Torreznos are one of Spain’s most beloved bar snacks: thick strips of pork belly where the rind puffs up and becomes bubbling and crisp, while the meat underneath stays tender and juicy. The dish is especially associated with Soria, where it is served as a tapa with a piece of bread.
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Cooking torreznos in the air fryer means you skip the pot of hot oil and still get the crunchy rind the dish is famous for. The secret lies in the preparation: the strips are rubbed with coarse salt, seasoned with smoked paprika and left to dry uncovered in the fridge overnight. The air fryer handles the rest in two stages, first at low heat and finally at high heat with the rind facing up.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love torreznos in the air fryer
I’m crazy about the contrast in torreznos. First you bite through an airy, crisp rind, and then comes the soft layer of fat and the tender meat tasting of salt and smoked paprika. The ingredient list is very short: pork belly with rind, coarse salt and sweet smoked paprika, preferably pimentón de la Vera. In return, the dish demands patience, but most of the waiting happens in the fridge while you do something else.
The air fryer also keeps the dish manageable, because the circulating hot air both dries the rind and renders the fat, without the meat turning dry.
The difference between the air fryer and deep frying
Traditionally, torreznos are fried in plenty of oil, first at low heat and then at high heat, so the rind puffs up. In the air fryer you follow the same principle without an oil bath: the first stage at 130 °C renders the fat and dries the rind, and the last stage at 200 °C makes it bubble up. You avoid splatters, smoke and a pot of used oil, and the rendered fat collects at the bottom of the drawer.
My kitchen test of torreznos
I tested torreznos in my Cosori Dual Blaze, which has heating elements both at the top and the bottom of the same basket and therefore heats the strips evenly from both sides. I cut 600 g of pork belly into 8 strips about 2 cm thick, left them to dry uncovered in the fridge for at least 12 hours and cooked them first at 130 °C for 30 minutes, turning them halfway with tongs. Afterwards they got 10-12 minutes at 200 °C with the rind facing up, and this is where the transformation happened: the rind puffed up and turned golden brown and bubbling.
At the end I checked with a meat thermometer that the core temperature of the meat was at least 70 °C. In a few places the rind was still soft, and those strips got 2-3 more minutes at 200 °C. If you have a smaller air fryer, it is best to make the dish in two batches, so the strips always lie in a single layer with air between them.
Keep the smoked paprika on the meat sides, and let the rind get only salt. A clean, bone-dry rind is what gives the beautiful bubbles when the heat is turned up at the end.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is skipping the drying. A damp rind turns chewy instead of crisp, so leave the strips uncovered in the fridge for at least 12 hours, preferably up to 24, and pat the rind thoroughly with kitchen paper right before cooking. The next mistake is packing the basket too tightly. The strips should lie in a single layer with a little air between them, otherwise the fat renders unevenly and the rind doesn’t dry properly. The third mistake is forgetting the fat at the bottom of the drawer. Carefully pour it off before you turn the heat up to 200 °C, so it doesn’t start to smoke, and keep an eye on it for the last few minutes, so the rind turns golden brown and not too dark.
How to serve torreznos
Torreznos taste best warm, once they have rested for 5 minutes on kitchen paper, so excess fat is absorbed. Cut them into bite-sized pieces if you like, and put them on the table as a tapa together with, for example:
- Slices of country bread or other white bread
- Olives and diced Manchego
- A fresh tomato salad that adds acidity to the fatty meat
- Salted almonds and patatas bravas, if you want a bigger tapas table
Storage and reheating
Torreznos are best freshly cooked, but leftovers can easily be kept. Store them covered in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, and reheat them in the air fryer at 180 °C for 3-5 minutes, until they are crisp again. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months; thaw them in the fridge overnight before you heat them.
Torreznos take a little planning, but the actual work is minimal, and you get a tapa that quickly disappears from the dish. Follow the recipe below step by step, and remember that the dry rind is the whole secret.
FAQ
Usually because the rind wasn’t dry enough. Let the strips dry uncovered in the fridge for at least 12 hours, pat the rind with kitchen paper right before cooking, and give them 2-3 more minutes at 200 °C if the rind is still soft in some places.
Use pork belly with rind, boneless and in one piece. Cut it into strips about 2 cm thick, so each strip has rind along one edge.
Yes. The recipe uses sweet smoked paprika, but hot smoked paprika gives more of a kick. You can also mix 0.5 tsp garlic powder and a little dried oregano into the paprika if you want to vary the taste.
Recipe
Torreznos in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Step 1:
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Step 2:
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Cost of the dish
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Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
All our recipes are tested in a Philips Airfryer 2000 Series NA230/00 – 6.2 L
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 Paper towel
- 1 Rack - For drying in the fridge
- 1 Dish - To place under the rack
- 1 Tongs
- 1 Meat thermometer
Shopping list
Ingredients
How to make it
Preparation
- Pat 600 g pork belly with rind completely dry with kitchen paper, including the rind.
- Place the meat rind side down on a cutting board, and cut it with a sharp knife into 8 strips about 2 cm thick, so each strip has rind along one edge.
- Rub 2 tsp coarse salt into the strips on all sides, using most of it on the rind.
- Season the meat sides with 2 tsp smoked paprika, but keep the rind free of it, so it only has salt on it.
- Place the strips close together, rind side up, on a wire rack over a dish, and leave them to dry uncovered in the fridge overnight, for at least 12 hours.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 130 °C fan.
- Meanwhile, take the strips out of the fridge, and remove any beads of moisture and loose grains of salt from the rind with kitchen paper, so it is completely dry.
- Place the strips on their sides in the basket in a single layer with a little space between them, and cook them at 130 °C for 30 minutes. Turn them halfway with tongs, so the fat renders evenly and the rind dries out further.
- Turn the strips so the rind faces up in the basket, and lean them against each other or against the edge of the basket, so they don’t tip over.
- Turn the air fryer up to 200 °C fan, and cook the strips for 10-12 minutes, until the rind has puffed up and is bubbling and golden brown. Keep an eye on it for the last few minutes, so it doesn’t get too dark.
- Check with a meat thermometer that the internal temperature of the meat is at least 70 °C, and give the strips 2-3 more minutes at 200 °C if the rind is still soft in places.
Serving
- Place the torreznos on kitchen paper, and leave them to cool slightly for 5 minutes, so excess fat is absorbed and the rind becomes completely crisp.
- Serve the torreznos warm as a tapa together with 4 slices country bread.
Our notes for the recipe
The rind must be completely dry before it goes into the air fryer, otherwise it won’t puff up. So leave the strips uncovered in the fridge for at least 12 hours, and preferably up to 24 hours, and pat the rind thoroughly with kitchen paper just before cooking. Keep the paprika on the meat sides, so the rind only has salt on it. The low temperature at the start renders the fat and dries the rind, while the high heat at the end makes it bubble up without the meat turning dry. Carefully pour off the rendered fat from the bottom of the drawer before you turn the heat up to 200 °C, so it doesn’t smoke. Variation:
Mix 0.5 tsp garlic powder and a little dried oregano into the paprika, or use hot smoked paprika if you want more of a kick. Serving:
Serve the torreznos warm as a tapa with bread, and put olives, Manchego and a fresh tomato salad on the table alongside. You can also cut them into bite-sized pieces, so they are easy to eat with your fingers. Portion size:
If your air fryer is smaller, you can make the dish in two batches.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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