Make crispy, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly in the air fryer in next to no time! Crazy delicious yet super simple, this air fryer pork belly recipe is the quick and easy way to perfectly succulent, tender pork belly with the crispy crackling of your dreams.
Air frying is the easiest way to make mouthwatering pork belly
I’ve been raving to anyone who will listen about this recipe for cooking pork belly in the air fryer, and I think you’ll love it too! There’s no complex prep like some recipes (no pre-boiling or pressure cooking, no poking holes with a stick).
And the dry heat of the air fryer is brilliant when it comes to achieving that perfect balance of crispy, crackling skin and tender, juicy meat. Try it and you’ll understand why it’s become one of my favorite air fryer recipes of all time.
What do you need?
Pork belly
Choose a cut of pork belly around 3 cm / 1.2″ thick, with a firm smooth rind and white layers of fat between the meat. Try to find one with a consistent thickness so it will lie flat in the air fryer – this helps the skin to crisp up evenly.
When selecting pork belly (aka side pork) for air frying, opt for a fresh-cut slab if possible rather than the pre-packaged vacuum-sealed type. The sealed packaging often retains moisture, preventing the skin from crisping properly during cooking.
Note
If you have already purchased vac-sealed pork belly, you can still achieve perfect crispy crackling, but you will get the best results if you leave the pork uncovered in the fridge overnight so the skin can dry out.
Oil
A little oil is needed 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).
Salt
Salt is important for making the skin crispy and bubbly. It helps to draw moisture out of the skin to crisp it up, and reacts with the fat to create the perfectly bubbled texture to the crackling.
Optional other seasonings
You can add other seasonings to the pork for extra flavor if you like. I often add some black pepper, but you can add any pork seasoning you like. Try adding some garlic powder, brown sugar, chili powder, chipotle, or 5-spice powder and ginger.
Let’s cook this pork belly in the air fryer!
1
Score and salt.
Pat the pork belly dry, then carefully score the skin with a knife in a criss-cross pattern, with lines approximately ½ inch/ 1cm apart. Ensure you just score the skin, without cutting through to the meat.
Rub salt into the pork belly skin, and set aside for 10-20 minutes. Pat dry again with a paper towel to remove any surface moisture that appears.
2
Season and wrap.
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, pepper, and any other seasonings you want to add.
Place the pork belly on a large piece of kitchen foil skin side up, and wrap the sides up to form an open container that fits the pork belly snuggly, leaving the skin exposed. Fold the corners tightly to seal them – this keeps the juices close to the pork while it cooks.
3
Air fry.
Preheat the air fryer 320°F/ 160°C, then place the wrapped pork belly in the air fryer basket. Air fry the pork belly at 320°F/160°C for 30 minutes.
4
Crisp the pork belly.
Finally, turn the temperature up to 390°F/ 195°C, and air fry the pork belly for an additional 10 minutes or until the crackling is crispy. See section below for more details on cooking times.
How long to cook pork belly in the air fryer?
Cooking times will vary depending on the size of the pork belly and how powerful your air fryer is.
Pork belly is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F/ 74°C, however, for succulent fall-apart-tender pork belly, it needs to be cooked to a much higher internal temperature of around 195-200°F/ 90-95°C.
Use an instant-read meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature towards the end of the cooking time to get it just right.
Serving ideas
- Serve slices of roasted pork belly with dipping sauces on the side. Try hoisin sauce, sriracha mayo, plum sauce, bbq sauce, or sweet soy sauce for dipping.
- Pile slices into slider buns with quick pickles and shredded vegetables for tasty pork belly sliders.
- Serve roasted pork belly slices with soy sauce, greens, and rice for an Asian-inspired meal.
- Make roasted pork belly tacos with slaw, sliced onions, cilantro, and lime wedges.
Tip
To slice the roasted pork belly without shattering the crispy skin, turn it upside down on a chopping board and cut through with a sharp knife.
Crispy Air Fryer Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 2 lb / 900 g pork belly
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt (divided)
- 2 teaspoon other seasonings (optional)
Directions
- Score rind of the pork belly with a sharp knife. Only cut through into the fat, not into the meat.
- Rub 1 teaspoon of salt into skin, ensuring it goes into the scores. Set aside for ten minutes, then blot any moisture from pork belly surface with paper towels.
- Drizzle pork belly with oil and rub in. Flip pork belly skin side down and season with remaining salt (plus any other seasonings you want).
- Place pork belly skin side up on a large piece of kitchen foil, and wrap sides of the foil up to enclose the meat, leaving the skin uncovered. Fold corners tightly together so it does not leak during cooking.
- Preheat air fryer to 320°F/ 160°C. Place pork belly in air fryer basket, try to ensure it is sitting flat.
- Air fry pork belly at 320°F/ 160°C for 30 minutes. Then, turn the temperature up to 400°F/ 200°C, and air fry pork belly for an additional 5-10 minutes until the skin is crispy and bubbled [Note 1].
- Slice pork belly to serve [Note 2].
Notes
- Air frying times are an estimate only. The target internal temperature of the pork is 195°F / 90°C. Pork needs to be at least 145°F/ 65°C for safe consumption. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.
- For clean slices, place cooked pork belly skin side down in a chopping board, before slicing through with a sharp knife.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and provided for informational purposes only.
