Air Fryer Pork Belly
A scored slab of pork belly dried, salted and air fried for 40 minutes until the skin puffs into crackling and the meat is tender.
Photograph credit: Pork Belly 4 by lysinewf · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Flickr · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Does pork belly really need hours in the oven? Not in the air fryer. A 700 g slab cooks in 40 minutes, and the circulating air dries the rind quickly enough to puff it into crackling before the meat has time to turn tough.
The skin is everything. Pat it dry with kitchen paper, score it in a tight pattern with a sharp knife without cutting into the meat, and rub salt into the cuts. Leave the belly uncovered in the fridge for a few hours or overnight if you can. The drier the skin, the better it blisters.
Start at a lower heat, then raise it. Cooking at 160°C / 320°F for 30 minutes renders the fat and softens the meat, and a final 10 minutes at 200°C / 390°F puffs the skin into crackling. Going straight to a high heat burns the surface and leaves the middle chewy.
Rest the pork for 10 minutes, then cut it with a serrated knife, pressing down firmly to break through the rind. Serve with apple sauce to cut the richness.
Questions About Air Fryer Pork Belly
How long does Air Fryer Pork Belly take to make?
10 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking, plus 2 hours of Drying in the fridge, so allow 2 hours 50 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 4.
Air Fryer Pork Belly: Step by Step
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Pat the pork belly dry. Score the skin in lines 1 cm apart, cutting through the skin but not the meat.
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Rub the salt, fennel and pepper into the scores and over the meat. Leave uncovered in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
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Wipe off the excess salt and brush the skin with the olive oil. Heat the air fryer to 160°C / 320°F.
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Cook the pork skin side up for 30 minutes. Raise the temperature to 200°C / 392°F and cook for 10 minutes more until the crackling is blistered and golden.
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Rest for 10 minutes, cut into thick slices and serve with the apple sauce.
Tips That Matter
- Dry the skin well: damp skin will not crackle.
- Cut a piece off the edge to test: the meat should be soft.
- If the skin is not puffed, extend the high heat by 3 minutes.
Pairs Well With
Apple sauce · Roast potatoes · Red cabbage · Steamed greens
Leftovers and Storage
Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Reheat in the air fryer for 8 minutes at 180°C / 355°F.
Nutrition per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
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