Air Fryer Roast Pork Loin with Crispy Crackling Recipe
This Air Fryer Roast Pork Loin with Crispy Crackling does exactly what it says on the tin and I've included instructions to make a simple and delicious gravy with the meat juices too. With tender meat and the crispiest skin, air frying this popular pork roasting joint is a true success story of modern technology!
If your air fryer requires pre-heating, start this setting now.
Thoroughly dry a 1½ 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.
The the pork so it is fat side down and drizzle with roughly 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil and ½ tbsp Sea Salt Flakes. Rub into the pork flesh.
Turn the joint back over and repeat with a further 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil and ½ tbsp Sea Salt Flakes. Don't miss all the sides.
Place the pork into the air fryer basket. 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 60 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.
Air fry for a further 20 minutes at 200℃/390℉.
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 its 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 300ml Water to the pan. Freshly boiled from the kettle will speed up the process.
Mix 3 tbsp Cornflour with roughly 3 tbsp Wateruntil 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 loin with crackling 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 2kg pork loin in the basket. This gives just enough room to allow air to circulate.
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.