Air Fryer Crispy Pork Belly
Serves: 4
Mouth-watering and delicious Chinese-style Crispy Pork Belly made in the air fryer! Try this easy recipe with step-by-step photos.
Ingredients
For the Crispy Pork Belly
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) pork belly, with rind
For the Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
For the Salt Bake
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) white vinegar
- 180 g (½ cup) fine salt
For the Final Roast
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) vegetable oil
Instructions
To Prepare the Rind
- Place the pork belly on a cutting board.
- Prick the rind to make small holes all over - the more, the better. A meat tenderiser with lots of small blades or needles is easiest for this job, but you can also use a sharp metal skewer.
To Season the Pork Belly
- Turn the pork belly over so that the meat is facing up.
- If you wish to cook the pork belly in two pieces, use a sharp knife to cut the pork belly in half lengthwise. Otherwise, you can leave the pork belly piece whole.
- In a small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the seasoning.
- Rub the seasoning all over the meat side of the pork belly, i.e. do not rub any seasoning onto the skin/rind.
To Prepare the Salt Bake
- Turn the pork belly over so that the skin is facing up again. If you have sliced the pork belly in half, re-arrange it so that it is in the original formation.
- Place the pork belly onto a large sheet of foil.
- Fold up the sides of the foil so that it forms a "box" around the pork belly, with the sides just slightly higher than the meat.
- Brush the skin with some vinegar.
- Generously sprinkle an even layer of salt all over the skin.
- Allow the pork belly to rest for about 5 minutes.
- Place a paper liner in the air fryer under the basket (optional).
- Carefully place the pork belly into the air fryer basket.
- Bake the pork belly at 120°C/248°F for 30 minutes. If you are using a regular oven, bake at 120°C/248°F with fan.
- After 30 minutes, the salt should have hardened into a thick crust. If there still remains a lot of grains of salt on the skin, continue baking at 5 minute intervals.
- You should be able to remove the salt crust in one large piece, or several large pieces.
- Use some kitchen paper to brush off any excess salt from the skin, as well as the sides of the meat.
- Remove and discard the foil lining.
To Roast the Pork Belly
- Return the pork belly to the air fryer basket.
- Bake at 200°C/392°F for 30-40 minutes, or until the crackling is golden to your liking. If you are using a regular oven, bake at 200°C/392°F with fan.
- Allow the pork belly to rest for about 15 minutes before slicing.
To Serve
- Turn the pork belly over so that the meat is facing up.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the meat. Once you reach the crackling, use both hands to push the knife down in one strong movement.
Kitchen Notes
- OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer’s handbook. - CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.