Times, Temperatures, Servings & Cooking Tips

Pork belly (based on 800g - increase or decrease cooking time dependent on weight)

Score the skin of the pork into the fat, but take care not to pierce through to the meat
Pat it dry with a paper towel then coat in a thick layer of salt. Set it aside for 15 mins then use a paper towel to dry it well
Preheat the air fryer to 160°C
Coat the meat with any flavourings and with oil. Keep the skin as dry as possible. Add some oil and a generous layer of salt to the skin
Line the air fryer with baking paper if desired and add the pork, skin-side up
Cook for 25-30 mins. Increase the temperature to 200°C and cook for a further 10-15 mins, or until the skin has crackled and the meat is cooked through
Allow it to rest for 10 mins before carving

Pork roast cuts bone in (i.e. shoulder, leg)

Score and salt the skin, and oil the meat
Preheat air fryer to 200°C
Time: 20 mins at 200°C, then 180°C for 30 mins per 500g of pork (i.e. for a 1.2kg roast this would be 60 minutes)
Leave to rest for 10 mins before carving

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Pork roast cuts boneless (rolled loin, boneless shoulder, boneless leg)

Score and salt the skin, and oil the meat
Preheat air fryer to 200°C
Time: 20 mins at 200°C, then 180C for 25 mins per 500g of pork (i.e. for a 1.2kg roast this would be 60 minutes)
Leave to rest for 10 mins before carving

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Pork steak or chops (approx. 2 cm thick)

Season steak or chops as desired (marinaded also works)
Preheat air fryer to 200°C
Cook for 12 minutes, and flip after 6 minutes
Rest for 2 mins before serving

Note: Adjust time if your steak is thicker or thinner than this, boneless may need slightly less time

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Pork schnitzel

Preheat air fryer to 200°C
Place schnitzel in air fryer basket and lightly spray with cooking oil
Air fry for 5 minutes before flipping the meat over. Spray the remaining side and cook for a further 4 - 5 minutes
Rest for 2 – 3 minutes before serving

Pork Sausages

Preheat air fryer to 180°C
Line air fryer basket with baking paper or lightly spray with cooking oil
Arrange sausages in a single layer in the basket
Cook for 10-15 mins, turning every 5 mins, until the sausages are cooked through.

Note: sausages can also be cooked from frozen, the time will just need to be increased (by approx. 5 – 10 mins)

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Preheating

Check your air fryer instructions for guidance on how to preheat (some air fryers have a preheat button, while others will just be programming in time and temperature)
The length of time to preheat will depend on the temperature you want to cook at and the size of your air fryer. Most air fryers will take less than 5 minutes to preheat.
While preheating is desirable, it’s not essential. If not preheated, the cooking time may just be a little longer.

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Baking paper

Be mindful of using baking paper – check your air fryer instructions to see if this is recommended. Some do not suggest the use of baking paper or tin foil as it can affect the airflow inside the air fryer.
If you are using baking paper, cut the paper to the size required and ensure the meat can weigh it down adequately. Failing to do so may result in the paper flying up into the element and burning. Do not use baking paper in the preheating process for this reason.

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Using oil

Using oil in an air fryer is perfectly fine and helps the meat to remain moist and come out looking golden brown. However, a little oil in an air fryer does go a long way. With most cuts of pork, simply rubbing some oil into the meat will be all you need. You can use either regular olive oil or a spray oil.

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Turning your meat

If you are cooking cuts like steaks, chops or schnitzel always turn your meat halfway through your estimated cooking time (unless you have a halo style air fryer which is automatically doing the turning for you).

Cooking with bone in or boneless cuts

Both are possible - if you are cooking meat on the bone the cooking time will likely be slightly longer than with boneless cuts (i.e. bone in chops v boneless steak and bone-in shoulder v boneless rolled loin).

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Checking temperature

It is useful to use a thermometer to check the meat is cooked properly – the internal temperature should be 71°C.

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Experiment with cooking times

There are many different models of air fryers available, all with different capacities and wattages. When you first start cooking in your air fryer, take advised cooking times as estimates and keep a close eye on the meat to avoid over or under cooking.