Air Fryer Char Siu Wellington. East meets West in one bite. Here’s a recipe for a classic Cantonese-style dish. No food coloring is used and can be done in an air fryer!
I am very excited that the National Pork Board asked me to share a recipe for a comforting, flavorful meal. Growing up in an Asian family, pork is part of our diet and it is a prominent ingredient in Chinese cuisine. It is an affordable and versatile protein for many occasions. My favorite pork recipes include Mom’s famous meatballs (Hakka style, yo!), braised pork, pork and cabbage potstickers, and Crockpot caramelized pork noodle soup, which is perfect for Fall. You can also visit pork.org for more pork cooking ideas and inspiration!
Today’s recipe is slightly different since it can be served 2 ways. Char siu or upgrade it to char siu Wellington. And both are done in an air fryer. And oh, this dish is also perfect for Thanksgiving. I KNOW!
When it comes to Thanksgiving, there are two types: the type who keeps it wowzer and festive, and the type who keeps it simple. By now, you probably know which type I am. I mean, I don’t even know how to make a beautifully roasted whole turkey. I have a feeling that so many of us are twinning on this issue. Hence, this air fryer char siu Wellington is perfect if you have a small-ish Thanksgiving gathering or any special occasion like a date night.
What is char siu
Char siu is a type of Cantonese roast meat. In this case, pork is marinated in a sweet BBQ sauce and then roasted. Char siu is typically consumed with starch and often eaten with rice, noodle dishes, or filling for buns. In addition, I’ve also seen it in banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) and it’s DELICIOUS!
Best pork for char siu
It can vary, but a few main cuts are common, from lean boneless pork loin to pork shoulder/pork butt. Here are the most popular options when choosing a cut of pork for char siu:
- Pork belly is the juiciest cut; however, not everyone appreciates this part
- Pork shoulder is a versatile cut, so it is easier to cook with and needs a longer cook time to make the meat juicy
- Pork loin or tenderloin is much leaner which tends to cook faster but gets dry if you cook it too long. You need to pay more attention to overcooking!
Air Fryer Char Siu Wellington
Air fryer char siu tastes surprisingly as good as a store-bought version. So, you can skip the line and carry a box of char siu when you go to Chinatown. Air fryer char siu is easy and way easier than the oven method, but still keeps the meat juicy and tender with a caramelized finish.
Also note, this char siu recipe doesn’t use any colorings since it will be wrapped in a puff pastry. Authentic char siu gets the red color from fermented red bean curds which you can get in Asian grocery stores.
The ingredients
Making char siu is easy; however, it takes patience to let the pork infuse with flavors. So, here’s what you need:
- Pork. The best pork for Char Siu is pork shoulder or pork butt, and find a piece with some good fat on it
- Chinese five-spice powder. This plays an important role in this recipe. You can get a store-bought blend in any grocery store
- Soy sauce. I use light soy sauce. If you don’t have this available, just add more water to regular soy sauce
- Hoisin sauce. It has distinctive sweet, savory flavors; however, you can also replace this with oyster sauce
- Shaoxing rice wine
- Honey, sugar. Char siu has a combination flavor of sweet and savory; hence, brown sugar and honey will add a nice caramel flavor
- Puff pastry. You can make your own pastry, but store-bought puff pastry is much more convenient
- Mushrooms. I use shiitake mushrooms, which takes it to the next level
- Shallot for extra flavor
- Prosciutto as a barrier for moisture, like having an umbrella insurance
- Egg to add a glossy final touch and act as a glue
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How to make char siu Wellington
- Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the marinade and set it aside. Rub the pork with the rest of the marinade in a Ziploc bag. Close it and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours. The pork can also stay marinated longer for 2 days. Make sure they are evenly coated with the marinade
- Preheat the air fryer to 400F
- Baste the top of pork with the reserved marinade. Spray some cooking oil on the pork, then air fry at 400°F for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, flip the pork over and repeat this step. (Note that you may need to adjust the time based on the size and thickness of your pork. You may remove your basket after 5 minutes on each side to test the doneness of the pork and avoid overcooking.)
- Baste the top of each pork with 1-2 tsp of honey then air fry at 400°F for 2 minutes. Flip the pork over and repeat this step
- Remove char siu from the basket immediately and allow it to rest for a few minutes! At this point, you can enjoy char siu over rice or noodles
- Meanwhile, make duxelles: In a food processor, pulse mushrooms and shallots until finely chopped.
- To the skillet, add butter and melt over medium heat. Add mushroom mixture and cook for 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then let it cool
- Place plastic wrap down on a work surface. Make sure it’s large enough to cover the char siu. Lay overlapping strips of prosciutto on the plastic that’s big enough to cover the whole char siu. Spread a layer of the mushrooms evenly and thinly over the prosciutto, then place the char siu. Roll char siu into the prosciutto-mushroom mixture with plastic wrap and tuck ends. Tie the ends of the plastic wrap together to hold the shape. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes
- Place a new layer of plastic wrap on the work surface and lay a sheet of puff pastry and roll it into a rectangle that will cover the char siu. Unwrap the char siu onto the puff pastry, then tightly roll, wrapping until the ends meet. Cut off any extra puff pastry. Chill it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°F
- Place the wrapped Wellington in the air fryer tray. Brush the surface with egg yolk. Score the surface of the chilled Wellington to allow steam to escape from the pastry during cooking
- Cook in the air fryer for 30 minutes or until the puff pastry is a dark golden brown. Remove, and leave it to rest for 10 minutes before serving
- To make the gravy: melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute
- Slowly whisk in the stock until smooth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, whisking, until smooth and thick, about 1 minute. Add salt to taste. Remove from heat and serve over char siu Wellington
Tips in making char siu Wellington
- Don’t trim any excess fat as it will render off and add flavor
- Avoid having the meat too thick or it will need extra cooking time and leave the meat too dry. Hence, whatever cut you choose, cut it into 2 cm thick or 3/4 inch pieces
- One of the most important elements to cooking delicious pork is endpoint cooking temperature, and it depends on the cut you choose. If you’re unsure about it, invest in a meat thermometer to properly cook pork. Check pork.org for more pork cooking techniques
Storing
Char siu will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Now that you know how to cook pork properly, it is time to try this air fryer char siu Wellington recipe! No need to go to Chinatown to buy this anymore. And be sure to visit pork.org for more pork cooking ideas and inspiration!
Air Fryer Char Siu Wellington
Ingredients
- 2.5-3 pound pork shoulder or pork butt
Marinade
- 1½ tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
- 3 cloves garlic smashed or chopped
Duxelles
- 2 large shallots
- ¼ pound shiitake mushrooms soaked in hot water and stems removed
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Salt
- Pepper
Assembly
- 1 sheet (17.3 oz. package) frozen puff pastry thawed
- 8 ounces prosciutto slices
- 1 large egg yolk
- Salt
Gravy
- 2 cups mushroom chicken broth
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons unssalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Salt
Instructions
Air Fryer Char Siu
- Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the marinade and set it aside. Rub the pork with the rest of the marinade in a Ziploc bag. Close it and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours. The pork can also stay marinated longer for 2 days. Make sure they are evenly coated with the marinade
- Preheat the air fryer to 400F
- Baste the top of pork with the reserved marinade. Spray some cooking oil on the pork, then air fry at 400°F for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, flip the pork over and repeat this step. (Note that you may need to adjust the time based on the size and thickness of your pork. You may remove your basket after 5 minutes on each side to test the doneness of the pork and avoid overcooking.)
- Baste the top of each pork with 1-2 tsp of honey then air fry at 400°F for 2 minutes. Flip the pork over and repeat this step.
- Remove char siu from the basket immediately and allow it to rest for a few minutes! At this point, you can enjoy char siu over rice or noodles.
Duxelles
- In a food processor, pulse mushrooms and shallots until finely chopped
- To the skillet, add butter and melt over medium heat. Add mushroommixture and cook for 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then let it cool
Assembly
- Place plastic wrap down on a work surface, make sure it’s large enoughto cover the char siu. Lay overlapping strips of prosciutto on the plasticthat’s big enough to cover the whole char siu. Spread a layer of the mushroomsevenly and thinly over the prosciutto, then place the char siu. Roll char siu into the prosciutto-mushroom mixture with plastic wrap and tuck ends. Tie theends of the plastic wrap together to hold the shape. Place in the refrigeratorfor 15 minutes
- Place a new layer of plastic wrap on the work surface and lay a sheet ofpuff pastry and roll it into a rectangle that will cover the char siu. Unwrapthe char siu onto the puff pastry, then tightly roll, wrapping until the endsmeet. Cut off any extra puff pastry. Chill it in the refrigerator for 15minutes
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°F
- Place the wrapped Wellington in the air fryer tray. Brush the surface with egg yolk. Score the surface of the chilled Wellington to allow steam to escape from the pastry during cooking
- Cook in the air fryer for 30 minutes or until the puff pastry is a darkgolden brown. Remove, and leave it to rest for 10 minutes before serving
Gravy
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour andcook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the stock until smooth and bring to a boil.Reduce to a simmer and cook, whisking, until smooth and thick, about 1 minute.Add salt to taste. Remove from heat and serve over char siu Wellington
Kayla DiMaggio says
Wellingtons are so fun to make! I loved all the flavors of this one!
Audrey says
I loved all the flavors in this recipe so good!
Allyssa says
Highly recommended! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious!
Patti@PattyCakesPantry says
This is a very interesting recipe. I can almost taste the char siu while reading the recipe. It’s amazing, and wrapping it in puff pastry is genius. What a great fusion dish! Thanks for sharing.
Colleen says
This wellington is simple but spectacular. And the flavors are amazing!
Gwynn says
This recipe is so delicious and I love that I can make it in my air fryer!
silvia says
On days like today, I wish I had an air fryer. However, I read your recipe and I want to make it so badly! The combination of ingredients is so delicious. Could I make it in the oven? If the answer is yes, how long should I bake it? Thanks
Jessica says
As a lover of pork this recipe did not let me down. The meat is so juicy and well flavored. I’ll be making it again to bring in the new year.
LaKita says
This flavor combination is so flavorful, perfect, and amazing! Such an incredibly new and creative way to make wellington!
Moop Brown says
I’m always looking for more air fryer recipes to try and I love how flavorful and tasty this Wellington looks.