Crunchy, crispy pork belly whipped up in the air fryer make for the perfect bite sized pieces of goodness. What normally takes hours can now be made in a fraction of the time. You’ve got to give this a try.
Chinese crispy pork belly, also known as siu yuk, is a favorite in our house. Just a few simple ingredients come together to make a delicious meal.
The pork skin is bubbly and golden brown. The meat is juicy, tender, and packed with flavor. And best of all it doesn’t take all day to make. More on that in a bit. But first…
What is pork belly?
Pork belly is a boneless, fatty cut of meat that comes from the underside of the pig. It is commonly used to make crispy pork belly, a classic Chinese BBQ dish.
If you love pork, you’ve got to try pork tonkatsu, shoyu pork, or kālua pig.
Ingredients for crispy pork belly
- Pork belly slab: Be sure to get a piece that has a good meat to skin ratio.
- Garlic: Get yourself the fresh stuff if you can.
- Oyster sauce: This is a thick, dark brown condiment made from oyster extracts. It can be found in the Asian aisle at most grocery stores.
- Garlic salt: This is a staple to have in your pantry.
- Pepper: Finely ground black pepper works well here.
- Salt: And of course can’t forget the flavor enhancer.
- Oil of choice
Traditional roast pork takes hours to make, but this air fry pork belly recipe speeds up the process.
The trick to getting crispy, bubbly skin is to dry it out. Many recipes call for placing the pork belly in the refrigerator and leaving it for hours to dry it. Sometimes you just don’t have the time for that, or you decide last minute you want to make this.
Call in the air fryer. This is the one I have.
Air fryers work like a convection oven, but are more compact so it heats up and cooks things quicker.
Tips for the ultimate crispy pork belly
- Pat the skin dry. Excess moisture will make the skin soggy.
- Pierce the skin with many little holes. Use a skewer, meat tenderizer, or knife.
- Be sure not to pierce down through the skin to the meat. This will allow the juices from the meat to rise to the surface and make the skin soggy.
- Allow a low and slow period of cook time before cooking. Using an air fryer set at 200F for 30 minutes will dry out the skin enough to give you that crispy goodness.
How long to air fry pork belly?
This recipe will take about 30 minutes to dry out the skin and another 40 minutes to cook through. A total of 70 minutes, however each air fryer is different and I recommend you monitoring the pork belly to ensure it does not over cook.
What goes well with air fried pork belly?
As with most local dishes here in Hawai’i, you can’t make a plate lunch without sticky white rice and macaroni salad. If you are serving it as an appetizer lay it over some shredded cabbage. You can also add it to your ramen or in your bao bun.
How to store?
To maintain the ultimate crispness of the airfry pork belly these are best served fresh. If you have leftovers, place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. This will last for 3-4 days.
Can you freeze?
While you can freeze pork belly once cooked, the best crispness happens when it’s fresh. Place in an airtight container and store in the freezer. This will keep for 2-3 months.
How to reheat crispy pork belly?
As I mentioned, freshly cooked pork belly will result in the ultimate crispness. The most simple way to reheat is to place in an air fryer skin side up and cook at 400F for about 10 minutes. The microwave will reheat the meat, but not give it it’s crispiness. You could also bakr or use a toaster oven.
How to make air fryer crispy pork belly?
- Preheat the air fryer to 200F.
- Dry the skin of the pork with a paper towel. Then using a fork or skewer poke the skin creating many little holes over the entire surface of the skin. Dry with a paper towel again if more moisture has seeped out.
- Next flip the pork so the skin side is down. Make shallow cuts perpendicular to the meat and 1 inch apart being sure not to cut through the skin layer.
- In a small bowl mix garlic and oyster sauce.
- Season pork belly with garlic salt and pepper. Then rub the oyster sauce mixture over to coat.
- Flip and place skin side up on a piece of foil. Fold the four sides of the foil up to create a tray to hold the pork juices in and prevent drying out.
- Place the pork belly in the air fryer and cook for 30 minutes. This will help to dry out the skin and create a more crispy skin. Once the skin has dried, season with salt and brush a thin layer of oil over the skin.
- Increase the heat of the air fryer to 400F and cook for another 40 minutes.
- Remove from the air fryer and cut using the precut lines made previously and ENJOY!
Air Fryer Crispy Pork Belly
Equipment
- NuWave Brio 6-Quart Air Fryer with App Recipes (Black) Includes Basket Divider, One-Touch Digital Controls, 6 Easy Presets, Wattage Control, and Advanced Functions like SEAR, PREHEAT, DELAY, WARM and More (NEW UPDATED MODEL)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork belly slab
- 6 cloves of garlic finely minced
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Oil of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 200F.
- Dry the skin of the pork with a paper towel. Then using a fork or skewer poke the skin creating many little holes over the entire surface of the skin. Dry with a paper towel again if more moisture has seeped out.
- Next flip the pork so the skin side is down. Make shallow cuts perpendicular to the meat and 1 inch apart being sure not to cut through the skin layer.
- In a small bowl mix garlic and oyster sauce.
- Season pork belly with garlic salt and pepper. Then rub the oyster sauce mixture over to coat.
- Flip and place skin side up on a piece of foil. Fold the four sides of the foil up to create a tray to hold the pork juices in and prevent drying out.
- Place the pork belly in the air fryer and cook for 30 minutes. This will help to dry out the skin and create a more crispy skin. Once the skin has dried, season with salt and brush a thin layer of oil over the skin.
- Increase the heat of the air fryer to 400F and cook for another 40 minutes.
- Remove from the air fryer and cut using the precut lines made previously and ENJOY!
Nutrition
© Relle Lum for Keeping It Relle. Please do not copy and paste or screenshot recipes online or on social media. I’d love it if you share a link with a photo instead. Mahalo!
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The pork belly turned out great. Flavorful and crunchy!
These were so tasty and great instructions to go by!
Thank you so much for sharing your very helpful recipe!
It was delicious. My whole family enjoyed this very much. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe!
This is so amazing!
So good!!! Making these for the 3rd time this week today!
A delicious recipe that didn’t disappoint. It was crispy, tender and juicy. I didn’t think the strong flavours of oyster sauce with fresh garlic was overpowering the pork. My only suggestion is to keep an eye on your second cook as my pork belly was cooked by 25-30 minutes not the 40 mins stated. Will be making this for part of our Xmas dinner is Australia this year. Thanks Relle ❤️
Aloha Tracy. Thank you for sharing. Air fryers vary so much brand to brand and that can change the cook time for sure. I would love to visit Australia one day. Have a great day.
Do you salt the skin and fat on the top?
Glad you found it. Happy Holidays!
Ah, I see where you added the salt. No need to answer my question.
Mahalo!
Glad you found it. Happy Holidays!
Thank you Relle! I have made this a few times now and I think I got the timing down after the third try! Question for you – sometimes the pork belly “curls” up. What do you think I can do to keep it flat? It’s no big deal… purely for presentation purposes.
Aloha Maggie, Maybe cut bigger pieces or use skewers to pin it down.
Hi. Your recipe calls for Garlic Salt, but in your Recommended Product section you show Garlic Powder. Which one should be used? When I first read your ingredients I thought using garlic salt AND table salt might be too much, so I’m just asking for clarification. Thank you!
Aloha Billie,
I use garlic salt and salt. One seasons one side and the other seasons the other side. You can always adjust the seasoning to your liking. Start with less and add more along the way.
Have a great day.
Oh my goodness! This looks and sound so Ono. Thank you for sharing.
Aloha from Texas.
Aloha. Hope you get a chance to try it and enjoy. Have a great day.
I tried making this today and it was bomb! Thank you thank you thank you!
Aloha Nani. So great to hear. Thanks for sharing.
Any sub for oyster sauce
Do you have an allergy? Or dislike the ingredient? You can leave it out if you’d like. It adds a little pop of umami and sweetness.
Will this recipe work in a tray type airfryer such as the instant pot Omni pro?
Aloha Judith. I’ve never tried it. If you do please let me know how it goes. Mahalo.
This is SO unbelivably good. The recipe is easy to follow. It is super crispy (if you are diligent with the skin hole poking step). The flavor is perfect. This really saves me a ton of money, as dining out for an order of roast pork is $20 for 8 thin pieces. Now I can save money, enjoy excellent fresh pork belly, and most importantly, my family enjoys it immensely. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Aloha. Mahalo for sharing. Yes such a great recipe to save money. Thank you for stopping by. Have a great day.