Air-Fried Liempo: A Quick, Crispy, And Juicy Treat

Liempo, a Filipino dish, is a cut of pork belly with amazing layers of fat and meat that become rich and tender when cooked. While it is traditionally grilled over charcoal, you can also cook it in an air fryer for a convenient and mess-free option. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to make delicious liempo in an air fryer.

Marinating the pork belly

Firstly, prepare the pork belly by slicing it into pieces that are around 1/2-inch thick. This thickness is ideal for grilling, pan-frying, or baking, as it provides a nice balance of meat and fat. You can also cut the pork belly into small cubes or thin, small slices, depending on your preferred cooking method.

Now, it's time to make the marinade. The key ingredients for a traditional inihaw na liempo marinade are soy sauce, calamansi or lemon juice, garlic, pepper, and other spices. You can also add brown sugar to give the pork belly a hint of sweetness and a golden colour. Vinegar is another important ingredient, as it helps to tenderize the meat during marination. Additionally, you can use calamansi or lemon-lime soda (such as Sprite or 7-Up) to infuse the pork with a smoky and citrusy flavour. A small amount of ketchup will provide a reddish colour to the pork belly; you can use either banana ketchup or tomato ketchup.

Before adding the marinade, it is recommended to massage the pork belly with salt and black pepper. This helps the meat absorb the marinade better and locks in the flavours. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Don't be afraid to do a taste test and adjust the seasonings to your preference. You can add more soy sauce, calamansi juice, or even sugar to suit your taste.

Once your marinade is ready, it's time to add the pork belly. Place the pork belly strips into a bowl or container with an airtight lid, ensuring that all pieces are completely submerged in the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. For the best results, marinate the pork belly for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight (around 12 hours) to allow the flavours to truly develop.

Remember, the key to a perfectly cooked liempo is to prepare it ahead of time. So, after marinating, let the pork belly sit in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight. This drying process is essential to achieving that crispy skin when cooked.

By following these steps, you'll be well on your way to creating a delicious and flavourful liempo dish. The marination process is a key factor in the overall taste and texture of the final product, so take your time and enjoy the process of creating this mouthwatering Filipino delicacy.

Boiling the pork belly

Step 1: Prepare the Pork Belly and Water

Place the pork belly in a cooking pot and add enough water to completely cover or submerge the meat. You can also add other ingredients like onion, garlic, and bay leaves to the pot for extra flavor.

Step 2: Boil the Pork Belly

Turn on the stove and set it to medium heat. Allow the water to come to a rolling boil with the pork belly inside. This should take a few minutes, depending on the amount of water used. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.

Step 3: Simmer the Pork Belly

Cover the pot and let the pork belly simmer for an extended period, typically around 1 to 1.5 hours. This prolonged simmering time helps tenderize the meat and ensures it absorbs the flavors of the seasonings and water. Remember to add more hot water as needed to keep the pork belly fully submerged during this process.

Step 4: Remove and Season the Pork Belly

After the boiling and simmering process, remove the pork belly from the pot and let it cool down. Once it's cool enough to handle, rub salt all over the meat. This step is crucial for enhancing the flavor, and it's recommended to let the pork belly sit for at least 10 minutes to allow the meat to absorb the salt effectively.

Tips for Boiling the Pork Belly:

• Save the pork stock (the water used to boil the pork) as it can be used later for adding flavor to other components of your dish or even as a soup base.
• For a more intense flavor, consider marinating the pork belly before boiling it. A simple marinade of soy sauce, calamansi or lemon juice, garlic, pepper, and other spices can add a delightful zing to your liempo.
• If you prefer a faster method, you can opt to continuously boil the pork for 45 minutes to 1 hour without simmering. Just ensure that the water level doesn't get too low, and stop boiling once the pork is tender.

Air-frying the pork belly

Boiling and Seasoning:

Firstly, place the pork belly in a saucepan with aromatics like onion, garlic, and bay leaves. You can also add soy sauce for extra flavour. Fill the saucepan with enough water to cover the pork belly. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the meat is tender. Ensure the pork belly remains submerged by adding water as needed.

Drying:

After boiling, remove the pork from the saucepan and pat it dry with a paper towel. Poke holes or make scores on the fatty or skin side of the pork using a fork. This process is crucial for achieving a crispy skin. Sprinkle coarse salt generously over the fatty/skin area. The salt will help draw out moisture, making the skin pop and enhancing crispness.

Place the seasoned pork belly in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 3-4 hours or overnight. This drying process is essential to ensure the meat is as dry as possible before air frying. If there is still moisture on the meat after refrigeration, blot it with a paper towel.

Air-Frying:

Allow the pork to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before air frying. Preheat your air fryer to between 370F and 400F. Place the pork belly skin-side up in the air fryer basket, ensuring there is space for heat to circulate.

Air fry the pork belly for 20-30 minutes, checking on it after 20 minutes. You may need to flip the pork belly to ensure even browning and crisping. The meat is ready when it is golden and crispy.

Resting:

Remove the pork belly from the air fryer and let it rest for about 10 minutes. This step is crucial to allow the juices to redistribute and keep the meat moist.

Serving:

Finally, slice the pork belly to your desired thickness, usually about 1/2 inch. Serve with a dipping sauce like spiced vinegar, soy sauce, or a Filipino gravy called sarsa. Enjoy your delicious, crispy, and juicy liempo!

Making a dipping sauce

A good dipping sauce is essential to elevate your liempo dish. Here are some ideas for making a delicious dipping sauce to accompany your air-fried liempo:

Spiced Soy-Vinegar Dipping Sauce

For a simple yet flavourful dipping sauce, combine vinegar, soy sauce, minced garlic, and Thai red chillies. You can adjust the amount of vinegar and soy sauce to your taste preferences. This sauce pairs well with the crispy and juicy liempo, adding a nice tangy and spicy kick.

Sawsawan (Filipino Dipping Sauce)

If you want a more complex dipping sauce, try making sawsawan, a Filipino dipping sauce that goes perfectly with grilled or fried foods like liempo. This sauce has a great combination of savoury, sour, spicy, and slightly sweet notes, with a crunchy texture from the onions and juiciness from the tomatoes.

To make this sauce, you'll need distilled white vinegar, calamansi juice or lemon juice, sugar, bird's eye chillies or other chillies of your choice, a diced medium tomato, and a diced medium red onion. You can adjust the amount of sugar and chillies to your desired level of sweetness and spiciness. Simply mix all the ingredients together, and feel free to adjust the quantities to suit your taste. This sauce is not only delicious with liempo but also with fried tofu and grilled fish.

Other Dipping Sauce Ideas

You can also experiment with different dipping sauces by using various combinations of vinegar, soy sauce, spiced vinegar, brown sugar, spring onion, siling labuyo (bird's eye chilli), black pepper, sesame oil, and garlic. You can even add some leftover pork fat to your sauce for extra flavour, although the dish will be thinner than usual.

Remember, the key to a great dipping sauce is to adjust the ingredients to your taste preferences and to find the right balance of flavours that complement the juicy and crispy liempo.

Serving suggestions

Liempo is a delicious dish, but what do you serve it with? Here are some ideas for serving suggestions to accompany your air-fried liempo.

Firstly, it is a great appetizer or main dish. If serving as an appetizer, consider serving with drinks. If serving as a main, steamed rice is a must, along with some vegetable side dishes. Ginisang togue (bean sprouts) or ginisang munggo at sotanghon (mung bean thread noodles) are great options.

The liempo itself is often served with a spiced vinegar dip, or sawsawan. This is made with garlic, onion, Thai chili peppers, and black pepper. You can also add a teaspoon of sugar to taste. This dipping sauce is a must to add a tangy, refreshing element to the juicy, fatty pork.

If you want to make a sauce with more depth, try a soy and vinegar dip. Combine vinegar, soy sauce, minced garlic, and Thai red chilies. You can adjust the quantities to your taste.

Liempo is often served with other Filipino dishes, such as in a boodle fight or boodle fest. This is a great way to showcase the dish and impress your guests with a variety of flavors and dishes.

Finally, don't forget to cook enough! Liempo is so tasty that your guests will surely be asking for more, and you can always use any leftovers in other dishes, such as sinigang na inihaw na liempo or sisig.

Frequently asked questions