Easy Air-Fried Crispy Pork Belly

It’s juicy, ultra crispy, and meaty. Crispy pork belly is a staple Chinese dish loved for its moist, seasoned meat and delicious crunchy skin. It is super simple to prepare this dish using only an air fryer! Of course, follow my pro tips below to learn how to make the skin super crispy and bubbly!

All About Crispy Pork Belly

What you’ll love about crispy pork belly is its puffy and crunchy outer skin that bubbles using a simple poking technique. Its gorgeous bubbled skin is its signature look, and I will teach you how to do it to have the most authentic crispy pork belly. The meat is seasoned to perfection using common pantry ingredients.

In this recipe, the pork belly is boiled with green onions, ginger, and cooking wine. Then, it is seasoned with barbecue seasoning mixed with light soy sauce and oyster sauce before marinating for better flavor absorption. The last steps call for poking the skin, brushing it with vinegar, and sprinkling salt before popping it in the air fryer to cook.

Traditionally, pork belly is slow-cooked for moist and tender meat. It is typically baked in the oven, roasted, or pan-fried. For something easier and convenient, I cooked the pork belly in an air fryer for 20 minutes.

Why Air Fry Is Better For Crispy Pork Belly

Times have changed, indeed. We can now bake or fry conveniently with one innovative appliance: an air fryer. There are many reasons to love an air fryer and why having this in your kitchen is a must. Basically, air fryers make cooking such a breeze for the following reasons:

1. No more massive cleanup of your pan: I love that you can place parchment paper or foil in the basket and simply remove it when you are done cooking. With that in mind, this means you don’t have to constantly wash your kitchenware after cooking. Using an air fryer requires minimal to no cleanup at all.
2. Cooking time is shorter than traditional frying:Frying the regular way requires heating the oil and allowing it to fry until you achieve your desired consistency. This method takes time. With an air fryer, it usually cuts your cooking time in half! It cooks faster with an air fryer because of its convection heating method, giving you more time to relax during and after cooking.
3. No need to keep watch all the time: Doing the typical way of frying requires you to constantly keep an eye on your food because you don’t want it to burn or overfry. This is something you don’t have to do with an air fryer since all you have to do is set the time and temperature and wait for it to cook. The only important step though is to flip it halfway to ensure even cooking on all sides.
4. No need for oil.Fried food without oil?? Yes, it is possible with an air fryer. You get a crispy outer layer while maintaining a juicy interior. Some people would still spray the exterior with oil for a deeper color. But still, this is way less oil than deep-frying in oil.

Having an air fryer lets you cook various dishes, from deep-fried to stir-fried and pan-fried. It will be well worth the investment because it is versatile and can make the following recipes as well:

• The Easiest Air Fryer Bok Choy Recipe
• The Crispiest And Juiciest Air Fryer Wontons (Fried Pork Dumplings)
• Easy Air Fryer Char Siu Pork
• Crispy And Juicy Air Fryer Pork Belly
• Air-Fried Taro Fries
• Air-Fried Taro Chips

Pro Tips For A Successful Crispy Pork Belly

There are a few tricks you need to do to make the skin crispy and bubbly. The three important things to know about having crispy skin are the following:

1. Pricking: Pricking lots of holes onto the skin before air-frying is key in making bubbled skin. You can prick the skin with a toothpick or any sharp tool to make holes. This should give you crackling puffed skin.
2. Brushing vinegar: After making holes, the skin should be brushed with vinegar for a crisp skin. This also helps remove odor from the skin.
3. Sprinkling salt: For a crispier skin, sprinkle some salt after brushing with vinegar. Salt absorbs moisture from the skin, making the skin even drier and crispier. I suggest rock salt to make it less salty and not easily absorbed in the holes you make,

Prepare These Ingredients And Kitchenware

Prepare your basic kitchenware such as a pot for boiling and a mixing bowl for the marinade. Don’t forget the foil to cover the pork belly and an oil brush to make brushing easier. Here’s what you need to get started:

Kitchenware

• Foil
• Air fryer
• Cooking pot
• Mixing bowl
• Knife and chopping board
• Oil brush
• Toothpick

Ingredients

• 500g Pork belly
• 20g of green onions
• 2 slices of ginger
• 1 tbsp of cooking wine
• 1 tbsp of barbecue seasoning
• 1 tbsp of light soy sauce
• 1 tsp of oyster sauce
• White vinegar
• Salt

Instructions On How To Make Crispy Pork Belly

Follow my step-by-step instructions to make the crispiest and juiciest pork belly. Watch my Instagram or TikTok tutorial videos for better guidance! Don’t forget to leave a comment for suggestions and tips.

1. Boil the pork belly slices in cold water with green onion, slices of ginger, and cooking wine for 20 minutes.
2. After boiling, slice the pork belly halfway through in 1-inch thick cuts. Do not cut all the way through, keeping the skin still intact.
3. Mix barbecue seasoning, light soy sauce, and oyster sauce in a bowl.
4. Brush the barbecue seasoning mixture on all sides of the pork belly and marinate for 10 minutes.
5. Wrap the sides of the pork belly with foil, keeping the skin on top.
6. Poke holes in the skin with a toothpick.
7. Brush the skin with white vinegar and sprinkle some salt.
8. Air fry the pork belly at 392°F for 20 minutes.
9. Afterward, discard the salt by cracking it and remove the foil.
10. Reapply vinegar and bake for an additional 10 minutes.