This method of making pork belly creates a delightfully crispy pork belly that’s tender and melt in your mouth on the inside. It’s perfect for sandwiches, wraps, or served by itself as a snack.

We incorporated these as the main event in our clay oven Banh Mi-inspired sandwiches. We made our own quick pickled carrots (see below for the recipe) and purchased the clay oven bread from a local Asian supermarket (bakes in the oven in 10 minutes).

CRISPY PORK BELLY

Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound of pork belly
• 3 cups of water
• 2-3 tablespoons of light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 4-6 whole garlic gloves
• Suggested sandwich ingredients:
  • Mayo and Sriracha as condiments
  • Picked Carrots
  • Scallions

STEPS:

• Slice the pork belly into 2-3 inch chunks
• Add pork, water, garlic cloves, soy sauce, salt, black pepper, and cumin (all ingredients) into an Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Cook on high for 15 minutes
• Allow a natural release for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure. This will ensure the pork ends up very tender
• Remove the pork from the instant pot and place onto a strainer lined with paper towels. Let it sit for 10 minute. This step is important to dry out the pork, ensuring it achieves maximum crispiness in the air fryer.
• Spray the bottom of your air fryer. Place a single layer of pork into the fryer, and cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes

QUICK PICKLED CARROTS

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 carrots, ideally thinly sliced by hand into 2 inch lengths. Otherwise, shredding works as well
• Rice wine vinegar to soak the carrots in
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of salt

STEPS:

• Toss together carrots, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a bowl and let sit at room temperature for 30-60 min (the longer the better)
• That’s it! Feel free to keep any leftovers covered in the fridge for your next sandwich in a couple days. The carrots will further pickle.