Flæskesteg (Danish Roast Pork)

Danish Christmas Dinner

If you ask anyone in our house, Danish Christmas dinner is the best meal of the year. We have grown up eating it for every single Christmas, yet somehow we never get tired of it. Perhaps that is why we love it so much – because we only eat it once a year! But honestly, it is a delicious main dish for a big gathering. While we also do like Thanksgiving food, the centerpiece of Danish Christmas dinner beats turkey any day. So if you are looking for something delicious to serve this Christmas, this is the recipe for you! Actually, it would also work well for a big dinner party any time of the year. Our flæskesteg recipe will give you delicious, juicy, and hearty slices of pork with a crispy crackling on top.

Side Dishes

You may be wondering: what is this served with at Christmas dinner? Well, the answer would be a lot of potatoes. We have simple boiled potatoes, which we cover in as much gravy as possible. Then there are brunede kartofler, which are small potatoes cooked in a caramel sauce (they are SO delicious). In our family, we also cook a roast duck with apples and prunes – recipe can be found here! Then, there is the deliciously refreshing and colorful rødkål, or braised red cabbage. We also serve Christmas dinner with a few other small things, like different types of pickles, gravy, and potato chips (for the crunch!). Dessert is a delicious sweet almond rice pudding covered in warm cherry sauce, which has one whole almond in it. The winner of the almond (the one who finds it in their dessert) gets the “almond gift.” Anyway, we love our fun traditions and our food!

Cooking a Flæskesteg

The most essential part of cooking an authentic Danish pork roast is acquiring a roast with the rind still on it. This is what gives you the most delicious part: the pork crackling! Otherwise, it is a very straightforward recipe. Simply season the roast with salt, pepper, rosemary, and bay leaves, and roast for about an hour in a roasting tin with an added 2 cups of water. Remove any of the fresh herbs after the first hour so that they do not burn, then continue to roast for another hour and a half. Keep in mind that this is for a 6 lb roast, so if yours is smaller or bigger, you will need to adjust the time accordingly! You can then put it under the broiler for about 5 minutes if the rind is not as crispy as you want it to be. Let this rest for a bit, then cut and serve. We hope you try it out – leave a comment below if you do!

Flæskesteg (Danish Roast Pork)

5 from 3 votes

This recipe makes the most delicious, juicy, and tasty slices of pork – perfect for a traditional Danish Christmas dinner! And our favorite part – the pork crackling on top – is crispy and crunchy, adding an amazing savory taste and texture to the dish.

Servings 6 people

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

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IMPORTANT NOTE:

We always bake using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and milliliters). We can’t promise that our cup measurements will be as accurate! Additionally, we bake and develop our recipes in a convection (fan) oven.

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2.75 (6 lbs) kg pork loin with the rind on (we order ours imported from Denmark, but if you have a butcher, you can request/ask them to help you with getting a cut that has the rind on still!)
• Flaky salt
• Pepper to taste
• Fresh bay leaves (can also use dried!)
• Fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)
• 2 cups water (for the roasting pan)

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 325F (160C) – we set our oven to convection roast.
• Remove the pork loin from its packaging and pat it completely dry.
  
• If you have a cut of pork loin that has the rind attached and is pre-sliced, rub flaky salt in between the slices of rind. If you have a cut that is not pre-sliced, slice the rind into about 1 cm thick pieces; make sure you are cutting down through the fat layer below, but NOT through the meat.
  
• Season with salt and pepper all over.
• Stuff bay leaves and rosemary sprigs (optional) between the rind.
  
• Place in a roasting dish that has an elevated rack; add 2 cups of water to the dish (if you don't have an elevated rack, don't add the water!).
• Before roasting, make sure the pork loin is sitting evenly on the dish. If one end is lower, add slices of potato until the top of the pork loin is level. This will help make sure the rind cooks evenly.
  
• Roast for about one hour, then remove the bay leaves and the rosemary sprigs so they don't burn. You can optionally baste the pork loin at this point.
  
• Roast for about an hour to an hour and a half longer (for a 6lb roast, this will be a total of 2-2.5 hours [20-25 minutes per pound]; this will vary widely depending on the size of your roast and also your oven; if you have a smaller roast, you may want to start checking the temperature far earlier, perhaps after just thirty additional minutes!); check the temperature of the meat. It should reach at least 145F (~63C). If the internal temp has not reached 145F, roast for 15 minutes at a time and continue to check the temperature so it doesn't get overcooked.
• The rind should be starting to crackle at this point; if the pork loin has reached the desired internal temp and the rind still look flat and not crispy, turn on the broiler for about 5 minutes, keeping an eye on it! It should start to puff and get very crispy! (note – if using the broiler, just make sure you aren't burning the top! It can begin to darken very quickly!)
  
• Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Cut into slices following the cuts on the rind. Enjoy with gravy and a side of potatoes and braised red cabbage!
  

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Danish

Keyword: classic, december, festive, juleaften, pork, pork rind, roast, traditional, winter

Difficulty: Beginner