Air fryer pork belly strips
By:
Tom Shingler
Head of food, delicious.
- Published: 23 May 24
- Updated: 14 Jun 24
Kept succulent with our water trick, these air fryer pork belly strips are like an even tastier pork chop, with that beautiful contrast of soft, yielding fat and tender, juicy meat. A cut like pork belly often requires a long, slow roast to properly render the fat – but the fierce heat of an air fryer can drastically reduce the time needed.
Be sure to read our top tips below on creating the ultimate air fryer pork belly strips.
Pair these with our air fryer mac ‘n’ cheese or air fryer sweet potato fries and a side of slaw for a satisfying meal.
Before you start
Preheat your air fryer to make sure it’s hot before you add anything.
Ingredients
- 500g pork belly slices
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- Sea salt flakes
Method
- Heat the air fryer to 200°C. Pat the pork belly slices dry, then use a pair of scissors or a very sharp knife to score cuts into the fattiest, whitest side of each strip, around 1cm apart. Coat with the oil and season well with salt.
- Pour enough water into the bottom of your air fryer to just cover the base, then add the basket and sit the pork belly strips in it, if possible standing them upright with the scored fatty side facing upwards. Cook for 10 minutes, then sprinkle the scored side with a little more salt and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Recipe from Online only 2024 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 488kcals
- Fat
- 40g (14g saturated)
- Protein
- 31g
- Carbohydrates
- 0.7g (0.6g sugars)
- Fibre
- 1g
- Salt
- 1.6g
delicious. tips
Our top tips for the perfect air fryer pork belly:
1. Scoring the fatty side helps the pork belly to render as it cooks, avoiding any unpleasant chewiness.
2. Pouring water into the base of your air fryer helps prevent the pork drying out by creating a steamy environment for some of the cooking time. This only works with air fryers with a separate raised basket, though – if yours doesn’t have one, you can skip this step.
3. Always add your pork belly strips to the air fryer in a single layer with a little space around each piece, so the hot air can reach everywhere.
Buy ingredients online
Rate & review
Rate
Reviews
Subscribe to our magazine
Food stories, skills and tested recipes, straight to your door... Enjoy 5 issues for just £5 with our special introductory offer.
Subscribe
Unleash your inner chef
Looking for inspiration? Receive the latest recipes with our newsletter