If you've ever had Korean BBQ pork belly — the kind where slices sizzle on a tabletop grill, edges going all crispy and caramelized while the middle stays impossibly tender — this is that feeling, made at home in an air fryer. Thick slices of pork belly coated in a sticky gochujang glaze, cooked until the fat renders out and the edges turn a deep, glossy mahogany. It takes about 25 minutes and you don't need a tabletop grill, a trip to a Korean restaurant, or any special equipment beyond the air fryer you already own.
Gochujang is the star here. If you haven't cooked with it before, you're in for something good. It's a Korean fermented chili paste that tastes like nothing else — sweet, spicy, a little funky from the fermentation, and deeply savory. Mixed with soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and garlic, it becomes this incredible glaze that clings to pork belly and caramelizes in the heat. The sugar in the gochujang and honey gets sticky and dark, the garlic gets toasty, and the pork fat renders until the edges shatter when you bite into them.
I got hooked on this combination at a Korean BBQ place in my neighborhood. The bill for two people was... let's just say I started figuring out how to make it at home. The air fryer version is honestly close to the restaurant experience, especially if you do the lettuce wrap thing — wrap a piece of crispy pork belly in a butter lettuce leaf with some rice, a dab of ssamjang, and a slice of pickled radish. That right there is one of the best bites in cooking.
Pork belly is rich. Really rich. It's basically alternating layers of meat and fat, and while that fat is what makes it so tender and flavorful, it can also feel heavy on its own. Gochujang cuts right through that richness. The chili heat wakes up your palate, the fermented tang adds a brightness that balances the fat, and the sweetness rounds everything out. It's a combination that Korean cooks have known about for centuries, and for good reason.
The air fryer adds another dimension that you don't get from pan-frying or grilling. Because the hot air circulates around each piece, the fat renders more evenly and the glaze caramelizes on every surface — not just the side touching a grill grate or pan. You get crispy edges all over, which is exactly what you want.
Most grocery stores carry pork belly now, but where you find it varies. Check the butcher counter first — they often have it fresh, and you can ask them to slice it for you (saves you the work). If not, look in the meat case near the pork chops and ribs. Asian grocery stores almost always have it, often pre-sliced, and usually at a better price.
For this recipe, you want skinless pork belly. The skin needs much higher temperatures and longer cooking to crisp up (like Chinese roast pork), and it'll just be chewy and rubbery in this preparation. If your pork belly has the skin on, slice it off with a sharp knife before you start. Save the skin for making crackling another time, or ask the butcher to remove it.
Slice the pork belly about 1/2 inch thick. This is the sweet spot — thin enough that the fat renders properly and the edges crisp, thick enough that the center stays juicy and tender. If the slab is very cold, pop it in the freezer for 20 minutes before slicing. Slightly firm pork belly is much easier to cut evenly than floppy room-temperature pork belly.
If you're new to gochujang, here's the quick version: it's a thick, dark red paste made from Korean red chili flakes (gochugaru), fermented soybeans, glutinous rice, and salt. It ferments for months, sometimes years, traditionally in clay pots outdoors. The result is a condiment that's spicy, sweet, savory, and has a fermented depth that sriracha or regular chili paste just doesn't have.
You'll find it in the Asian foods aisle at most supermarkets now. It usually comes in a red tub or squeeze bottle. Once opened, it lasts for months in the fridge — it's fermented, so it's naturally preserved. You'll find yourself putting it on everything: eggs, burgers, stir-fries, roasted vegetables, even in salad dressings.
If you absolutely cannot find gochujang, you can fake it with 1 tablespoon red miso paste + 1 teaspoon sriracha + 1 teaspoon honey. It won't taste identical, but it gets you in the right ballpark. For a more detailed look at Korean condiment swaps, check our guide to mirin substitutes — same kind of thinking for working around ingredients you can't find.
Skip the rice and lettuce. Warm up some small corn tortillas, pile on the crispy pork belly, top with quick-pickled red onion, cilantro, and a drizzle of sriracha mayo. Korean-Mexican fusion that actually works. The crispy pork, the soft tortilla, the crunch of the pickled onion — it's a great combination.
Double the honey in the glaze for a sweeter, stickier version. After cooking, toss the pork belly in an extra coat of the sweeter sauce while it's still hot. Think Korean fried chicken vibes, but with pork belly. Dangerously good with cold beer.
Replace half the gochujang with doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste) for a deeper, more savory flavor with less heat. This version tastes more like traditional Korean home cooking — earthier, funkier, less sweet. Great if you're not big on spice.
Add 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder to the glaze. The warm spices (star anise, cinnamon, cloves) add another layer that plays surprisingly well with the gochujang's fermented heat. Serve with jasmine rice and steamed bok choy.
The most traditional way to eat Korean pork belly is ssam-style — wrapped in lettuce leaves. Here's the setup:
The wrap: Butter lettuce or red leaf lettuce works best. You want leaves that are cup-shaped and big enough to hold a piece of pork belly plus toppings.
The rice: A scoop of steamed short-grain white rice in the lettuce leaf, under the pork belly. If you've got frozen cooked rice, microwave it with a splash of water — works great for this.
The condiments: Ssamjang (a dipping paste made from gochujang and doenjang — you can buy it premade), sliced raw garlic, green chili slices, and pickled radish (danmuji). Kimchi on the side is never wrong.
The technique: Lettuce leaf in your palm, add rice, add pork belly, add a dab of ssamjang and whatever extras you want, then fold and eat in one or two bites. It's messy and perfect.
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The glaze keeps the pork belly moist even after refrigerating.
Reheating: Air fryer at 375°F for 4-5 minutes. This re-crisps the edges and warms through the center. You can also reheat in a hot skillet with a tiny bit of oil — the direct contact re-caramelizes the glaze nicely. Microwave works for warming up but you lose all the crispiness.
Freezer: Freeze cooked pork belly in a single layer on a sheet pan, then transfer to a freezer bag once solid. Keeps for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen in the air fryer at 380°F for 8-10 minutes. You can also freeze the raw pork belly in the marinade — it marinates as it thaws, which actually gives you deeper flavor.
Meal prep note: This pork belly makes excellent bowl bases. Cook a batch, store it, and reheat portions throughout the week over rice with whatever vegetables you have. A fried egg on top doesn't hurt either.
Estimated values per serving (about 4-5 pieces of pork belly). Pork belly is a high-fat cut — that's what makes it so tender and flavorful. The rendered fat drips away during air frying, so actual fat consumed is somewhat lower than the raw numbers.
Gochujang is a Korean fermented red pepper paste. It's made from chili flakes, fermented soybeans, glutinous rice, and salt — fermented together for months until it becomes this thick, dark red paste that's spicy, sweet, and savory all at once. Most grocery stores stock it in the Asian or international foods aisle. CJ Haechandle (the one in the red tub) is the most common brand. It keeps for months in the fridge after opening.
About 1/2 inch thick. This gives you the right balance — thin enough for the fat to render and the edges to crisp, thick enough that the center stays tender and juicy. If you're struggling to slice evenly, pop the slab in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Slightly firm pork belly cuts much more cleanly than room-temperature pork belly.
Not for this recipe. The skin needs extremely high heat and extended cooking time to become crispy (think Chinese roast pork), and the gochujang glaze will burn long before the skin crisps up. Remove the skin before slicing. If you want to use it, save it and roast it separately at high heat for pork crackling — it makes a great snack on its own.
The closest substitute is mixing 1 tablespoon red miso paste with 1 teaspoon sriracha and 1 teaspoon honey. It won't have the same fermented depth that real gochujang does, but the flavor profile is in the right neighborhood. Sambal oelek mixed with a little miso and sugar is another option. For more ingredient swap ideas, check our mirin substitute guide — similar approach for finding what works when you're missing a key ingredient.
Two things: lower initial temperature and late application. Start cooking at 380°F to render fat and cook the pork through. Only bump to 400°F for the last 5-8 minutes when you apply the final glaze. The reserved sauce goes on late so it caramelizes (good) instead of charring (bad). If your air fryer runs hot, keep an eye on things during those last few minutes and pull the pork belly as soon as the edges look dark and glossy.