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Flæskesteg

Danish roast pork with crackling so crisp it shatters, served with caramelized potatoes, red cabbage, and brown gravy.

⏱ 20 minPrep time
🔥 1 hr 30 minCook time
🍽 6Servings
🏷 DinnerCategory
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Flæskesteg

Flæskesteg is Denmark’s magnificent roast pork with crackling — a slab of pork belly or loin with its rind scored into a diamond pattern and roasted until the skin erupts into crunchy, golden crackling. The meat stays juicy beneath, perfumed with bay and pepper.

It anchors the Danish Christmas table alongside caramelized potatoes, braised red cabbage and brown gravy, but it is too good to save for December. The trick is patience with the heat: the rind needs time to bubble and crisp without drying the meat.

Step by stepInstructions

  1. Score the rind deeply in a diamond pattern with a sharp knife, cutting through the skin but not the meat.
  2. Rub salt and crushed peppercorns into the cuts and push bay leaves into a few slits.
  3. Place the roast rind-side up on a rack in a roasting pan, add the water, and roast at 425°F for 20 minutes.
  4. Reduce to 350°F and roast 1 to 1 1/2 hours more, adding the potatoes and apples partway through, until the crackling is blistered and crisp and the meat is tender.
  5. Rest the roast 15 minutes, then make a gravy from the pan drippings and beef broth, thickened with flour.
  6. Slice and serve with the potatoes, apples and gravy.

💡 Chef tips & storage

A bone-dry rind is the secret to crackling — pat it very dry and do not baste the skin. If some patches do not crisp, finish under the broiler briefly.

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Recipe details

Prep20 min
Cook1 hr 30 min
Servings6
CategoryDinner
PublishedAugust 17, 2026
Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →