Published July, 2023 Updated September 2024
You haven't had the best crackling until you try my Easy Air Fryer Pork Belly recipe. It's a game changer in terms of convenience and yes you guessed it, the CRISPIEST CRACKLING EVER!
Minimal effort with super crispy skin!
Crispy Crackling With Tender Juicy Meat
Drying your pork belly with paper towel and overnight is probably one of the most important steps in this recipe. Here are a few more foolproof tips:
Looking to air fry pork belly pieces instead? Maky my air fryer pork belly bites rather? Make sure to air fry on a single layer!
- When you buy your pork belly, consider the size of your air fryer basket because if it's too big and a tight fit, the air doesn't circulate properly and the skin won't crisp up.
- Use alluminium foil to collect the fat that renders off the pork belly as it cooks.
- The question always asked is can I use a dish rather than alluminium foil? Most oven-safe dishes can be safely used in the air fryer so yes you can use a dish that fits instead of foil but the results may be slightly different.The reason I always prefer alluminium foil is that there is no air that gets in-between the foil and the meat which helps the meat cook evenly and stay tender and juicy.
✅ Feedback: "I followed the recipe exactly as it's written and I couldn't believe how good it came out! That it was me that made it. The next day we bought another pork belly to make it again”
To score the skin of the pork belly, simply use a sharp knife or a stanley knife to make cuts on the skin without cutting through to the meat, roughly 1cm apart.
Best Crispy Pork Belly Air Fryer Recipe
Ingredients
Full measurements are in the recipe card below this post.
- Pork Belly: Boneless cut of meat. Choose organic or the best quality you can find. Happy pig = tasty meat.
- Fennel: Fennel seeds or fennel spice powder is a great pairing for pork. Feel free to use garlic powder, onion powder etc.
- Salt: Plenty of salt for crispy crackling.
- Olive Oil: To flavour and to help the spices and seasoning stick.
- Grape Vinegar: Vinegar helps to dry the pork skin.
- It definitely helps to dry out the skin even if you don’t refrigerate over night. Not as much but it helps. (Chef's tip!)
How To Make Air Fryer Pork Belly With The Crispiest Crackling
Please find the full cooking time in the recipe card below.
Step 1 - Dry The Pork Belly
If the belly has any packaging over it, remove it and dry the pork belly well with paper towel. Place a rack on top of a plate (you can also use an old roasting tray) and rest the pork belly on the rack. Pat the skin dry one more time before leaving it in the fridge overnight.
The reasons we use a plate under the rack are;
- a) to catch any drippings
- b) to keep the fridge clean
- c) it helps raise the belly in the air which allows the air to ciruclate under the belly of the pig.
If you don't have a rack, simply squash up foil and make little balls and place them under the belly to lift it slightly.
When you are ready to cook, remove the pork belly from the fridge, and pat it dry one more time making sure there's no damp spots.
Step 2 - Season/Spice
With the pork belly meat-side down add olive oil, salt, black pepper and spices. Gently rub it in covering the surface area.
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Step 3 - Make the Aluminum Foil Basket
Place the pork belly skin side up on a large piece of foil and lift the sides of the foil so that it covers the base-line of the pork belly. Secure the corners so the drippings don't run through and make the foil double if you have to.
Brush with white grape vinegar.
No salt yet but if you've already added a little salt, adjust it further down the recipe.
Step 4 - Air Fry
Air fry on low heat to start for 30 minutes on 100°C /212°F.
Step 5 High Heat
Pull the belly out after the initial 30 minutes are done and brush the skin with olive oil add plenty of saltbut don't turn it! Back in the air fryer to finish cooking on a higher heat till crispy and cooked through.
Internal Temperature: Meat like pork, beef and lamb are safe to eat at 62/63°C / 145 degrees F whereas fish is safe to eat at 74°C / 165°F.
✅ Resting the meat for 10-15 minutes allows the juice to re-distribute throughout the meat.
Expert Pork Belly Tips
- Pork belly size: These pork bellies weigh roughly 1.2kg each (2.6lbs). One of these may not be enough to feed a family of 4 to 6 people unless you are serving it with a side dish rice or potatoes that's filling or a salad.
- Be sure to cover all open foods when leaving uncovered pork belly in the refrigerator over night to control cross contamination.
- Air frying on a very low heat in the beginning gives the meat time to cook through evenly without putting it under stress at an immediate high temperature and perhaps running the risk of it burning before it cooks through.
✅ To refrigerate overnight: Be sure to cover all open foods and a good reason for this is that it helps control "cross contamination" avoiding other foods from spoiling.
How To Carve and Serve Pork Belly
To carve, cut roughly 1-inch pork belly slices.
To serve balance out the richness of main dish by serving it with a light side dish like cool cucumber salad, bok choy, carrot salad or these popular cheese and bacon roast potatoes to stay with the indulgence!
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerate: Any leftover pork belly? First let it cool before storing in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Wrap in foil or plastic wrap first then in a freezer bag, seal and store for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- To reheat: In a preheated oven on 200 degrees celsius/400 F or air fry for about 5 minutes depending on quantity.
Frequently Asked Questions
24-48 hours is ideal to help dry the skin out.
Yes, you should salt the skin to achieve a good crackling because the salt helps draw out the moisture.
Follow the drying step process in my recipe because it works. The skin will not crisp up if it's not dry enough.
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Easy Air Fryer Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 2 kg pork belly this recipes uses two 1kg each pork belly. Check the size so it fits in the air fryer basket
- 1 tbsp. salt or more if needed
- 1 tbsp. fennel spice
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp. white vinegar
- olive oil
Instructions
- Pork Belly Prep: Remove the pork belly from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking. Dry the skin really well with kitchen paper towel. See notes.
- Season: Place the pork belly on a board infront of you with the skin-side down. Season the meat (flesh) with salt, pepper and both the ground fennel and the fennel seeds. Add olive oil and pat the spices into the meat.
- Make a foil tray/box: Use a large enough sheet of foil to make a foil box for the pork belly. It's more like an oven tray so make sure that you double the base on which the belly will sit and fold up the sides. The foil will collect the fat and juices from the belly when cooking in the air fryer.
- Place the pork belly with the now seasoned and spiced side-down on the foil and then lift the sides of the foil to create the tray.
- Dry the skin: While the pork belly is in the foil, skin-side up, dry it again with kitchen paper. Now brush the skin with vinegar this will help with start the drying and crackling process.
- 1st Air Fry: Place the pork belly in the air fryer and air fry for 30 minutes on 100°C /212°F.
- 2nd Air Fry: Remove the air fryer basket from the air fryer and brush olive oil over the skin and sprinle plenty of salt over the skin. Don't turn it! Back in the air fryer for 45 minutes on 200°C / 392° F.
- Rest the pork belly: Let the belly rest for 10 minutes before cutting into it.
- Carve and Serve: Slice into approxiamately 2cm or (¼ to 1-inch) slices cutting against the grain which means cutting along the width not the length, to ensure a tender flavorful meat.
mary-lyn Kelly says
Hi there, was wondering whether you cut the skin before cooking? Thanks
Miranda's Anosmic Kitchen says
Hi there, if the skin is not already scored when you buy it then yes, carefully do it yourself with a sharp knife. The drier (I've shared how to dry) the skin and the sharper the knife the easier it is to do. Let me know how it goes and if you have any other questions, Im here to help! (Remember that scoring the fat helps the fat render but you can still get crispy skin without scoring the fat).