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)
Ingredients
- 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!
My parents immigrated to the US from Danmark in the 1960’s and havent had Flæskesteg since. This year we imported a Flæskesteg and can’t wait to give them a taste of home. Thank you for the detailed recipe to help make it memorable.
That is amazing, thank you for leaving a comment – we hope you have a great holiday and enjoy your Flæskesteg! God Jul!
Hi Sofie, could you please let me know what site you use to import? Hubby is Danish and been trying to get my hands on this for a few years. Was able to get it once then not sure if the butcher place got sold or what but they couldn’t figure out what I was asking for. A lot of places say it isn’t possible. Also been looking for Danbo cheese.
Sofie and our mom both buy the pork from the Scandinavian Butik in Connecticut! We have not found a butcher that can get it for us in the US either 🙁 I’m in the UK, so it’s pretty easy to find in a supermarket. Pretty sure the Scandinavian Butik also sells Danbo cheese! – hope that helps 🙂
Thanks so much Emma! I think I’ve been on that site before but lost it. Definitely will be a nice surprise for my hubby to be able to get something from “home”. Cheers!
Hi, ….. I am a South African married to a Dane, and our annual battle every year is to cook the Pork correctly and to get the Crackling cripsy. My question is, how do I scale down the cooking time, if I have a 1.5kg Pork Loin? … much appreciate your guidance here. Thank You….
We are doing 1kg. I always use this calculator.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/roast-calculator
Hi, I am based in South Africa, married to a Dane, and this year I am going to attempt to make the Flæskesteg. (He has done it every other year). I need to ask, my loin is 2kgs – your receipe is 2.75kgs. First step – No. 8 you say to cook for an hour – should I shorten this time or still do 1 hour. Also you say optional to baste at this stage – what would I be basting with?
I gather thereafter, I should cook for a further 30mins and keep an watch temp of meat ……
Really appreciate your assistance ….. total novice here!
Hi! Saw both your comments but going to respond to this one! In the recipe we listed it should be about 20-25 minutes per pound, which for your roast at 2 kilograms should be at least 90 minutes, perhaps 15 minutes more! I would start by cooking it for that first hour, then removing the aromatics. As far as the basting at that point, there’s juices that collect at the bottom that you could spoon over the top of the pork roast! Then after you put it back in the oven, check it after 30 more minutes (so that’s 90 minutes total) and see if the internal temperature has reached 145F (~63C). If yes, and the pork rind hasn’t puffed up, I would put it under the broiler for 5 mins (keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t burn!) and watch for it to puff up! If you have a kitchen torch you could also try to use that! Hope this is helpful and good luck!!
Aah thanks so very much, I will be sure to report back after the meal …..