Do you love Chinese BBQ Pork also known as Char Siu, Vietnamese Pork Chops also known as Sườn Nướng? Here is a great recipe where you can get a bit of both world! Using key ingredients from both Chinese BBQ and Vietnamese Pork Chops this recipe will satisfy any picky eaters. This Air Fryer Char Siu Pork Chops pairs well with rice and some fresh lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. Let’s check out this recipe!
Chinese BBQ Pork was the go-to take-out item my parents would pick up for dinner. It was on rare occasions but definitely a treat in our household. It has a sweet and savoury bite and the pork is tender. The Chinese BBQ Pork hanging on metal hooks lined up on a pole. They would be displayed in the front window for all to see when walking by the BBQ shop.
Vietnamese Pork Chops were introduced to me when I started dating my husband. His mom would also make this quite often whenever I would stay for dinner. This was especially nice when she would whip these up on her charcoal BBQ. I would see her using her make-shift fan made using an old cardboard box and she would fan the charcoal to create heat and smoke to infuse into the pork chop. This is still a favorite dish of mine and my children love this.
Here is my version of Chinese Char Sui Air Fryer Pork Chops.
What are Chinese BBQ Char Siu and Vietnamese Pork Chops?
Chinese BBQ Char Siu “fork roasted” hails from China and is popular in Hong Kong. Paired with rice or served on a bed of egg noodles chopped up and added to fried rice or used as filling in steamed buns (chasiu bao).
The visual characteristic of Char Siu is the glistening glaze covered all over the pork shoulder with its beautiful red colour. Often time on the edges there will be crispy burn parts. This was my favourite and I would have my hands in the takeout container looking for those little burnt edges to munch on. This is exactly what my girls fight over and I don’t blame them!
Vietnamese Pork Chops are generally cooked over a charcoal grill and give it that amazing smokiness from the charcoal. Similar to Chinese BBQ Char Siu it is covered in a liquid glaze which gives it that nice colour and glistening.
Why we love this Recipe
Chinese Char Sui and Vietnamese Pork Chops are my favorite pork dishes and I wanted to combine two beloved recipes to make an easy dinner recipe. Not only that this is made in the air fryer which is convenient and easy!
My kids love these Air Fryer Char Siu Pork Chops. When they are cooking in the air fryer they will run into the kitchen and ask in Cantonese “chu pa” which translates into pork steak. It is their absolute favorite dish. They eat it with no fuss and it takes only 15 minutes to cook in the air fryer.
This is definitely my go-to weeknight recipe that I make weekly or at least every other week. This is on my weekly rotation and my girls will always ask if we are making char sui pork chops.
Why make this?
The marinade combines flavours from two of my favourite dishes. You get the sweetness from the sugar and saltiness of soy sauce and the red colour from the Char Sui powder. Combine this with the lemongrass, shallots, garlic and fish sauce to really mix the flavours well.
It’s also an easy recipe to prepare in advance and marinade so that you can eat this multiple times during the week.
Why does this recipe work?
The recipe takes two popular marinade mixtures from Chinese and Vietnamese cuisines and mixes them together to really create a smoky juicy flavour bomb on tender pork chops.
This works also on charcoal BBQ but is equally tasty in the air fryer. Cooking this in the Air Fryer saves effort and time, but you will be missing the smokiness and the nice char on the edges.
Ingredients
Pork chops: I like to use pork chops for this recipe because the bone keeps the pork chops’ shape when you cook it in the air fryer. The I also love just how the air fryer adds the crispy burnt around the bone and it’s a nice flavour when you lick the bone. An alternative is to use pork shoulder and cut it thinly. Chinese BBQ pork uses this cut of pork and it also works very well.
Chinese BBQ powder: There are various different Chinese BBQ powders. You can find these at your local Asian supermarket. I’ve used NOH foods of Hawaii, Chinese BBQ Char Siu Seasoning Mix and works great too.
Korean BBQ marinade sauce: I like to use this as a quick go-to marinade sauce for a lot of my proteins. This recipe is no exception. I like to use O’Food Korean BBQ which has no MSG, corn syrup or preservatives.
Lemongrass: Use the frozen finely chopped lemongrass. It can be found at your local Asian supermarket in the freezer section. If you want to use the fresh lemon grass and finely chop it yourself that’s also an option.
How to serve?
Serve this with some white rice and some of your favorite vegetables. I serve this with boiled Chinese gailan or to make it easy some green leaf lettuce, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and some Vietnamese pickled carrots and daikon. Find my easy-to-make Do Chua recipe here.
This works great at parties as well if you have a BBQ and can throw them over the grill. It’s quick and tastes so good!
Equipment
Air fryer is highly recommended and it cooks within 15 minutes. I would open the air fryer and flip the pork chops after 7 minutes.
If you have time and a nice grill outside throw them on the grill for about 5-6 minutes per side or until fully cooked and there are some nice crispy edges.
Expert Tips
Brine and washing the pork chops are highly recommended. This is an optional step but I do notice that when I soak and brine the pork chops the meat has a clean taste. The salt denatures the meat’s protein and allows the meat to retain more moisture and helps keep the meat juicier and reduce chewiness.
Brining will also allow the meat to absorb some of the salt to give it more flavour.
Although this is extra work, I believe it’s worth it to brine meats before cooking.
Recipe FAQ
How to store
This recipe works best when you cook and eat it immediately. If you make extra, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume it within 3 days.If you marinade extra this is great to freeze and thaw to cook for later on. Store in airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months
Did you make this Air Fryer Char Siu Pork Chops recipe? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment below!
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Air Fryer Char Siu Pork Chops
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork chops
Marinade
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- ¼ cup Korean BBQ marinade
- 2 tbsp lemongrass frozen chopped
- 4 garlic finely chopped
- 3 tbso Char Siu powder or roasted pork seasoning
- 1 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Optional step – Soak the pork chop in a brine mixture for 20 minutes. Dry it with a paper towel or let it air dry in a metal colander/strainer for 30 minutes.
- Add shallot, fish sauce, sugar, light soy sauce, Korean bulgogi marinade, lemongrass, garlic, char siu powder and oil.
- Let it marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes. Set the air fryer to 375 degrees Single layer the pork chops into the air fryer and set it for 15 minutes. Flip at 7 minutes mark. Check to make sure the edges are browning. Depending on the model of your air fryer the timing may vary.
- Serve with a bowl of rice and salad.