Get ready to have your taste buds blown away with this air fryer pork belly recipe! It’s the quickest and easiest way to perfectly succulent, tender pork belly. And let’s not forget about the pork crackling of your dreams – it’s all here in one delicious dish!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Pork belly is one of the most delicious cuts of meat you can cook with your air fryer. This is because it can be slow-cooked in its own fat to create deliciously crispy skin and succulent meat on the inside.
Cooking pork belly doesn’t need to be complicated. You can get perfectly roasted crispy pork belly by simply cooking it in your air fryer.
There is no need to boil it first, no need to pressure cook in an Instant Pot, or dry it out overnight, no poking holes with a stick, no deep frying.
This really is the quick and easy crispy pork belly recipe you have been looking for!
Air frying is a great way to cook pork, especially if you like really crunchy cracking. Try this air fryer pork roast, air fryer pork chops, air fryer pork tenderloin, and air fryer pork steaks.
What do you need?
Pork belly
Choose the best quality cut you can afford. Get one that is a nice healthy pink color, and has a white layer of fat, and a firm pork rind on top.
Seasoning
The recipe below just uses salt and pepper for seasoning. I like to roast the pork belly unflavored, and then use the sauce to add flavor once it is cooked.
If you prefer you can add some other seasoning before cooking. Try a simple spice mix of garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, black pepper, and salt. Or add some Chinese five-spice for an Asian-inspired crispy pork belly.
Oil
This is required to get the pork belly as crispy as possible. The recipe below calls for light olive oil, but you could substitute another cooking oil with a high smoke point (avoid extra virgin olive oil for cooking in an air fryer).
Tip : When air frying, choose a cooking oil with a high smoke point to reduce the chance of your air fryer smoking.
How to cook pork belly in the air fryer
Step 1: Prepare raw pork belly
To get really crispy roast pork belly, you need to prepare it properly to remove some of the moisture from the skin, and so that the fat and moisture can run out of it during cooking.
This will ensure that the top layer turns into that perfect crispy crackling that we all want.
Score the rind with a knife in a criss-cross pattern, with lines approximately ½ inch/ 1cm apart. You need to be careful just to score the skin, and not cut through to the meat.
Then, rub salt into the pork belly skin, and set aside for 10-20 minutes. You will notice that moisture appears on the surface of the rind. Blot this off with a paper towel to get the pork skin as dry as possible.
Step 2: Season the pork belly
Drizzle oil over the pork belly and rub the oil into the scores in the skin, and all over the meat.
Flip the pork belly over and season the underside with salt and pepper, and any other spices you want to add.
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