This recipe for for Air Fryer Pork Shoulder Joint keeps things really simple! This favourite pork roasting joint is quick cooked for gorgeously juicy meat and the generous layer of fat air fries into the most deliciously crunchy crackling layer! Plus I’ve included instructions to make a delicious and simple gravy with the juices.
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Pork is easily my favourite meat in general and also my favourite meat to air fry. The crackling is perfection and the meat always stays deliciously juicy whether you’re air frying a thin pork chop or a whole joint like this shoulder roast, a pork loin joint or pork leg.
What I do want to stress, and actually I want to just generally shout from the roof tops, is that pork shoulder is not just for slow cooking – it is absolutely perfect fast roasted.
Shoulder cuts of pork are especially well marbled which keeps them extremely moist – you have to actively try to really overcook pork shoulder. They are often also the more economical of the cuts available too which really makes them a great option.
You can check out all my other air fried pork recipes here –
How to Serve
If you’ve been here before, you’ll know that I am a hardcore roast dinner girlie. So naturally I served this air fryer pork shoulder joint sliced on a full roast dinner, much of it air fried! I served with:
- Air fried stuffing balls
- Simple buttered carrot batons
- Air fried broccoli
- Air fried green beans
- Air fried honey roast parsnips
- Air fried roast potatoes
- Air fried butternut squash
And of course lashings of the gravy made with the meat juices for the roasted pork!
There are lots of other meals that you can serve roast pork shoulder with:
- Add mexican inspired spices, slice and serve with green coriander rice, a zingy peach salsa and my classic guacamole for a delicious rice bowl.
- Make a quick weeknight dinner with creamy mashed potatoes and simple boiled savoy cabbage.
- Stuff slices into soft white bread rolls along with spreadable paxo stuffing and apple or cranberry sauce.
Don’t forget this classic sauce!
Homemade British Apple Sauce Recipe (For Pork)
Ingredients
Pork Shoulder
Pork shoulder is pretty self explanatory as a cut. What is less clear is that the most similar cut is called “pork butt” in the US. However pork butt isn’t generally sold with the fat and skin layer like shoulder is here in the UK. That fat and skin layer is essential for a beautiful roast with that lovely crackling.
I like to look for a cut that is as evenly thick all the way across as possible. This means that it will cook evenly rather than having a skinny bit one end that overcooks and an extra thick part that remains undercooked. For the same reason I look for the skin to fully cover the joint and be relatively even across the meat.
I always opt for the largest piece that I can get away with. This is a 2kg/4.5lb piece which you will see in the recipe below was actually slightly too large to be cooked in my 4.7l basket air fryer still tied up. I was lulled into a false sense of security by it’s size when raw.
Although the joint will ultimately shrink when cooked, they do tend to puff upwards and in this case, puffed up enough for the skin to make contact with the cooking element. It wasn’t a problem, if you find this happens, simply remove the string and uncurl the meat a little. You will see how it then easily fit into the basket and cooked perfectly.
But – do try to take size into account when purchasing your meat.
Oil
Although you might think that with pork shoulder being a fattier cut of meat, adding extra oil might seem a bit odd but I promise there is a reason. It takes a little while for the fats in the meat to start to render and in the meantime, the outer edges can start to dry out.
A light layer of oil keeps the flesh moist, helps it to start browning and also gives the seasoning a surface to stick to. The same is true for the crackling layer, a little oil helps to kickstart the crisping process.
What oil you choose to use is as always up to you. I generally stick with a neutral vegetable oil. If you want to use a different oil like olive oil, take into account if the flavour will work with whatever you’re planning to serve it with.
Seasoning
It is important to season the meat and skin well. With the skin, the most important thing is salt which will help with the crisping process as well as flavour. I do just use sea salt flakes in this recipe – my preferred option is Maldon Sea Salt.
If you want to add additional herbs, spices and flavourings, feel free to do so. You can use any spice mixes you love, fresh or dried herbs or citrus zest. Think about how the flavours will interact with the oils that you use and what you intend to serve it with. Focus on adding the additional seasonings to the flesh rather than the skin and still don’t skimp on the salt.
Allergen Information
This recipe is free from egg, dairy, gluten and nuts.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How Long to Air Fry Pork Shoulder Joint
The 2kg/4.5lb shoulder joint takes 90 minutes to cook in total. There are a couple of points during that cooking process where the pork needs turning and the juices and fats released during roasting can be drained ready to make the gravy.
This size piece of pork is what is generally sold in UK supermarkets as a “large” roasting joint. Smaller pieces will require slightly less cooking time. But thickness of the joint is almost more important that the overall weight. So a 1kg/2.2lb joint will need more than half the cooking time.
How to Air Fry Pork Shoulder Joint From Frozen
Don’t! A piece of meat this size needs to be fully defrosted before starting to cook. Otherwise the outside will be black and dried out before the middle has started to cook, even at a lower temperature.
Leftovers – Storage & Reheating
Leftovers can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for several days. You can eat the leftovers hot or cold although more often than not I will choose hot as this allows the fats to become soft and melt a little.
I often reheat slices of leftover pork in the microwave with a drop of water to keep the meat moist. You can also loosely wrap the meat in foil with a drop of water again and air fry it until piping hot.
Neither of these methods will make any leftover crackling nice and crispy again. I actually like it a bit chewy but if I want it to be super crisp again, then it will just go straight in the air fryer on the maximum temp for a couple of minutes.
You can also freeze any leftovers – I do recommend slicing and freezing in portions as this will make the defrosting much quicker. And of course it gives you flexibility to only defrost what you need.
Common Air Fryer Questions – A Brief Guide to Air Frying
- What exactly is an air fryer?
- What are the benefits of using an air fryer?
- Are all air fryers the same?
- Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
- Do air fryers need to be pre-heated?
- What is the best temperature to air fry at?
- What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
- Can food be cooked from frozen in an air fryer?
- Can I reheat food in an air fryer?
- Are air fryer liners a good idea?
The Air Fried Feast Community
Come on over to Facebook and join my community discussing all things air fryer. Get involved in sharing your experiences and trials, help out others and find out what wonderful things everyone is cooking in their air fryers!
What Exactly is an Air Fryer?
Very simply, an air fryer is a small convection (fan) oven. The benefit is that the hot air is circulated all around the food being cooked which speeds up the cooking time and cooks the food more evenly.
What are the Benefits of Using an Air Fryer?
Size, time and energy usage. Air fryers are ideal for cooking smaller quantities. Heating up a space that the food just fits into requires less energy and means that the heat source is much closer to the food. Combining these two things can speed up the cooking time.
Are all air fryers the same?
Nope! The term air fryer is now used very broadly. I consider there to be 4 main types:
Basket Air Fryers
These are what I would consider to be the most common, especially in the UK. A boxy type unit has a pull out drawer/basket. Food isn’t usually visible whilst cooking.
Some larger models have two drawers so different items can be cooked at different temperatures or for different times.
This is the type that you’ll see in the images in this recipe. I mostly use a Cosori Lite 3.8L (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal. It isn’t an overly expensive or fancy model.
I’ve also recommended to several friends and family the model with a slightly larger basket. This is the Cosori 4.7L (CAF-L501) with a 4.7 litre basket. The unit is no larger than the 3.8 litre model on the outside but does have a larger internal basket capacity. I’ve since bought this version to use for some recipes where my smaller model was just too small. I’ll always note this in the recipe.
Rotary Air Fryers
Round air fryers with a paddle in the centre that rotates to move the food. This is the type I used for years – the most common is a Tefal Actifry.
Rotary types are not usually good for recipes where the food is breaded, glazed, likely to break up or in a tray/container. They do however make the best chips and roasted veg.
My 2 in 1 version like the one I’ve linked also has a rotating tray for things that could be broken up by a paddle, but the height clearance with the lid isn’t deep enough to use it to cook some items like sausage rolls. I’ve now actually retired by Actifry in favour of having my two basket type fryers.
Mini Oven Air Fryers
These usually have a glass door, shelves and overall are really quite large. You can cook quite a decent quantity of food in them so are best if regularly cooking for multiple people. They often come with extra features like a rotisserie spit or kebab skewers.
Multicookers with Air Fryer Functions
Some like Ninja 11 in 1 and some of the earlier versions with a few less functions, have an air fryer option. They mostly operate the same as a basket fryer but the basket drops in the top rather than sliding in like a drawer.
Some electric pressure cookers like Instant Pots can also air fry when used with a specific lid.
Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
As much as I do love air frying, the honest answer to this is no. And the more detailed answer is that it will always depend on what you’re cooking, how much of it you’re cooking and what type and size of air fryer you have.
Once you need to cook in more than 2 batches, it often makes more sense to use an oven. If you already have the oven on to cook other items, it may make more sense to throw one more item in rather than using an additional appliance.
I don’t think either method is often necessarily better than the other. The important point to note is that there is absolutely no difference in the finished product.
Do Air Fryers Need to Be Pre-Heated?
The answer to this is rather annoying – it depends. It depends entirely on your model and type of air fryer. The best advice I can offer is to check your manual and follow their guidance. My Cosori models have a preheat function. I press a button and it heats at 205c/400f for 4 minutes.
It’s also worth noting that regardless of whether you are supposed to pre-heat or not, if you are cooking in batches, it is quite likely that anything after the first batch will cook a little quicker because of the retained heat. It is best to check on them before the cooking time is completed.
What is the best temperature to Air Fry at?
It will always depend on what you are cooking and from what state. All of my air fryer recipes don’t use temperatures above 200c/390f because many of the most common fryers in the UK don’t go above this. Mine goes to 230c/450f and I use this temperature a lot but it is no help for me to share recipes which many people can’t use.
What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
Not all air fryers have different settings like this. When they do it usually relates to the fan speed. The default setting to use will always be “air fry” so unless something else is specifically stated in the recipe, always use the air fry option.
There are other air fryers that have an additional heating element which cooks from underneath rather than just the top. Just as with the other settings, unless you are using a recipe which states to use a second heating element, stick with just using the top down air fry option.
Of course if and when you become more confident with air frying, using recipes and the settings of your air fryer, you can start adapting them to suit.
Can Food Be Cooked From Frozen In An Air Fryer?
Absolutely! To cook from frozen you usually will need to reduce the cooking temperature and increase the time to make sure your food is cooked right through to the middle.
It is best to check my individual recipes for cooking from frozen advice as some items are a little different. And there are occasionally exceptions to the rule.
Can I Reheat Food In An Air Fryer?
Yes. As a general rule I reheat food for roughly 1/3 of the original cooking time at the same temperature. Or at 10 degrees lower for half the time for larger items.
Are Air Fryer Liners a Good Idea?
Unless otherwise stated, I do not use liners when air frying. Basket and rotary type air fryers are designed to be used without liners. Mini oven types will generally require some kind of tray like with a regular large oven although most come with crisper racks to use.
There are many air fryer liners available including quite thick silicone ones. These will affect the cooking times and possibly temperatures of your cooking/baking. I also don’t like how cooking juices are prevented from dripping through the basket rack. This can stop food from crisping all the way around.
When I do want to collect the juices, I mostly use some foil, or occasionally a foil tray which can be washed and reused.
If you do prefer to use them, once you have got a feel for how they affect your cooking and baking, you may need to make adjustments to the recipe accordingly.
More Air Fryer Recipes
All my recipes with instructions for how to cook or bake them in the air fryer can be found in my Air Fryer Recipe Index.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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The Recipe
Air Fryer Pork Shoulder Joint with Crackling Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 kg Pork Shoulder Joint - with skin for crackling
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tbsp Sea Salt Flakes
For the gravy
- 500 ml Water
- 4 tbsp Cornflour (Cornstarch)
- 4 tbsp Water
- Sea Salt Flakes
Instructions
Things to Consider
- Make sure that the joint has plenty of clearance in the air fryer with the drawer shut/lid on/door closed. The joints have a tendency of expanding as they start to cook so bear this in mind. I was overly optimistic so didn't realise this until later than I should – you will see the change in my step-by-step photographs. Luckily I realised within a minute of starting cooking – you can see the grill marks in this photo where I dealt with the problem. If you think there might be an issue, remove any string from the joint and unroll it as much as possible. You can also consider removing the crisper rack as I also needed to do.
- I suggest cooking this joint crackling side up, then down, then up again. This is for good reason. If you start with the skin down, I find it then never crackles at all so it needs the initial shock and crisp with the skin facing the heating element. But if you only cook it right side up, the joint doesn't cook through properly. The final blast with the skin up is essential for it to be fully crisp and crackled when serving. It is good to drain the juices/fat several times during the cooking process so I'd be stopping at each of these points to do that during the cooking process anyway.
Air Fry The Pork Shoulder
- If your air fryer requires pre-heating, start this setting now.
- Thoroughly dry a 2kg Pork Loin Joint.
- Use your sharpest knife to score lines in the fat. Make sure to go all the way to the edges. If the pork fat is already scored, chances are it will benefit from better scoring.
- Drizzle with roughly 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil and rub all over the joint including the underneath and ends.
- Season well with roughly 1 tbsp Sea Salt Flakes. Again, don't miss all the sides and underneath.
- Place the pork into the air fryer basket with the skin up. If it is a preheated basket, use 2 forks to lower the pork in so you don't touch the hot metal with your hands.
- Air fry for 45 minutes at 180℃/350℉.
- Secure the pork with a fork and carefully pour out any juices into a heatproof bowl. Remove the joint entirely to do this if you prefer.
- Turn the pork so it is skin side down and air fry for a further 30 minutes at 180℃/350℉.
- Repeat the process of removing the pork and draining all the fat/juices released into bowl with the previous lot.
- Turn the pork once again so it is skin side up and air fry for a further 15 minutes at 180℃/350℉.
- Check the pork is cooked through, you can see this by making a cut and checking that the meat is nearly white in the centre of the thickest part. I do this on the underneath.
- If you need to cook for longer, do so at the higher temperature. If the crackling is already fully crackled, turn the pork upside down to do this.
- Pour out the remaining juices and fat from the basket.
- Allow the pork to rest for at least 15 minutes. You can either leave the pork in the air fryer turned off or wrap it in foil and cover with a towel. Use this time to make the gravy.
- Don't forget to add any juices from the resting period to the reserved juices/fat or gravy if it's already made.
- Carve into thick or thin slices as preferred and serve. You may find it easier to remove the crackling in one piece and slice this separately. Otherwise carving upside down is the easiest way to get through the crackling without squashing the pork.
To Make The Pork Gravy
- Tip all of the drained pork fat and juices into small saucepan and start heating over a high heat.
- Add 400ml Water to the pan. Freshly boiled from the kettle will speed up the process.
- Mix 4 tbsp Cornflour with roughly 4 tbsp Water until all the cornflour has dissolved.
- Once the juices and water have come to the boil, add the cornflour slurry with one hand while whisking with the other.
- Continue to boil until the gravy is thickened. If after a few minutes, it is not thick enough for your liking, make up and add more cornflour slurry – add a little at a time. If it is thicker than you would like, add a little water at a time.
- Taste the gravy and add Sea Salt Flakes a little at a time until the gravy is flavoursome. Don't be shy, salt is your friend with gravy.
- Serve with the sliced pork.
Notes
- The air fryer version of this recipe is tested in a 4.7 litre capacity Cosori 4.7L (CAF-L501). I cannot fit a pork shoulder this size in my Cosori Lite 3.8L (CAF-LI401S) which has a square(ish) shaped basket of 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal. The depth of the basket is more of an important consideration in this case.
- Not all models advise preheating is required. Please follow the recommended instructions for your model. Mine has a specific preheat setting which is 4 minutes at 205c.
- For this recipe, I could just fit up to a 2.1kg pork shoulder in the basket. But only if I unfurled it and removed my crisper rack – which I am happy to do as it still cooks perfectly. A 1.5kg joint would fit in my air fryer without issue.
- As all air fryer models are a little different, you may find that you can fit more or less in at a time.
- Required cooking times and temperatures can also vary between models and brands. If you know that your air fryer runs a little hotter than most recipes suggest, use a lower temperature. And vice versa. Equally if you find that food cooks more quickly in your machine than instructions usually state, reduce the cooking time (or check it earlier) and vice versa.
Linda says
Absolutely delicious. Moist pork with perfect crackling, we all loved it.
Lesley says
I followed your instructions, turning the pork shoulder regularly and it was cooked to perfection. Lovely moist pork and the perfect crispy crackling.