fridge do the rest. The cooking itself takes 24 minutes at 180 °C, and for the last few minutes you turn the air fryer up to 200 °C while the glaze gets a chance to set. The result tastes like takeaway in the best possible way — just without the red food colouring.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents:
Why I love Char Siu in the air fryer
Char Siu is all about the contrast between the sweet, almost lacquered surface and the juicy meat underneath. In an ordinary oven you usually need both the grill function and a fair bit of extra time to hit that balance, and even then the surface often ends up more dry than sticky. The air fryer solves it, because the small basket keeps the heat close to the meat and pulls the moisture off quickly enough for the sugar in the marinade to caramelise instead of boil.
On top of that, the portion size is a perfect fit. Char Siu is cut into long strips before it is cooked, and they sit neatly side by side in an air fryer basket. That way you brown every piece in one go — something that takes both a wire rack and several turns in an oven.
The difference between air fryer and oven
The difference comes down to the speed of the air. An air fryer moves hot air around the food far faster than an ordinary fan oven, so it browns both quicker and more evenly. In practice that means you can hold the temperature at 180 °C through most of the cooking and only turn it up to 200 °C when the glaze needs to set. It is also the reason you need to keep an eye on the last few minutes: honey goes from golden brown to burnt in no time.
My kitchen test of Char Siu
I have made Char Siu countless times in my Cosori Dual Blaze, and the recipe here is the version I settled on after quite a few adjustments. 180 °C is the point where the meat has time to heat all the way through without the surface drying out, and 24 minutes of cooking is spot on with a core temperature of 70 °C. I always measure in the thickest part of the piece — Char Siu should be cooked through, not pink.
The two hours of marinating, on the other hand, are non-negotiable. I have tested shorter times, and the difference is obvious: without the full 120 minutes the flavour sits only in the outer layer, and the meat tastes flat inside. With 20 minutes of preparation and 120 minutes of marinating the dish lands at 164 minutes in total, and you are really only standing in the kitchen for the first half hour.
Save the glaze for last. Brush the meat with the marinade only when you turn the air fryer up to 200 °C — that way the honey caramelises instead of burning onto the basket.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The mistake I see most often is glazing too early. The marinade contains both honey and hoisin, and the sugar will not take the whole roasting time — so only brush the meat when you turn the air fryer up to 200 °C at the end. The next one is impatience with the marinating: cut the 120 minutes down to half an hour and you get tasty pork, but not Char Siu. And then there is the basket. Pack all the pieces in on top of each other and the meat steams instead of browning, and you are left with a pale surface. Lay the pieces out with space between them, and roast in two batches rather than in one overcrowded basket.
How to serve Char Siu
Char Siu can carry a meal on its own or be part of a spread of smaller dishes. These are the combinations I keep coming back to:
- Steamed jasmine rice and stir-fried pak choi with garlic
- Soft bao buns with cucumber strips and spring onions
- Noodle soup with a clear broth, with the meat laid on top at the end
- Fried rice with egg, peas and a splash of sesame oil
- A quick cucumber salad with rice vinegar to cut through the sweetness
Storage and reheating
Char Siu keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days, and the flavour actually only gets deeper overnight. Cut the meat into slices only when you are ready to use it — whole pieces dry out more slowly. If it needs reheating, the air fryer gives the best result: give it a short time at a gentle heat until the surface is glossy again, rather than a long time at a high heat, which dries out the edges. The meat can also be frozen in portions and defrosted in the fridge the day before.
Char Siu is one of those dishes that looks far more complicated than it is. Once the marinade is mixed, the air fryer handles pretty much the rest on its own, and you are left with a result that tastes like the best of Cantonese street food.
FAQ
The cooking itself takes 24 minutes at 180 °C, with the last few minutes run at 200 °C while it is glazed. Add 20 minutes of preparation and 120 minutes of marinating, and the dish lands at 164 minutes in total.
Char Siu should be cooked through and hits 70 °C in the core. Measure in the thickest part of the piece with a meat thermometer — the surface can happily be dark and sticky, but the meat must not be raw inside.
Yes, and it only gets better for it. The 120 minutes are the minimum, while a night in the fridge gives a deeper flavour all the way through the meat. Take it out of the fridge a while before cooking so it is not ice cold when it goes into the basket.
Recipe
Char Siu in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Ingredients
Meat
- 800 g pork neck fillet (In one piece)
Marinade
- 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp dry sherry (Or Shaoxing rice wine)
- 2 clove garlic (Finely chopped)
- 1 tsp fresh ginger (Finely grated)
- 1 tsp Chinese five-spice
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 0.5 tsp salt
Glaze
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp water (Hot)
To serve
- 2 pcs spring onions (Thinly sliced on the diagonal)
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (Toasted)
How to make it
Preparation
- Cut 800 g pork neck fillet into 3-4 long strips about 5 cm thick. Even strips give you both even roasting and plenty of surface for the glaze.
- Mix 3 tbsp hoisin sauce, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp oyster sauce and 1 tbsp dry sherry in a mixing bowl. Stir in 2 clove garlic, 1 tsp fresh ginger, 1 tsp Chinese five-spice, 1 tsp sesame oil and 0.5 tsp salt until the marinade is smooth and dark.
- Turn the meat thoroughly in the marinade so that every side is coated. Cover the bowl and leave the meat to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours — ideally overnight if you have the time.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 180 °C fan.
- Let any excess marinade drip off the meat, then place the strips in the basket in a single layer with a little space between them. Roast them for 18 minutes at 180 °C, and turn the meat after 9 minutes.
- Mix 2 tbsp honey with 1 tsp water, and brush the meat on all sides. Turn the air fryer up to 200 °C and give the strips 6 minutes more — brush again after 3 minutes so the glaze caramelises without burning.
- Check the core temperature in the thickest strip with a meat thermometer — it should read 70 °C. If it is a little short, give the meat 2-3 minutes at a time at 200 °C.
Serving
- Leave the meat to rest for 5 minutes, then cut it into thin slices across the grain. Sprinkle with 2 pcs spring onions and 1 tsp sesame seeds, and serve straight away.
Our notes for the recipe
Cut the meat into strips rather than roasting it in one large piece. That gives you far more surface for the glaze and halves the roasting time. The honey glaze only goes on right at the end — if the sugar goes in too early, it burns before the meat is cooked through. Variation:
Pork neck can be swapped for pork tenderloin if you want a leaner version. Turn the time down to 12-14 minutes at 180 °C, and keep an eye on the core temperature so the meat does not dry out. Serving:
Serve with steamed rice and quick-pickled cucumber, or use the slices in bao buns, a noodle salad or a wrap for your packed lunch. Portion size:
If your air fryer is on the smaller side, you can cook the dish in two batches. The strips need to lie in a single layer to caramelise evenly.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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