Air Fryer Pork Belly

pork belly with crispy skin on a board, with slices of pork.

5 from 1 vote

Use your air fryer to make perfectly cooked pork belly, with ultra crispy crackling and tender, juicy meat. Simple seasonings, a little oil and your air fryer are all you need for this easy recipe.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 40

Course: lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Australian

Servings:

Calories: 1065kcal

Author: Andrea Geddes

Ingredients

1.2 kilogram pork belly (skin on)
1 teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
1 teaspoon olive oil

Plus

⅓ cup coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Prepare the skin

With a small, sharp knife, score the pork belly skin at 1cm intervals, being careful to not cut into the meat layer.
Dry the skin overnight; Place the pork belly on a plate and pat the skin dry with paper towel. Leave the pork belly uncovered in the fridge overnight (or at least 4-6 hours), to dry out the skin.

To cook;

Meat side; rub the salt (one teaspoon), pepper, Chinese 5 spice and 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the meat of the pork belly (bottom and sides), being careful not to touch the skin.
Leave the pork belly slab whole, where possible. If it won't fit into your air fryer comfortably as a whole piece, cut the pork belly in half.

Make a foil "tray"

Place the pork belly on a large piece of foil and use the foil to create a tray/boat by folding the foil up the sides of the meat. Make the sides of the tray extend 1 cm higher than the meat, to hold the salt and stop it from spilling over the sides. The skin should be left exposed and not covered by any foil.
** If you have cut the pork belly into two smaller pieces to fit your air fryer tray, wrap the pieces separately.
Cover the skin completely with the coarse salt.
Air fry at 120°C (248℉) for 30 minutes, or until the salt forms a dry, white crust.
Carefully remove the salt from the pork belly skin, brushing off any excess. Pat the skin dry with a paper towel and brush with the olive oil.
Turn the heat up to 200°C (392℉) and air fry for a further 40 minutes, or until the skin is puffed, golden and crisp.
Place the pork belly on a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve hot, with your choice of sides.

Notes

Adjust to suit your air fryer. If your air fryer is on the smaller side, the pork belly can be cut into two pieces, with each piece being wrapped in a single foil tray.
Dry the pork in the fridge overnight for extra-crispy skin. Place the pork on a plate, uncovered, in the fridge for 1-2 days to dry the skin out. Drying the skin helps the salt stick to the surface and gives you crispier results.
Use a sharp knife to score the top layer of the skin. This helps the fat to render out while the skin is crisping. Be careful not to cut too far through the skin.
The safe internal temperature of pork is 63°C/145 F. To check this, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest park of the meat.
Let the pork belly rest before slicing. Resting allows the meat to relax and reabsorb some of the moisture.
Use dried herbs. If you don’t have any Chinese 5 spice, you can use a mixture of different herbs and spices like rosemary, oregano, thyme or your favourite roast meat seasoning.
Storage; Cool any leftover pork belly and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Freezing; Allow the pork belly to cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and place into an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Please note that the nutrition information is based on the pork belly being divided into six serves. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings or sides served with the pork belly.
This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.

Nutrition