Making Crispy Chinese Air Fryer Roast Pork Belly 氣炸鍋脆皮燒肉 at home is super easy! This foolproof air fryer recipe guarantees homemade crispy, crackling, juicy, tender meat. All you need is 30 minutes, and you can wrap your fingers around this Cantonese BBQ pork master quality siu yuk you are so used to ordering!
> In This Post: Everything You'll Need For The Best Chinese Roast Pork Recipe Air Fryer
If you are planning a holiday meal with your family and friends, add this scrumptious Chinese roast pork belly air fryer recipe to the menu! This delicious recipe comes together with minimal effort! Delicious crispy pork belly makes for a crowd-pleasing dish everyone loves celebrating Lunar New Year or special occasions.
Making tasty pork belly at home in an air fryer is quick, easy and mess-free. Instead of slow-roasting pork belly bites, air-frying pork belly takes a fraction of the time compared to a conventional oven. In just 30 minutes (not including marinating and preparation time), the air fryer air circulation guarantees an even crackling crispiness without drying out the center.
Check out this quick story summary of our Air fryer Chinese pork belly recipe!
Jump to:
- > In This Post: Everything You'll Need For The Best Chinese Roast Pork Recipe Air Fryer
- What Is Chinese Crispy Pork Belly?
- What Cuts of Pork Do You Use For Chinese Crispy Pork Belly?
- Ingredients and Substitutes
- Instructions
- Other Pork Recipes You'll Love
- What To Serve With Crispy Pork Belly
- > Recipe Card
- Super Crispy Chinese Air Fryer Roast Pork Belly 炸脆皮烧肉
What Is Chinese Crispy Pork Belly?
Crispy Pork Belly (燒肉, Shāo ròu) or as we call it in Cantonese, Siu Yuk, is a slab of pork belly with a crunchy, crackly layer of super crispy skin and flavorful, juicy, tender pork belly meat underneath. You will see them hanging in the windows of Cantonese BBQ Master Shops 燒臘店 alongside BBQ Char Siu, Soy Sauce Chicken, Roasted Duck, White Cut Chicken, etc.
This classic Cantonese pork dish is sold at most Chinese supermarkets, Dim Sum restaurants and BBQ Masters.
What Cuts of Pork Do You Use For Chinese Crispy Pork Belly?
When choosing which cut of pork to make tasty pork belly in the air fryer, choose a piece of pork belly that distinctly shows an alternating fat layer and meat layer. Cantonese butchers call this type of cut five-layered meat (五花肉, Wǔhuāròu) or (五花腩, Wǔhuānǎn). The name refers to the cut of pork alternating three layers of fat and two of meat.
One of the best experiences of roast pork is the complexity of different textures and the melt-in-your-mouth fat mouthfeel.
Lean boneless pork loin or fattier cuts like pork shoulder or pork butt are reserved for cooking Air Fryer Char Siu instead.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Air fryer crispy pork belly recipe roasted to a golden perfection requires just a few simple ingredients, but the results are satisfying. It is the perfect addition to any meal!
- Pork Belly - Evenly marbled belly pork cooks evenly.
Marinade Ingredients
Pork Belly Skin Coating
Most dry goods ingredients, tools and supplies can be purchased at local Asian markets or Asian grocery store or Amazon Online.
Instructions
Everyone loves delicious air fryer pork belly bites.
Homemade Cantonese crispy pork belly at home is not as intimidating as it may seem. Compared to traditional methods, one made in an air fryer is mess-free, ruthlessly reduces cooking time, and consistently cooks succulent meat with the crispiest skin every time!
Crucial Steps
For best results, do all the prep work and don't skip the following steps:
- parboil the pork belly
- baking soda and white vinegar rub
- overnight drying
- wrapping the slab of pork belly with aluminum foil
Cooking Process
Wash pork belly and pat dry with a kitchen paper towel.
Boil cold water in a large pot.
Add pork belly skin side down into a pot of boiling water. Boil for 10 mins.
Remove the pork belly from the pot and lay it flat on a heavy cutting board.
Prick the pork belly skin with meat tenderizer needles or a fork. Toothpicks are too weak and will not do the job.
Pro Tip: Poking holes into the skin of the pork belly will release its natural oils. Essentially, the skin's oils will fry the skin of the succulent roasted pork belly into crackling goodness.
One of the key tips to ensure a flavourful marinade is to make a few incisions (shallow cuts) with a sharp knife on the bottom of the pork belly, but do not cut through to the skin.
In a small bowl, add marinating spices and mix well.
Apply marinating spice on the meat side.
Flip the pork belly over and apply a mixture of white vinegar and baking soda onto the skin.
Evenly coat the skin with salt.
Place the pork belly skin side up without covering it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Crackling roast pork requires dry skin. Do not skip this critical step.
Remove from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for approx. 20 mins.
Air Frying Roasted Pork Belly
Preheat the air fryer to 400F.
Wrap a large piece of foil around the sides of the pork belly without covering the top of the skin. This is the best way to keep the meat juicy.
Place pork belly into the air fryer in a single layer.
Air fry at 390F for 30 mins.
You may own a different air fryer than me. I use THIS Ninja Foodi Air Fryer! Depending on the air fryer model, you may want to adjust the cooking time, increase or reduce it by 1 to 2 minutes, and avoid overcooking the roasted pork.
Insert an instant-read thermometer at the thickest part of the cooked pork belly and check that the internal temperature of the pork is at least 160-165F.
Carefully remove the perfectly golden brown and crispy roasted pork belly from the air fryer with kitchen tongs.
Let pork belly rest for a few minutes.
Slice crispy pork belly into thick pieces. No one wants thinly sliced Korean bo ssam. Set aside.
Other Pork Recipes You'll Love
If you love this pork belly recipe, you may also like these pork forward recipes on our blog. It's a total change of texture and flavor, but are reader's favourite!
- Best Tonkatsu Japanese Pork Cutlet 豚カツ
- Chinese Salt and Pepper Air Fryer Pork Chops 氣炸鍋椒鹽豬扒
- Instant Pot Salted Pork and Century Egg Congee 壓力鍋皮蛋瘦肉粥
- Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Fish 鹹魚蒸肉餅
How To Meal Prep HK Roast Pork
You can efficiently work the air fryer pork belly recipe into your family meal prep ideas for the week. Whether you are reheating leftover pork belly or batching marinated pork belly, store the meal-prepped pork belly in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating Chinese Roast Pork
Reheat leftover pork belly in the air fryer at 365F for 5-7 minutes until warmed. The softened pork skin will crisp up.
Roasted Pork In Oven Method
You can also reheat Leftover pork belly in the oven at 400F for 10-15 minutes. Check around the 10 minute mark to avoid burning.
Alternatively, if you are meal planning or hosting a party, prepare portions of pork belly of the desired size to fit your air fryer basket. Pop the marinated pork belly into the air fryer just before dinner is served!! Everyone loves fresh, crispy roasted pork!
What To Serve With Crispy Pork Belly
There's no better way to enjoy fresh and hot roasted pork belly on its own! I'm sure you have eaten roasted straight out of the take out box after going to the BBQ Master!
There is no need to drizzle the crispy pork belly with sauce or hoisin sauce. Pairing it with apple sauce is just crazy! But, thick sliced pieces of pork belly is an excellent addition to festive dishes like Poon Choi (盆菜, Pén cài), Braised Roasted Pork Belly with Napa Cabbage and vermicelli.
- Fried Garlic Seafood Fried Rice 金蒜海鮮炒飯
- Air Fryer Cauliflower 氣炸鍋菜花
- Vegan Tofu Stir Fry 五彩金銀滿屋豆乾小炒王
- Chinese Braised Beef Brisket & Tendon Recipe 柱侯蘿蔔炆牛筋腩
- Braised Chinese Mushrooms 髮菜炆冬菇
- Chinese Sticky Rice 糯米飯
I'd love to see how you went with my recipes! Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @INSTANOMSS #INSTANOMSS.
> Recipe Card
PrintSuper Crispy Chinese Air Fryer Roast Pork Belly 炸脆皮烧肉
Making Crispy Chinese Air Fryer Roast Pork Belly 氣炸鍋脆皮烧肉 at home is super easy! This foolproof air fryer recipe guarantees homemade crispy, crackling, juicy, tender meat. All you need is 30 minutes, and you can wrap your fingers around this Cantonese BBQ pork master quality siu yuk you are so used to ordering!
- Prep Time: 25
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Air Fry
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
1 lbs pork belly, divided to fit the air fryer
Marinade Ingredients
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp five spice powder
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
Pork Belly Skin Coating
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Wash pork belly and pat dry with a kitchen paper towel.
- Boil cold water in a large pot.
- Add pork belly skin side down into a pot of boiling water. Boil for 10 mins.
- Remove the pork belly from the pot and lay it flat on a heavy cutting board.
- Prick the pork belly skin with meat tenderizer needles or a fork. Toothpicks are too weak and will not do the job.
- One of the key tips to ensure a flavourful marinade is to make a few incisions (shallow cuts) with a sharp knife on the bottom of the pork belly, but do not cut through to the skin.
- In a small bowl, add marinating spices and mix well.
- Apply marinating spice on the meat side.
- Flip the pork belly over and apply a mixture of white vinegar and baking soda onto the skin.
- Evenly coat the skin with salt.
- Place the pork belly skin side up without covering it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Crackling roast pork requires dry skin. Do not skip this critical step.
- Remove from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for approx. 20 mins.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400F.
- Wrap a large piece of foil around the sides of the pork belly without covering the top of the skin. This is the best way to keep the meat juicy.
- Place pork belly into the air fryer in a single layer.
- Air fry at 390F for 30 mins. You may own a different air fryer than me. I use THIS Ninja Foodi Air Fryer! Depending on the air fryer model, you may want to adjust the cooking time, increase or reduce it by 1 to 2 minutes, and avoid overcooking the roasted pork.
- Insert an instant-read thermometer at the thickest part of the cooked pork belly and check that the internal temperature of the pork is at least 160-165F.
- Carefully remove the perfectly golden brown and crispy roasted pork belly from the air fryer with kitchen tongs.
- Let pork belly rest for a few minutes.
- Slice crispy pork belly into thick pieces. No one wants thinly sliced pieces.
Notes
For best results, do all the prep work and don't skip the following steps:
- parboil the pork belly
- baking soda and white vinegar rub
- overnight drying
- wrapping the slab of pork belly with aluminum foil
Poking holes into the skin of the pork belly will release its natural oils. Essentially, the skin's oils will fry the skin of the succulent roasted pork belly into crackling goodness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 plate
- Calories: 597
- Sugar: 1.1 g
- Sodium: 1829 mg
- Fat: 60.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.8 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 10.8 g
- Cholesterol: 81.8 mg
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Sean says
This is genius! I've been using my air fryer for so many things, but I haven't tackled anything like this. I've always thought of crispy pork belly as the kind of thing I couldn't do at home, but this is amazingly doable. Can't wait to share this with more people!
Swathi says
These air fryer roast pork belly looks delicious love that crispy and juicy meat . I am trying this for dinner today.
Marie-Pierre Breton says
Oh, this looks scrumptious!! I'm all about the texture and contrast, and this piece of pork is perfect for my taste buds. Going hunting for a pork belly piece now! I'll let you know how it goes! Thanks for sharing!
Asha says
The air-flyer cooked the pork belly to crispy - yet tender - perfection. The spices used were very tasty.
Liz says
Love how easy this was to follow! Thanks for sharing - so good!
Bernice says
Great timing! I actually bought a package of frozen prepared pork belly from Costco and made it in our air fryer. It turned out amazing and I was looking for a recipe so I could make it at home. Your recipe tastes almost the same as the Costco one...only it's better!
Jacqueline Debono says
This pork belly looks out of this world! I actually got an airfryer for Christmas and have added this to my list of recipes to try in it!
Lily says
Delicious and so crispy the skin! Love that it can be done quickly in the AF vs an hour in the oven.
Debra says
Perfect dish to make in the air fryer....so easy and it came out tasty and crisp.
Elizabeth says
So yummy and crispy! Thanks for sharing!
Amy Liu Dong says
Oh my, this dish looks amazingly delicious and very enticing! Totally love the crispy look of the outside and the tender juicy meat inside!
Sharon says
Looks great!! I am adding your recipe to my Lunar New Year board to save it and make it next month!
Andréa says
Looks delicious!
Liz says
The flavors along with the contrast in textures made this a phenomenal dish!! And I loved making it in the air fryer!!!
Beth says
Pork belly is so good. I've had it a few times at Asian restaurants, so I can't wait to try this.
Bobby says
This turned out absolutely amazing. So crisp and tender. Thank you!
Jovita says
There is nothing better than a crispy pork belly! The recipe looks super easy thanks to air fryer. I'm definitely trying this!
Dina and Bruce says
I have been looking for a recipe for pork belly! Going to make this tonight! Looks so good!
Saif says
I don't eat pork but I can tell this roasted pork belly is delicious. My relative is definitely going to love this when I refer this recipe to them.
DK says
Amazing recipe! Love how crispy the skin turns out with this method. Also, great tip on poking holes in the skin to enable that extra crispiness!