Air Fryer Pork Belly

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 1 day
• total time: 1 day 1 hour 3 minutes

Ingredients

1kg (2.2 lb) pork belly, skin on

3 tsp Shaoxing wine

½ tsp Chinese 5 spice

½ tsp garlic powder

2 tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp caster sugar

¼ tsp ground white pepper

sea salt, extra

black vinegar and soy dipping sauce, to serve

ice water

Directions

Place enough water in a wide saucepan to submerge pork and place over medium-high heat.

Bring to a boil, then add the pork, skin side down, and cook for 1 minute, until the skin changes colour.

Carefully turn pork over and cook for a further 30 seconds. Transfer the pork to a large bowl of iced water, and use a sharp knife to scrape off any debris on the skin surface.

Remove from the bowl and place onto paper towels. Pat the pork dry with a paper towel.

Turn pork over and score the flesh with 5mm (0.2in) deep slits at 2.5cm (1 in) wide crossways and vertically to make squares. Take care not to cut through the skin.

Sprinkle the shaoxing all over the flesh side of the pork.

Combine Chinese 5 spice, garlic powder, salt, sugar and white pepper in a small bowl, then season liberally all over the meat and down into the slits.

Turn it over so the skin is facing up. Pierce the skin with a meat tenderiser (or skewers) until you have made little holes all over the skin.

Place a large piece of foil (doubled over) on a wire rack on a tray and place your pork on top skin side up. Try and make sure your pork skin is level, you can put extra foil underneath any sections that need to be propped up. Fold the foil up around the flesh to make a wall so that only the skin is exposed. Season the skin with a little salt.

Place in the fridge overnight to dry out.

Preheat an air fryer to 160°C (320°F). Place the pork in the air fryer on its tray and cook for 45 minutes.

Increase the temperature to 200°C (395°F), and cook for a further 15 minutes, until the skin is crispy.

Rest the pork for at least 15 mins then chop it up using the scored marks in the flesh and serve with a dipping sauce of soy and black vinegar.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4