Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Air Fryer Pork Belly (Siu Yuk)
Crisp-topped pork belly offers a satisfying bite, with seasoned meat and soft fat beneath the crackling surface. Five spice gives the pork a warm fragrance that makes a plate of slices especially inviting.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 70 min
- Original yield
- Serves 3
- Ingredients
- 4 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Pork
- Cooking method
- Air fryer
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: over 60 minutes
A few quick notes
1. Dry skin matters
Pat the pork belly really dry before you start. The skin is trying to crisp, and extra moisture works against that, especially before the salt layer goes on for the first cook.
2. Salt crust, then clean slate
The salt on top is there for the first air fry only. After that cook, remove the crust and discard every bit so the final pork belly tastes seasoned, not salty.
3. Two temperatures, two jobs
The lower air-fryer round with salt helps pull moisture from the skin. The hotter round happens after the vinegar brush, when the surface crisps and the pork belly finishes.
Get to know the ingredients
Pork belly
Choose an even slab if you can, with smooth, hair-free skin and a good balance of fat and meat. The recipe starts by rinsing and patting it dry, so don’t skip the drying.
Five spice powder
The five spice goes on the bottom of the pork belly, not the skin. Scoring the underside first gives the seasoning a little more surface to cling to.
Vinegar
Brush the vinegar on right before the hotter air-fryer round. It goes on the surface after the salt has been removed, helping the skin tighten as it crisps.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 3. Original quantities shown.
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How to make it
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Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Serve it straight away
Once the pork belly comes out of the air fryer, slice it into pieces and serve immediately. That’s when the skin is at its crispest and the layers cut cleanly.
A little more help as you go
Line the basket first
Use two layers of parchment paper or aluminum foil in the air fryer basket before the pork belly goes in. It catches the salt and juices and makes the mid-recipe salt removal less messy.
Season the right side
The shallow cuts and five-spice rub belong on the bottom of the pork belly. Keep the top reserved for the salt layer first, then vinegar before the final air fry.
A few questions you might have
Do I score the skin or the meat side?
Score the bottom of the pork belly with shallow slits. The skin side stays intact so it can dry under the salt layer and crisp during the hotter air fry.
Should the five spice go on the skin?
No. Rub the five spice powder and the smaller amount of salt onto the bottom of the pork belly. The top gets the separate salt layer for the first cook.
How careful do I need to be when removing the salt?
Be thorough. After the first air fry, remove the salt crust and discard every bit of it before brushing on the vinegar and cooking again.
When does the vinegar go on?
Brush the vinegar on after the salt crust has been removed, just before the final air fry at 200°C. It’s part of the crisping step, not the seasoning rub.
Why line the air fryer basket?
The pork belly sits on two layers of parchment paper or aluminum foil before cooking. That lining helps contain the salt and drippings while the pork belly air fries.
Any more cooking tips?
I always go for a thick, even slab with smooth, hair-free skin and a good fat-to-meat ratio (about 50/50). A fat layer around 0.25 to 0.5 inches (0.6 to 1 cm) keeps it juicy without being greasy. Moisture is the enemy of crispy skin! I pat the pork belly dry with paper towels. If I have a bit of time, I let it air-dry at room temperature before cooking. I always coat the skin with a layer of salt during the first cook. It pulls out moisture, giving me that ultra-crispy texture. Just brush it off before the final air fry. Right before the last round of air frying, I brush on a little vinegar. It tightens the skin and makes it even crispier.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: rasamalaysia.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.