Air Fryer Pork Belly Strips Recipe – BBQ inspired

Hello guys. Today, I am craving something crispy, savory, and sweet. We will cook the best mouthwatering recipe for air-fried pork belly strips. The Air Fryer Pork Belly Strips Recipe is a bbq or grill-inspired dish where we blast the honey at the last cooking stage. You will see what I meant later. Crispy and golden outside, very juicy on the inside. 

The flavor of the meat will be coated with black pepper and garlic aromatics. If you have pork belly strips lying around doing nothing in your refrigerator, you may wonder what to do with them. You are in luck today. Are you ready to discover a super easy and yummy pork belly strip recipe? Let’s go.

Using an Air Fryer for Pork Belly Strips

The air fryers have taken our home cooking world by storm these few years. They offer a healthier option for people who love deep-fried food. These people are just like me—either they don’t want to mess up their kitchen, or they’re as delightfully lazy as I am, craving delicious food on the dining table in no time. 

We could achieve that crispy and delicious texture without deep frying, using no oil or just a fraction of the oil.

Oven Adaption for the Pork Recipe

You must double up your cooking time when using the oven to replace the air fryer. Let’s say you cook for 10 minutes in the air fryer; now, you have to roast the meat for extra 10 minutes, which makes up 20 minutes in total. 

I tried making crispy skin pork belly in the past with the oven. It will take more effort to achieve that world-class crispiness. If you are wondering, I am using an air fryer with an oven combo, meaning I could choose whether to use an air fryer or an oven.

Ingredients for the Air Fryer Recipe

• 300 grams of pork belly, cut into 2 strips

• 1 tablespoon honey – I am using Manuka Honey; you can use whatever honey you have.

• 1 teaspoon salt 

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper – this is our key ingredient; it imparts a warm, pungent, and slightly spicy taste to the meat

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

How to Prepare the Pork Belly Strips

We are making 300 grams split into half. Make sure your pork belly looks good. The fat-to-meat ratio looks good. If it does not look good visually, do not buy it. If you buy from a butcher, request they cut for you about 2cm thick or 1 inch thick. 

I usually cut into this size for a skin-off air fryer dish. This is to ensure it will cook evenly in less time. Not too thin cut that the meat will be burnt out while cooking. Learn more about “How to prep pork belly for any dish.”

Skin Off for the Belly Strips 

I also talked about this in very detail in my personal top 5 techniques to cook pork belly. You need to take the skin off for this recipe. It is doable but not practical to make the skin crispy in this recipe. But do not worry, keep those skin; you will cook these easy crispy pork rinds right after our air fryer pork strips recipe. 

If you have extra fat to trim, try my other recipe, where we turn that fat into a tasty pork snack. But here’s the fun part: if you choose a pork belly with an even fat-to-meat ratio, you can skip the trimming. Just remember, by skipping the fat, you might miss out on the delightfully delicious chance to make this pork snack.

Seasoning the Pork Strips

When you have “mise en place,” a fancy name for when you have everything in place. Let’s give our pork some seasoning. If you prefer, you are welcome to mix all the spices in a bowl; otherwise, let’s just start sprinkling all the herbs evenly on both sides of the meat. 

Air Frying Process

1. Preheat your air fryer for 1 or 2 minutes at 200°C or 390°F.
   
   
2. Place your pork belly strips into an air fryer basket or tray. Put them on a single layer, do not overcrowd the basket or tray. Otherwise, it might not be golden brown. Too much will cause the meat to steam roast instead of roasting. 
   
   
3. Put the meat in the air fryer for 10 minutes. Flipping the strips halfway through cooking for even browning. This means 5 minutes on each side. 
   
   
   
   
4. After 10 minutes, take the pork out from the air fryer and brush it with honey. Again, I am using manuka honey; you can use whatever you have. Coat all sides. While you are working on brushing, turn up the heat to 230°C or 450°F. We are brushing honey at the later cooking stage to prevent it from burning and becoming bitter.
   
   
   
   
5. Now, put the pork again into the air fryer. This is the most crucial; after 1 minute and 30 seconds, flip and cook for another 2 minutes.
   
   
6. Take it out and brush more honey on the meat. Usually, the pork is cooked at this stage with this thickness. USDA recommends an internal temperature of 62°C or 145°F. So, you could check it with a meat thermometer if you have one. Or, if you are unsure, just cut and see the inside. With experience, you will know when the meat is done by touching or looking.
   
   
   

Garnishing the Dish

You could garnish any herbs and leaves that you like. I am using chopped parsley. Feel free to experience it.

Serving the Dish

Since we have 150 grams for each pork belly strip. You can share one with your loved one. Don’t worry; I will be greedy and consume 2 strips if you have no one like me. Eating it like a steak will be best. If you drink wine, pouring a cup of wine next to it sounds great.

What to serve with pork belly strips

Rice: Well, this one is classic. Rice always goes well with pork belly, no matter how you cook it.

Salads: Pair the crispy pork belly strips with a refreshing salad. Choose a mix of greens, such as baby spinach or arugula, and add some sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and a zesty dressing to balance the richness of the pork.

Side dishes: Complement the pork belly strips with tasty side dishes like roasted potatoes, grilled vegetables, coleslaw, or classic mac and cheese. If you tried Kenny Roger’s roast chicken, we would serve the same thing.