Crispy Pork Belly (Air Fryer or Oven)
This recipe teaches you an easy method to make Crispy Pork Belly in an air fryer or in an oven. We will use white vinegar to soften the skin, then use kosher salt to absorb the moisture. In this way, we can make the pork belly meat juicy, tender, and flavorful, and the crackling crazily crispy.
Equipment
- 1 medium pot
- 1 Air Fryer (Or Oven)
- Foil
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb Pork Belly
- 2 green onions (optional)
- 4 slices ginger (optional)
- 2 tbsp cooking wine (optional)
For marinating
- 3 tbsp salt free bbq dry rub (You can make your own or use store bought ones)
- 1 tbsp regular soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tbsp sesame oil (Can be substitute with olive oil or other cooking oil.)
For the crispy skin
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 4 tbsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Add the pork belly, green onions, ginger slices, and cooking wine to a medium pot. Add enough cold water to immerse all the ingredients, bring to a boil over high heat, skin off any scum with a ladle. Cover the lid, simmer the pork belly over medium low heat for 20 minutes.
- Transfer the pork belly to a plate with the skin side up. Prick about 200 shallow holes (see pictures above) on the skin, using a toothpick, a fork, or a meat tenderizer. Use some kitchen paper to wipe off any oil or water released from these holes.
- Mix all the marinade ingredients (see ingredient list above) in a small bowl, apply and massage the marinade on 5 meat sides of the pork belly, expect the skin side.
- Cover the 5 marinated sides with plastic food wrap or foil, leave the skin side uncovered.
- Brush 1 tbsp of white vinegar on the skin side. Keep the pork belly in the fridge, allow the skin side to dry up overnight (or at least for 2 hours).
- Take the pork belly out from the fridge, use some kitchen paper to wipe off the marinade as much as you can (the marinade gets burnt easily in the air fryer).
- Fold a piece of foil into a box to cover the 5 marinated sides, sprinkle a layer of kosher salt on the skin side.
- Air fry the pork belly at 400 °F / 200 °C for 20 minutes. (Or bake on the top rack of the oven at 450 °F / 230 °C for 30 minutes.)
- Take the pork belly out from the air fryer/oven, use a knife to remove the kosher salt, then use a kitchen paper to thoroughly wipe pork belly and remove any residual salt.
- Loosely cover the bottom of the pork belly with a piece of foil (or you can leave the pork belly uncovered if you don't mind washing the air fryer basket). Air fry the pork belly at 400 °F / 200 °C for 10 to 15 minutes, until there are bubbles all over the skin. (Or bake on the top rack of the oven at 430 °F / 220 °C for 15 to 20 minutes.)
- Take it out from the air fryer/oven, allow it to cool down a bit before cutting. Once it's not too hot to touch, cut it into bite size slices, serve hot with a small dipping plate of sugar.