Air Fryer Pork Belly

5 from 2 votes

Tender, juicy, succulent Air Fryer Pork Belly. The easiest way to cook this decadent, indulgent cut of pork. Enjoy as a Korean-inspired meal by slicing thinly and serving with rice, lettuce wraps, and ssamjang. Or use as a basic protein base for bahn mi, spring rolls, and sliders. The possibilities are limitless!

Prep Time5

Cook Time35

Resting Time1

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Korean

Keyword: Air Fryer, Pork Belly

Servings:

Calories: 1199kcal

Author: The Subversive Table | Lis Lam

Equipment

Air Fryer (I use the Cosori 5.8Qt Air Fryer)
Silicone Liner (or DIY foil liner)

Ingredients

2 lb pork belly strips (about 2 thick strips)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper (preferably freshly ground)

Instructions

Marinate pork belly. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, salt, and black pepper. Rub the dry mixture all over the pork belly.
Rest pork belly. Rest for at least 1 hour (room temperature) but preferably overnight (tightly sealed in the fridge).
Cook pork belly. Preheat Air Fryer. Add pork belly to a silicone liner or make a foil liner to collect drips. Cook for 30 minutes at 300F, flipping halfway at 15 minutes.
Broil pork belly. Crank up the heat on the Air Fryer and cook at 400F for 5 minutes. Ensures those crispy edges!
Serve and enjoy. Rest pork belly for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the pork belly (about 1/4-inch slices) and serve with lettuce wraps, rice, and ssamjang or gochujang sauce.

Video

Notes

*Variations:

- Make it spicy. Add 1 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and more black pepper in the marinade. Cook as per usual.

- Cut into chunks. For crispy, crunchy nuggets of pork belly -- cut into chunks before marinating. As they cook, all the edges will crisp and char. Cook at 380F for the last 5 minutes and shake the basket throughout the cooking process for extra crunch.
- Swap with BBQ Dry Rub. For smoky BBQ flavor, swap out the brown sugar and salt mixture with 2 Tbsp BBQ Dry Rub. I like Korean Magic Dust BBQ Dry Rub but any good rub with salt tastes great. Rub all over, rest, and cook -- as per usual.

**Turn on the exhaust fan. The oil can be smoky. Turn on the exhaust fan while cooking so the fire alarm doesn't go off!

Nutrition