Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside – that’s what you get with pork belly cooked in an air fryer. With my no-fuss recipe, you can achieve this delicious and tender pork belly without needing oil, parboiling, or poking the meat.
The steps are easy to do, simply marinate the pork in my not-so-secret sauce and pop it in the air fryer. It’s that easy!
- What Is Pork Belly?
- Is Pork Belly Healthy?
- Why Air Fryer Is Great For Cooking Pork Belly
- How To Store And Reheat Pork Belly
- Essential Tips When Cooking Air Fryer Pork Belly
- Kitchen Items And Ingredients To Cook Pork Belly
- Steps To Make Air Fryer Pork Belly
What Is Pork Belly?
Pork belly is a part of a pig’s stomach or belly that is loved for its variety of uses and affordability. It is fatty and boneless with layers of fat. It is commonly used to make strips of bacon or cooked as a whole.
The taste of pork belly is typically salty and meaty that melts in your mouth. In this recipe, the pork belly is marinated in a delicious sauce made with scallion, ginger, cooking wine, oyster sauce, pepper powder, light soy sauce, sesame, and Barbecue rub. This sauce gives the pork belly’s lovely dark glaze and sweet and umami flavors.
Is Pork Belly Healthy?
Hold on. Before overindulging yourself with pork belly, I thought you should also know about its contents. For every 100g of pork belly, you get 9.34g of protein. This pork cut has a lower protein content since it is higher in fat than other pork meat.
Per 100g, you consume 53g of total lipid fat, 19.3g of saturated fatty acids, and 72mg of cholesterol. It generally does not contain carbohydrates or fiber. So, make sure to consume pork belly in moderate amounts only.
Why Air Fryer Is Great For Cooking Pork Belly
To achieve a crispy pork belly, we use an air fryer without the added work and minus the mess. What I love about an air fryer is that you don’t need to add oil anymore or keep checking the pan from time to time. Plus, the fat itself helps make it oily and juicy already.
All you have to do is marinate the pork belly and set the air fryer according to the recommended time and heat. You get soft meat with a crisp texture that does not dry out in the air fryer.
Although you can use an oven for this recipe, an air fryer is a better choice since it cooks faster and keeps all the grease and spills inside. Thus, cleaning up after is so much easier and faster.
How To Store And Reheat Pork Belly
You can marinate the pork belly in advance by storing it in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. If you have leftovers, make sure to keep them in a sealed container as well to prevent spoilage and the meat from absorbing odors from other foods in the fridge. Leftovers are still good for an additional three days.
When reheating leftovers, I suggest reheating them in the air fryer at 375°F for about five minutes. An air fryer for reheating is better than a microwave since it can give you a crispy texture. On the other hand, a microwave can do the job of reheating but won’t give you the crunch you are looking for since it will only make the pork belly soft and soggy.
To extend the shelf life longer, you can freeze the pork belly for one to two months. However, keep in mind that the longer it stays in the freezer, the more the quality deteriorates.
Essential Tips When Cooking Air Fryer Pork Belly
The success of this recipe relies on a variety of factors, from choosing the right pork belly to following the best cooking techniques. Moreover, if you need to substitute some ingredients, you have to make sure you select the most suitable one. Follow my tips and suggestions below when cooking pork belly in an air fryer.
- Choose the freshest meat at the supermarket. This can be bought in slabs or thin strips. The right pork belly should have a whitish pork fat, not gray or yellow. Moreover, try to pick the ones with an even thickness to have consistency throughout the skin and layers of fat.
- Clean the pork belly and remove the odor before marinating and cooking. If it has a bad smell, it may still be there even after cooking. To remove the bad smell, rub it in salt or vinegar and wash it thoroughly.
- You can use white pepper powder for an earthy and milder kick than black pepper. However, black pepper works fine for this recipe as well if you prefer a hotter taste.
- If you don’t have Barbecue rub, you can use Chinese five spice powder instead. It adds sweetness with a hint of licorice-like flavor. You can make your own Chinese five spice powder with my easy recipe.
- Not all air fryers are the same. You may have to adjust the temperature and time according to your desired texture. For my recipe, I baked the pork belly at 170°C (338°F) for 8 minutes on each side. You can follow the same temperature and minutes. However, if you think you need to increase or decrease the temperature or time, you may do so according to your discretion.
- This recipe creates just the right crispy texture. But if you want it even crispier, I recommend refrigerating it overnight on a single layer in a container. This will make the texture of the meat drier and crispier when air fried.
- Don’t forget to line the air fryer basket with parchment paper or foil for easier clean-up. If you don’t put parchment paper or foil, it will be a lot harder to clean the basket, especially when the sauce glaze sticks and hardens.
- In my recipe, I paired pork belly with slices of potatoes. You’ll have to cook the potatoes with the pork belly in the air fryer. I placed the potato slices first before placing the pork belly slices on top. To serve, eat the pork belly slices with lettuce wraps. If you don’t like lettuce, pork belly also goes well with rice.
Kitchen Items And Ingredients To Cook Pork Belly
Let’s get started with the recipe by preparing these items. You will need your basic kitchen items, such as foil for lining, a mixing bowl, a knife, and a chopping board. Fortunately, the ingredients are mostly pantry-friendly. The ingredients that may not be common in the pantry are cooking wine and Barbecue rub.
Kitchen Items
- Air fryer
- Parchment paper or foil
- Mixing bowl
- Knife
- Chopping board
- Plastic gloves for massaging the marinated meat
- Vegetable peeler
Ingredients
- 500g Pork belly
- 10g Scallion
- 10g Ginger
- 50ml Cooking wine
- 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp pepper powder
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp Barbecue rub (or Chinese five spice powder)
- 1 to 2 Potatoes
- Lettuce
Steps To Make Air Fryer Pork Belly
The recipe is simple and easy to do. The first part entails preparing the pork belly and marinating it. Then, the second part of the recipe includes cooking it in the air fryer, along with the potato slices. For the last part, all you need to do is eat and enjoy!
Prepare The Pork Belly And Marinade
Prepare the pork belly for cutting by cleaning it thoroughly. Then, chop the pork belly into even thin slices about 1 inch wide.
Next, prepare your marinade in a bowl. Add 10g scallions, 10g ginger, 50ml cooking wine, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp pepper powder, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, and 2 tbsp Barbecue rub.
Mix the seasoning well.
Afterward, combine the seasoning with the pork belly strips and massage them with one hand. Make sure the seasoning is well incorporated by rubbing it onto the meat.
Let the pork belly strips sit and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Prepare The Air Fryer And Potatoes
While the pork belly is marinating, you can start preparing the potato slices and air fryer basket. Wash the potato and clean the skin thoroughly.
Then, peel off the skin using a vegetable peeler. Next, cut the potato into thin slices and set aside.
Get your air fryer basket and line it with foil or parchment paper. Afterward, place the potato slices on a single layer onto the air fryer basket.
Cook The Pork Belly In The Air Fryer
Once the pork belly is done marinating, put the pork belly strips on top of the potato slices as the second layer in the air fryer basket.
Bake for 8 minutes at 170°C (338°F). After 8 minutes, turn the pork belly over and cook the other side for another 8 minutes at 170°C (338°F).
Once done, check if the pork belly is cooked and tender.
Cut some lettuce to serve as a wrap for the pork belly slices. Wrap the pork belly slices with lettuce wrap and enjoy it with potato slices.
Crispy And Juicy Air Fryer Pork Belly
Equipment
- Air fryer
- Parchment paper or foil
- Mixing bowl
- Knife
- Chopping board
- Plastic gloves for massaging the marinated meat
- Vegetable peeler
Ingredients
- 500 g Pork belly
- 10 g Scallion
- 10 g Ginger
- 50 ml Cooking wine
- 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp pepper powder
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp Barbecue rub
- 1 to 2 Potatoes
- Lettuce
Instructions
Prepare The Pork Belly And Marinade
- Prepare the pork belly for cutting by cleaning it thoroughly.
- Then, chop the pork belly into even thin slices about 1 inch wide.
- Next, prepare your marinade in a bowl. Add 10g scallions, 10g ginger, 50ml cooking wine, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp pepper powder, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, and 2 tbsp Barbecue rub.
- Mix the seasoning well.
- Afterward, combine the seasoning with the pork belly strips and massage them with one hand. Make sure the seasoning is well incorporated by rubbing it onto the meat.
- Let the pork belly strips sit and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Prepare The Air Fryer And Potatoes
- While the pork belly is marinating, you can start preparing the potato slices and air fryer basket.
- Wash the potato and clean the skin thoroughly.
- Then, peel off the skin using a vegetable peeler.
- Next, cut the potato into thin slices and set aside.
- Get your air fryer basket and line it with foil or parchment paper.
- Afterward, place the potato slices on a single layer onto the air fryer basket.
Cook The Pork Belly In The Air Fryer
- Once the pork belly is done marinating, put the pork belly strips on top of the potato slices as the second layer in the air fryer basket.
- Bake for 8 minutes at 170°C (338°F).
- After 8 minutes, turn the pork belly over and cook the other side for another 8 minutes at 170°C (338°F).
- Once done, check if the pork belly is cooked and tender.
- Cut some lettuce to serve as a wrap for the pork belly slices.
- Wrap the pork belly slices with lettuce wrap and enjoy it with potato slices.
