Air Fryer Pork Belly (lechon Kawali) is a Filipino favorite and indispensable in Filipino cuisine.

We love pork belly because of its good alternate layer of meat and fat.  We like this part for our lechon like lechon belly and lechon kawali.

What is Pork Belly

Pork belly comes from the underside of the pig.  It is boneless and has a layer of fat and lean meat.  It is good for grilling, roasting and other soup recipes like pork sinigang.

Ingredients

There are only a handful of ingredients for this dish.  They are the following:

Pork belly slab – choose a pork belly that has a good equal amount of fat and lean meat.  Skip those that have thick layer of fat.

garlic – for pleasant aroma.

onion- good aroma and flavor be infused to the pork while boiling.

salt – to season the meat.

peppercorn- – for that lovely fragrance.

ground black pepper – for flavor.

bay leaves – good aroma for the pork.

How to Cook Air Fryer Pork Belly

This style of cooking needs two major steps which is boiling and air frying.  We wanted it cooked through first by boiling. Then we will make it crispy by air frying.  So here goes the steps in making this crispy pork belly in air fryer.

Step 1. Put water in a cooking pot and add bay leaves, peppercorn, ground black pepper, garlic, onion and salt. Add in the pork slab  making sure it is submerged in the water.  If not, add water as needed.    Bring it to a boil for 30 minutes or until pork is fork tender.

Step 2.  Remove the pork from the pot and let it cool.  Pat it dry making sure all waters that it absorbed during boiling is taken out.  Then prick the pork skin using fork.  This will help in making the pork belly crispy.  If water comes out, pat it dry again with paper towel.  Rub salt all over the pork belly slab.

Step 3.  You are now ready to air fry the pork belly.  Place the pork belly in the air fryer basket and air fry for 390F/200C for 30 minutes or until pork is golden brown.  Flip the pork halfway through while cooking in the air fryer.

Pork Belly in Air Fryer without Boiling

If you want to cook pork belly in air fryer without having to go through boiling, you can still do it.  However, you need to extend the air frying time until it is cooked through.

Another option is to cut the pork belly meat into strips, coat it with seasonings or rub like a mixture of salt and pepper, garlic powder and onion powder then cook it in the air fryer until golden brown and crispy.

What Sauce goes well with this Dish

Our go-to dip for this air fried pork belly is soy vinegar dip consisting of soy sauce, vinegar, chopped onions and lots of chili as we wanted it spicy.  If you do not like it spicy, simply skip the chili.

Another option  that’s a favorite of my hubby is the ketchup and mayo combo.  It is perfect as well for this recipe.

Other Pork Belly Recipes You May Try

Recipe Card

Air Fryer Pork belly (Lechon Kawali)

Air Fryer Pork Belly (lechon Kawali) is a Filipino favorite and indispensable in Filipino cuisine.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Filipino
Keyword: Air Fryer Pork Belly
Servings: 3 people
Cost: $6

Equipment

  • Cooking Pot
  • Air Fryer

Ingredients

  • pound Pork belly slab about 400-500 grams
  • 1 medium Onion chopped
  • 3 cloves Garlic crushed
  • 1/2 tablespoon Peppercorn
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
  • 3 pieces Bay leaves
  • 2 tablespoons Salt divided

Instructions

  •  Put water in a cooking pot and add bay leaves, peppercorn, ground black pepper, garlic, onion and salt. Add in the pork slab  making sure it is submerged in the water.  If not, add water as needed.    Bring it to a boil for 30 minutes or until pork is fork tender.
  • Remove the pork from the pot and let it cool.  Scrape scum from the pork. Pat it dry making sure all waters that it absorbed during boiling is taken out.  Then prick the pork skin using fork.  If water comes out, pat it dry again with paper towel.  Rub salt all over the pork belly slab.
  • Remove the pork from the pot and let it cool.  Pat it dry making sure all waters that it absorbed during boiling is taken out.  Then prick the pork skin using fork.  This will help in making the pork belly crispy.  If water comes out, pat it dry again with paper towel.  Rub salt all over the pork belly slab.
  • Remove from air fryer, slice the pork and serve with your favorite sauce. Share and enjoy!