Roasted air fryer pork belly with crunchy crispy skin every single time. Making roasted pork belly in the air fryer is an easy way to get crispy crackling every time, and it’s so easy. Served with some boiled potatoes, red cabbage, and a classic brown danish gravy, it doesn’t get much better! Read along here and see our easy recipe.
Easy pork belly with crisp crackling
I am definitely in favor of roast pork belly rather than classical danish pork roast. Pork belly has much more flavor and is also juicier, and to emphasize another quality of pork belly, it is also fairly cheap. And if you make it in the air fryer, you avoid making a mess in the oven, and the crackling becomes crispy more easily.
The crispy crackling is almost the most important thing! There is nothing more unsatisfying than “chewy” crackling on roasted pork belly. I tend to cut the roast into smaller pieces. To start with it was a matter of making the best use of the space in the drawer for the air fryer, but now I am convinced that it also helps with crisping up the crackling in the end.
Whether it’s for everyday dinner with the classic danish sides, boiled potatoes, red cabbage, and brown gravy, or as part of the menu for a Christmas lunch, air fryer pork belly is just the best, and fortunately my family shares that joy with me. To avoid eating the same side dish every time, we try to vary it as much as possible. We often eat pork belly as a topping on rye bread, or as filling in a delicious pork belly burger.
When you go out and buy pork belly, go for the good deals, find a piece with a good distribution of fat and meat, not too fatty, but there should be just a little to give the good taste. If you want top-notch quality, then you have to visit your local butchery or shop online.
Ingredient notes
Pork belly – It’s a fairly cheap piece of meat, at least in Denmark. Go for a piece with a good distribution of fat and meat.
Olive oil – The olive oil works mostly as a binder for salt and pepper, but also helps to crisp up the crackling so that it turns out perfectly.
Salt & Pepper – I use coarse salt, we call it chefs salt in Denmark.
Bay leaves – I put bay leaves in the bottom of the air fryer together with some water, it makes a great base for the gravy.
How to make air fryer pork belly bites?
Here you will find a short description of how to make pork belly with crispy crackling in the air fryer. There is not so much preparation, but it is important to be careful to score the skin perfectly. Cut down through the skin and into the fat, and be careful not to cut into the meat.
Cut the pork belly into suitable squares. Coat the pieces of pork belly in a thin layer of olive oil, and then season the pieces on the meat side with coarse salt and ground pepper. The pieces are then turned over and seasoned only with coarse salt on the skin side, be sure to get the salt into the cuts you made in the skin.
Water and bay leaves are added to the bottom of the drawer, and the pieces of pork belly are then placed on the grid, which is now placed in the air fryer. They are first cooked at 150 degrees celsius and finished at 205 to make the crackling completely crispy.
When the crackling is crisp and golden, take them out of the drawer, and must now rest for approx. 5 minutes before serving. The juices from the drawer are used for gravy.
Find the full recipe further down this page.
Frequently asked questions
Approximately 5 minutes of prep time, and around an hour in the air fryer.
Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days before discarding them.
Other danish recipes you might like
- Air fryer hamburgers (Danish beef patties)
- Danish breaded pork patties (krebinetter)
- Danish beef patties with caramelized onions
- Danish hash (biksemad)
- Danish roast pork with crackling
Tips and tricks for air-fried pork belly
- Be sure to cut the skin all the way down into the fat, but not the meat itself.
- Use coarse salt when seasoning the pork belly bites.
- Remember to use the juices from the drawer to make the best traditional danish gravy.
Serving suggestions
- Serve with boiled potatoes, danish red cabbage, and of course traditional danish brown gravy.
- Slice the bites up and make the best pork belly sandwich with all of our favorite fillings.
- Add water to the drawer, the juices make a great base for gravy.
Do you have leftovers? Use them for Danish hash (biksemad)
Recipe for air fryer pork belly
Here you will find our recipe for delicious air fryer pork belly with crisp crackling. It’s quick and easy to prepare pork belly this way, and you don’t have to make a mess in the oven.
Use the air fryer for the crispest crackling and juicy meat. We hope you will try out the recipe yourself.
Air fryer pork belly
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1300 g pork belly boneless
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Coarse salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 5 dl water
- 3 bay leaves
Instructions
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Prepare the rib roast. Pat it completely dry with a kitchen towel and then cut it into square pieces. Make sure that the skin is scored all the way down into the fat layer, but without cutting into the meat. It helps ensure crisp crackling. – If they are very uneven at the bottom, they can be cut slightly so that they can keep the balance during cooking.1300 g pork belly
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Now spray or coat the pieces in a thin layer of olive oil and season them with salt and pepper on the meat side and then salt only on the skin side.1 tbsp olive oil, Coarse salt, Pepper
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Put water in the bottom of the air fryer basket together with the bay leaves. Now place the pieces of pork belly on the rack in the drawer of your air fryer and turn the machine on. First, they must have 150 degrees Calcius for approx. 50 minutes. – Be sure to top up with a little water if it all evaporates.5 dl water, 3 bay leaves
- After approx. 50 minutes, the temperature is turned up to 205 degrees Celcius and the pieces of ribs are now cooked off for approx. 10 minutes, or until the crackling has become golden and completely crispy.
- When the crackling is completely crispy, remove the drawer from the air fryer, place the pieces of pork belly in a dish and let them rest for approx. 5 minutes or while you prepare the sauce with the liquid from the bottom of the air fryer.
- Serve with all your favorite side dishes.
Notes
Air fryer
We use our Cosori Dualblaze Airfryer. If you use a different type of air fryer, you may need to adjust the cooking time, as all machines heat differently. Always keep a close eye on the food when you try a new recipe in your air fryer.Nutrition
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