Air Fryer Recipe
Marmalade Glazed Pork Belly
An easy, delicious marmalade-glazed pork belly that cooks beautifully in the air fryer.
Ingredients
- 1kg pork belly, skin-on
- 150g marmalade of your choice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Score the pork belly skin in a criss-cross pattern, then rub it with salt.
- Put the marmalade, soy sauce, olive oil, garlic and ginger into a saucepan. Warm gently until smooth.
- Preheat the air fryer to 180°C (350°F).
- Place the pork belly in the air fryer basket, skin side up, and brush over the glaze.
- Air fry for 30-35 minutes, brushing with more glaze halfway through cooking.
- Check the internal temperature has reached 75°C (165°F) before serving.
- Leave to rest before slicing, then serve with sides such as steamed greens or mashed potatoes.
Why this works in an air fryer
The air fryer’s fast convection dries the scored skin while rendering belly fat from the top down. Marmalade sugars reduce into a sticky lacquer, while soy adds salt and browning; keeping the surface relatively dry early prevents the glaze steaming the skin instead of crisping it.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 5–6 litre basket holding a 1kg pork belly in one layer with airflow around the sides. In a single-drawer model, centre it skin-side up and rotate once; in a dual-zone, use the larger drawer alone rather than splitting the joint, as smaller pieces cook faster and the glaze can catch sooner.
Common pitfalls
- Skin looks pale and rubbery after 25 minutes: too much glaze or moisture is sitting on the skin; blot lightly, brush glaze more on the flesh/sides, and give it a further 5–8 minutes with good airflow.
- Glaze turns dark brown or bitter before the pork is cooked: the marmalade sugars are scorching; lower the temperature by 10–15°C, loosely shield the darkest patches with foil, and finish to 75°C internally.
- Edges are cooked but the centre is under temperature: the piece is too thick or cold from the fridge; continue in 5-minute bursts and check the thickest part, not the fatty edge.
- Basket is smoking heavily and the underside tastes greasy: rendered fat and sugary drips are burning in the drawer; carefully drain the drawer, wipe away burnt glaze, then continue cooking.
Variations & substitutions
- Use coarse-cut bitter orange marmalade for a sharper glaze; the peel pieces caramelise quickly, so watch for early darkening around the scored skin.
- Swap soy sauce for tamari to make it gluten-free; it browns similarly but can taste slightly stronger, so avoid adding extra salt until after cooking.
- Add a teaspoon of Chinese five-spice to the glaze; the spices bloom in the hot fat and suit pork belly, but any sugary glaze will still need monitoring.
- Use apricot jam instead of marmalade for a sweeter, less bitter finish; it has fewer peel solids, so it tends to glaze more evenly but can brown faster.
Storage & reheating
Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days, then reheat slices in the air fryer at 170°C for 5–7 minutes until hot and the edges re-crisp.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
