Pork can be a tricky protein to cook quickly and at high heat, such as over a hot flame. I personally have a little trouble getting pork to cook evenly on my outdoor charcoal grill. The circulating air and heat in an air fryer ensures that pork cooks more evenly. You can cook chops, ribs, roasts, and prepared pork products in your air fryer. A healthy way to cook bacon is in the air fryer so that the strips are not swimming in grease.
Brine, Marinate, Dry Rub, or Coat in Breadcrumbs
Pork can greatly benefit from a little extra TLC when preparing it for the air fryer. Tougher cuts of pork, such as shoulder chops or picnic roast portions, are good candidates for brining overnight in a water, salt, and sugar solution. Before cooking baby back ribs or country style ribs, marinate them in a light barbecue sauce or coat them in a dry rub seasoning mixture.
When cooking tender, boneless pork chops, you might want to consider coating them in breadcrumbs. The crumbs will get crunchy while the meat will remain moist. Just add a nice sweet and sour dipping sauce like the one in our Breaded Boneless Pork Chops recipe.
Be Mindful of the Temperature
Keep a digital meat thermometer on hand so you can check the pork while it is cooking. Pork should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F. Lean cuts can still have a slight pink interior. Overcooking pork chops and tenderloins can dry them out. However, ribs, bacon, and ham can benefit from being cooked well done up to 190°F.
Always Rest Pork
Similar to other animal proteins, it is best to rest your chops and roasts before slicing into them. This allows them to remain juicy. Just place the pork on a clean cutting board and tent it loosely with foil. Leave it alone for 10 to 15 minutes for moist meat.
Below you’ll find links to our tasty air fryer pork recipes. If there’s some recipe you would like to see on our site, please leave a comment below.
Leave a Reply