Flæskesteg is a glorious roast pork dish typically served on Christmas Eve in Denmark, but also makes for a great dinner party centerpiece on any ordinary night.
Crispy and crackly on the outside. Beautifully moist and light pink on the inside. The Danish pork roast is a tradition worth embracing even if you’re not Scandinavian. It looks gorgeous, tastes divine, and will elicit oohs and aaaahs from across your holiday table.
The holidays is a time for indulging in delicious, hearty meals with loved ones, and there’s no better way to celebrate the season than with a classic Danish pork roast. Known as “flæskesteg” in Denmark, this traditional dish is the perfect combination of juicy, tender pork and crispy, golden crackling. 
Not only is Danish pork roast delicious, it’s also relatively easy to prepare, which means you can focus on enjoying the company of your friends and family instead of stressing out in the kitchen. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a big, delicious roast on a cold winter day?
There are a few tricks to getting the cracklings on a Danish pork roast perfectly crispy:
Start with a good-quality roast:
Look for a cut with a thick layer of fat and plenty of marbling. This will help the cracklings crisp up nicely and give the roast plenty of flavor.
Score the fat:
Use a sharp knife to make shallow cuts in the fat layer of the roast, taking care not to cut too deep into the meat. This will help the fat render out and allow the cracklings to crisp up.
Season the roast:
Rub the roast all over with a mixture of salt, pepper, and any other spices you like (such as garlic, paprika, or herbs). This will help to flavor the cracklings and give them a nice, savory taste.
Preheat the oven:
Preheat your oven to at least 450°F. This high heat will help the cracklings get nice and crispy.
Let the roast rest:
Once the roast is cooked, let it rest in the oven for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. This will allow the juices to redistribute and make the roast easier to carve.
Flæskesteg – Danish Roast Pork
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Flæskesteg is a glorious roast pork dish typically served on Christmas Eve in Denmark.
Ingredients
- 1.5–2lb. boneless pork roast, with rind and fat intact
- Dried bay leaves
- Whole cloves
- Sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450.
- Pat the pork dry. With a sharp knife, cut 1/2-inch incisions into the rind and halfway down the fat.
- In a small bowl, mix 2 to 3 tablespoons of good sea salt with a teaspoon of dried cloves so that the aroma infuses. Rub the mixture all over the pork. Finish it with a light shower of freshly cracked black pepper.
- Insert a few bay leaves here and there into the cuts. You can also stud the pork with a few more cloves, if you like.
- Roast the pork at 450 for 30 minutes. Best part is seeing the crisping in process.
- After 30 minutes, lower the heat to 350 degrees and add 3 cups of boiling water to the roasting pan. Cook for an additional hour or until done to your likeness.
- Let the pork rest for 10 minutes inside the oven.
- Serve with gravy, potatoes, pickles and red cabbage.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Danish
Hi Jessica,
Can you please tell me where to buy a flaeskeg in Manhattan? Thanks. Sys
Sys,
The only place I know to get one is at the Danish Church in Brooklyn. They have a Christmas Festival every year and sell all types of foods, including meat. This year, 2013, the festival is November 23-24. The church is on 102 Willow Street in Brooklyn.
Hi Sys, I ordered the pork from Ottomanelli Brothers. I requested to have the rind on the pork tenderloin. The only thing is that they require a 15 lb. minimum so I ended up with three 5-lb. slabs.
I finally found mine at Adam’s Farm, Athol, MA.
Besides, in Denmark Flaeskesteg is served with red cabbage, gravy made from the drippings, and caramelized potatoes.
Peter Hansen, Holden, MA
Peter, you are so right. My farmor made the greatest caramelized potatoes. It was heaven on earth.
My sweet Danish girlfriend made this for me the other night. She got hers from the Meat Hook in WIlliamsburg, Brooklyn. Since the butcher wasn’t familiar she requested the breast/belly with everything including the ribs and skin.
Ohhhh it was delicious!
This is the first Christmas I won’t have my Danish relatives cooking a traditional dinner, so I appreciate the tips on how to make a traditional Danish Roast. Heading to the kitchen now. :)
It’s physically impossible for a tenderloin to have a rind, what your picture shows is a pork loin roast, not tenderloin.
Hi there fellow ‘flæskesteg’ appreciators!
Any butcher or meat processing place should be able to sell you a ‘flæskesteg’. I usually get a cut of the neck or the top of the shoulder, and ask them to leave the rind on. It can also help to bring a picture, to show them exactly what you are looking for :)
Happy Holidays from a Dane in Illinois
I made it! It was totally fantastic. Thanks so much for the great recipe. Just one piece of feedback – Cook Time said 40 mins (with 20 minutes prep), but the steps contradict the cooking time since it cooks first for 30 minutes, then an additional hour at a lower temp, then rests in the oven for 10 minutes. That makes the ‘cook time’ more like 1:40.
Just made it. Found pork at local. Carneceria. Just like mormor made. Crackling nice.
Found my roast at our terrific local butcher miles market. The recipe was superb. I didn’t wait until Christmas to make it!