Air Fryer Pork Belly

Air fryer Pork Belly

If you love pork crackling and sometimes struggle to achieve that light, crisp finish then try this Air fryer Pork Belly recipe. It’s foolproof and it’s one of those recipes you can set and forget then put everything in the dishwasher after!

Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes (+ overnight drying in fridge)
Cooking time: 38 minutes

Ingredients:

750g boneless pork belly, ensuring it fits into your air fryer
2 teaspoons sea salt flakes

Method:

1. Optional the night before (though not an essential step with an air fryer): score the pork rind with a very sharp knife. Place a rack or a plate upside down in the sink. Carefully pour a kettle of boiling water over the pork belly to open up the cuts to ensure a crisp crackling. Pat dry with paper towels and put on a plate, uncovered, in the fridge overnight to dry.
2. To cook, simply take it out of the fridge, sprinkle the top with salt and rub it in, making sure it gets into the scores in the rind.
3. Place in the air-fryer basket and turn on to 200’C. Set the timer for 25 minutes. Check pork and if not looking brown and crisp, keep at the same temperature. Otherwise, reduce heat to 160’C and cook for 13 minutes longer. (If it over browns cover with foil.)
4. Remove to a warm plate, loosely cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes.
5. As the crackling is very crisp, to carve, it may be easier to turn the pork crackling side down
6. To serve: There are myriad options, each of which will go with a different wine depending on the overall flavour.

Try:
Asian-Style Roast Pork Salad with Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling
Crisp Pork Belly with Blood Orange Pickle with Pinot Noir
Gingered Rack of Pork with Semillon, Riesling,  Verdelho or Grenache
Vietnamese Pork Belly with Fragrant Salad with Gewurztraminer, Rose or Grenache

or make this Spiced Cranberry & Apple Relish
1 eschalot or small onion, finely chopped
1.5cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
½ cup (125ml) orange juice
1 tablespoon (20 ml) cider vinegar
1/3 cup (75g caster sugar)
1 clove garlic, sliced
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground allspice
170g dried cranberries (small packet approx. 1 ½ cups)
2 apples, unpeeled, cored and roughly chopped

Combine all ingredients except apple in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring slowly to a simmer, stirring to ensure the sugar has dissolved. Mix in the apple and continue cooking, covered, over low heat for 10 – 30 minutes until the mixture has the consistency of thick jam. You can speed this up by breaking up with a potato masher. Refrigerate until needed or sterilise jars and lids by washing in hot soapy water, rinsing and drying in a warm oven. Spoon the hot relish into the hot jars, seal and leave to cool. Makes 2 x 250g jars.

Watch Lyndey make this on Mornings on 7