Can I cook the Roasted Pork Belly in the Air Fryer?
- As per recipe steam in the Varoma, then cook in the air fryer for 15 – 20 mins at 200 degrees. You may need to slice it after steaming to fit in the air fryer. You can thicken the apple sauce by cooking it for 5 mins in the thermie at 70 degrees.
- Deboned Pork Belly may take less time but the ones with bones still in taste better.
- Make sure the skin is dry and then score & salt liberally without oil.
Can I steam and bake later?
- same day can be done, but be sure to dry out the rind for the crackling.
Other thermals:
o Bellini fine
o Kogan and Bellini tea towel over top
o Kitchenaid add apples to small basket
• Oven temperature is based on fan forced
• Ovens are individual cook til crackles
• No varoma – cook the pork in basket no apples.
Meat:
- Yes Belly is a fatty cut of meat but so delicious, use another cut if this is not your preference
- Bones – yes this is normal for there to sometimes be bones in your pork belly, just leave them in and eat around
Can I use a different size piece of meat?
- Larger piece of belly – layer in both trays
- 2kg extra 40mins steam & oven extra 20mins, (switch to grill for the last 20 mins for crackle)
- 1.6kg extra 30mins steam & oven extra 20mins, (then into air fryer for the crackle)
- Note – check water levels if extending steaming times
- Smaller (500g) reduce by 10 mins, pour less of apple sauce around when going into oven
Other cuts used by Skinnies
- Rolled pork roast leg (unroll or keep rolled either is fine, just remove string)
- Pork shoulder
- Boneless pork piece
- Roast pork
- Rolled loin
§ Increase steaming time and steam in varoma dish (deep one) versus tray.
§ Cooking time – 1.4kg shoulder steam 1.5hr, oven 40 mins
Crackling
Steam as per recipe, pat dry with paper towel, rub in with fingers some olive oil & sprinkled with salt and put in preheated oven 250C approx. 40 mins with apple sauce. If doesn’t crackle take off and pop under the grill. Can use BBQ/Weber also if doesn’t crackle (crank the Weber on high and chuck it in and check after 10 min)
Apple sauce:
- Makes a lot of sauce
- It is quiet liquid but will thicken up in the oven
- With or without is fine – use x water to steam
- Apples and water remain in jug when steaming the pork
Red or green apples?
- Green are more tart which helps to balance out the fatty taste of the pork
- People who have used both have found the green to be better
- If using red or pink, which are sweeter, you can leave out the honey
Do I peel the apples?
- The skin of the apple contains pectin which helps the sauce to thicken.
- The recipe says to core the apples, but the core / seeds also contain pectin so people have left the core in successfully by just quartering the apple and throwing it in!
• Apples are poured in the dish around the pork before going into the oven
• I’ve burnt the apple – you could add the apples to the oven at later
Serving suggestions:
- roast potatoes & steamed veggies,
- sweet potato mash & steamed or roast veggies,
- green veggies,
- baby potatoes, greens & parsnip mash,
- salad,
- roast spuds and pumpkin and a basic mixed lettuce and fresh apple salad with caramelised onion and honey balsamic dressing,
- Asian herbs and greens and garlic lemon mash o Vietnamese Salad
- Serving variation – Chopped it up and made them into tacos with slaw and avocado, tomato & grilled corn salsa!