Ella Walter
Cooking pork loin with crackling in an air fryer is a great way to get tender, juicy meat with a crunchy, crispy skin. The air fryer's high heat means the meat spends less time cooking, so it stays moist and forms a browned crust. It's also a good way to save on energy costs compared to oven-roasting. You can use any cut of pork, but a tender cut like pork loin is better suited to fast cooking. The size of the roast will depend on the size of your air fryer, and the cooking time will depend on the size and weight of the joint.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Benefits | Cooking pork loin in an air fryer results in crunchy crackling and tender, moist pork. It is also more energy-efficient than using an oven and frees up the oven for side dishes. |
| Meat type | Boneless pork loin |
| Meat weight | The cooking time will depend on the weight of the joint. A 680g joint takes 50 minutes, while a 1kg joint takes 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. |
| Meat preparation | Remove the pork from the fridge 20-30 minutes before cooking. Score the skin with a sharp knife, being careful not to cut through to the flesh. Rub the skin with oil and season with salt. Trim away any excess fat. |
| Cooking temperature | Set the air fryer temperature to between 180°C and 210°C. If the crackling is not formed, increase the temperature to 200°C or 220°C for the last 5-10 minutes. |
| Cooking time | Cooking time will depend on the weight of the joint. A 680g joint takes 50 minutes, while a 1kg joint takes 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. A larger joint of 1.3kg will take longer than 70 minutes. |
| Resting time | Let the pork rest for at least 15-20 minutes before carving and serving. |
| Sides | Mashed potatoes, green vegetables, apple sauce, and gravy. |
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What You'll Learn
Air fryer settings and timings
The exact cooking time and temperature will depend on the size of the joint and the make and model of your air fryer. It is recommended to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the pork. The internal temperature should be 70°C/160°F (medium/well done).
For a 1kg joint, one source recommends cooking at 210°C for 20 minutes, then reducing the temperature to 160°C and cooking for another 40-50 minutes. For a 1.5kg joint, the same source recommends increasing the cooking time to 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
If your joint is larger than 1.3kg, another source recommends cooking at 180°C or 350°F for 70 minutes or longer. If the crackling is not to your liking, you can increase the temperature to 200°C or 400°F for the last 5-10 minutes.
If you are using a Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 Rapid Cooker, one source recommends using the Steam Air Fry setting. The same source notes that the cooking time for their 1.3kg joint was 1 hour and 10 minutes.
It is important to note that the cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of your pork loin. If the crackling forms before the pork is cooked through, you can cover the crackling with foil and continue cooking at 180°C/350°F until the desired internal temperature is reached.
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Preparing the pork joint
The day before you plan to cook the pork, prepare the meat by scoring the rind or skin with a sharp knife. Be careful to only cut the skin and not the fat or meat underneath. Pat the skin dry with a paper towel and rub salt into the cuts. Leave the joint uncovered in the refrigerator for 24 hours, checking once or twice to wipe off any liquid.
On the day of cooking, remove the pork from the fridge 20-30 minutes before cooking. You can also brine the pork loin during this time by submerging it in a solution of 4 tablespoons of kosher salt to 4 cups of cold water for 1-3 hours. If you do brine the meat, pat it dry and omit salt from the rest of the recipe.
Before placing the pork in the air fryer, drizzle the skin with sunflower oil and rub in coarse salt. Place the joint skin-side down in the air fryer basket, ensuring it doesn't touch the heating element, and set the temperature to 180°C or 350°F. For a 1.3kg joint, set the time for 70 minutes, adjusting the time as needed for larger joints.
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Cooking the pork joint
Preparation:
Firstly, ensure you have a pork joint with the skin on, as crackling is crispy pork skin. Score the rind lengthways, being careful not to cut through to the fat and meat underneath. Pat the skin dry with a paper towel, then rub salt into the cuts. Leave the pork roast to rest uncovered in the refrigerator, skin side up, for around 24 hours. Check on it once or twice and wipe off any liquid that appears.
Cooking:
Remove the pork from the fridge 20-30 minutes before cooking. Drizzle the skin with oil and rub it in, then season well with salt. Place the joint into your air fryer basket, ensuring there is enough space above it so it doesn't touch the heating element. Set the temperature to 180°C or 350°F and the time to 70 minutes for a 1.3kg joint, adjusting the time for larger or smaller joints. For a 1kg joint, cook at 210°C for 20 minutes, then reduce to 160°C for 40-50 minutes.
Checking for Doneness:
Use a digital probe thermometer to check the doneness of your pork joint. The internal temperature should be 70°C/160°F for medium/well done. If the crackling hasn't formed to your liking, increase the temperature to 200°C or 400°F for the last 5-10 minutes.
Resting:
Remove the crackling with a sharp knife and wrap the joint in kitchen foil. Leave the pork to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving.
Tips:
- If you want to add extra flavour and moisture to your pork loin, try brining it before cooking.
- You can cook potatoes and other side dishes in the air fryer alongside the pork.
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Resting and serving the joint
Resting the joint is an important step in the cooking process. Once the internal temperature of the pork has reached 70°C or 75°C, remove the joint from the air fryer and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. This allows the juices to settle, ensuring the meat is tender and moist.
While the joint is resting, you can prepare your sides. If you haven't already, now is a good time to cook your potatoes and vegetables. You can also make a gravy to accompany the pork. Since pork loin is a lean cut, there won't be any juices to use for gravy, but you can make it without drippings.
After the joint has rested, use a sharp knife to remove the crackling. If you prefer, you can remove the crackling before letting the joint rest and cook the skin separately at a higher temperature to get it extra crispy.
Finally, carve the joint and serve. Pork cooked in an air fryer goes well with apple sauce, mashed potatoes, and your favourite vegetables.
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Making gravy
While your pork loin is cooking in the air fryer, you can make a simple gravy on the stove. Since pork loin is a lean cut, you're unlikely to get any juices from it, but you can still make gravy without drippings.
First, trim away any excess fat from the outside of the pork loin. Then, make a seasoning rub with brown sugar, ground mustard, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. You should get around 3.5 tablespoons of rub from these ingredients. Coat the roast with olive oil and massage the seasoning rub onto the meat.
After cooking the pork loin, remove it from the air fryer and let it rest on a plate. Add any juices that have collected on the plate to your gravy. You can also add any juices from the air fryer pan.
To make the gravy, add one cup of chicken broth to a saucepan, along with any remaining seasoning rub, and simmer for about five minutes. You can also add in any juices from the cooked meat to add extra flavor.
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Frequently asked questions
To get the perfect crackling, score the skin of the pork loin joint with a sharp knife, rub in oil and salt, and place the joint skin side down in the air fryer. Set the temperature to 180ºC and cook for 40 minutes. Then, turn the joint over and cook skin-side up for another 40 minutes.
Set your air fryer to 180ºC or 350°F. If you want to speed up the cooking process, you can set the temperature to 200ºC or 400°F for the last 5-10 minutes.
The cooking time will depend on the size of your joint and the make and model of your air fryer. For a 1kg joint, cook at 210C for 20 mins, then reduce the temperature to 160C and cook for 40-50 mins. For a 1.5kg joint, cook at 210C for 20 mins, then reduce the temperature to 160C and cook for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the joint has reached 70°C/160°F (medium/well done). You can also check that the juices run clear.
You can still follow the recipe instructions to make a delicious pork roast without crackling.
