Honey Glazed Char Siu Pork Belly
Elevate your home cooking with this air-fried honey glazed char siu. Featuring a deeply flavorful, savory-sweet marinade, this succulent pork belly achieves a professional-grade glossy red finish with ease.
Char siu, or Chinese BBQ pork, is a beloved classic known for its signature red hue and perfect balance of sweet and savory notes. By utilizing the modern convenience of an air fryer, this recipe makes achieving that authentic, caramelized finish accessible for any home cook. The combination of fermented bean curd, hoisin, and a final brush of honey ensures every bite is tender, juicy, and packed with traditional flavor.
Ingredients
- 500 g pork belly
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 0.5 tsp MSG
- 1 tsp thirteen-spice powder
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp char siu sauce
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp fermented bean curd sauce
- 1 tsp peanut sauce
- 1 tsp sesame sauce
- 1 tbsp yellow wine
- 1 tbsp honey
Instructions
- 1Slice the pork belly
Place 500g of pork belly on a cutting board and slice it into long, uniform strips. Maintaining a consistent thickness across all strips is crucial for ensuring they cook evenly and absorb the marinade flavors perfectly.
Tip: Keep the strips about 2-3 cm thick for the best texture when air-fried. - 2Prepare the marinade
In a stainless steel bowl, combine white sugar, MSG, thirteen-spice powder, soy sauce, char siu sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, fermented bean curd sauce, peanut sauce, sesame sauce, and yellow wine. Mix all these ingredients thoroughly until you have a smooth, well-blended sauce.
Tip: The combination of these diverse sauces creates the signature deep, savory-sweet profile of the dish. - 3Marinate the pork
Pour the prepared marinade over the sliced pork belly strips in the bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly coat every piece of meat with the sauce, ensuring even coverage for deep flavor absorption. Seal the bowl and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes.
Tip: Massage the marinade into the pork for a few minutes to help the flavors penetrate deeper. - 4Arrange in the air fryer
Preheat your air fryer for 5 minutes. Line the basket with a sheet of aluminum foil, then arrange the marinated pork belly strips flat inside in a single layer. Ensure they are spaced out slightly to allow for proper air circulation.
Tip: Using foil makes cleanup much easier and helps retain the juices. - 5Glaze and finish
After roasting each side of the pork for 10 minutes at 180°C, remove the basket and brush a layer of honey onto both sides of the pork strips. Return them to the air fryer for another 5 minutes to thicken the sauce and achieve a beautiful, glossy red finish.
Tip: Watch closely during the final 5 minutes so the honey glaze caramelizes without burning.
