Living in Lisbon? Here is an easy Flæskesteg DIY

If the Danish Christmas Lunch has a DNA it must be the Flæskesteg

PR: Is it possible to order a Flæskesteg?

Tings Lounge: Do you mean a whole Flæskesteg? - Roasted and ready to eat?


PR: Yea.... We need it for a Christmas Lunch tomorrow. We have never made one ourselves before.
Can you help us with a Flæskesteg?
One of many messages from Danes in Lisbon

It was never our plan to run the Lounge ourselves. We LOVE food and love making it. But like the rest of Lisbon’s hotels we haven’t had guests the last many months and need to make some money. And we need something to do in order not to go crazy from boredom. So instead of doing nothing we took a spontaneous decision and started our Pop-Up Christmas Lounge in Tings Lounge.

We got a chock to see the interest. Not only from the Danish community but also from curious foodies from other countries. We had absolutely NO idea about how big the Danish Population in Lisbon is and didn’t know if traditional Danish food was of any interest at all. We rarely eat it ourselves. 

 

But the biggest surprise are all the messages we receive from people who don’t know how to make a mayonnaise, pickled vegetables, bread and especially the Flæskesteg.

I am NOT a specialist. But since making everything myself has been the only way I have been able to afford the dishes I like, in the quality I prefer, I have an all-round idea about the basics. My passion for food and curiosity for local ingredients compensates for for my lack of knowledge. 

So to me it has always been easy to make things like a Flæskesteg.

And I don’t mind sharing ideas recipes etc. But instead of mailing the recipe to people personally I almost always make a blog post so others can benefit from it too.

So if you’re planning to have Flæskesteg for Christmas but are still insecure about doing it yourself I hope the following DIY guide will give you the Nudge to start…

Remember: There are NO short cuts to a perfect dish – BUT the best ingredients help you a lot. You can probably buy a good pork roast – but I am 100% that it doesn’t compete with the quality and prize you get at a good butcher. I am sure there are other good butchers in town. If you don’t know one already and don’t have time to find one – our Luis & Edgar in Graca won’t disappoint you. They already know the best meat for a Flæskesteg AND how to cut and slice it – with or without bones. Just show them a photo of the roast and say: Thomas from Tings.

The recipe

THE CHALLENGE: The Danes Love this dish mainly for one reason: The Salty and crispy Crackling. And the crackling can really be a challenge because in countries you can't get the pork roast with its skin.. So you have to make a special order and ask your butcher to keep the skin on.
THE CHALLENGE: The Danes Love this dish mainly for one reason: The Salty and crispy Crackling. And the crackling can really be a challenge because in countries you can't get the pork roast with its skin.. So you have to make a special order and ask your butcher to keep the skin on.
IMPORTANT: To my horror I saw someone recommending to order your pork roast on an international expat online shopping site. I would NEVER do that. The secret behind a successful roast is a reliable Butcher that never compromise on the quality. Luis & Edgar in Graca is one of the best in Lisbon. And we have bought all our meat (and most of our cheeses here since 2014.
IMPORTANT: To my horror I saw someone recommending to order your pork roast on an international expat online shopping site. I would NEVER do that. The secret behind a successful roast is a reliable Butcher that never compromise on the quality. Luis & Edgar in Graca is one of the best in Lisbon. And we have bought all our meat (and most of our cheeses here since 2014.
THE RIGHT CUTTING: This may be religion - BUT to me the part of the spine just behind the head makes the best Flæskesteg. In Danish its called NAKKE. So far the butchers haven't been able to provide me with the right Portuguese name - so I just show them a photo from the internet and they know, what I want. As this cutting isn't standard you better order your roast a few days before you need it.
THE RIGHT CUTTING: This may be religion - BUT to me the part of the spine just behind the head makes the best Flæskesteg. In Danish its called NAKKE. So far the butchers haven't been able to provide me with the right Portuguese name - so I just show them a photo from the internet and they know, what I want. As this cutting isn't standard you better order your roast a few days before you need it.
ASK THE BUTCHER TO PREPARE THE ROAST: I always cut and mince everything myself - except for slicing the skin on my pork roast. It takes forever, you need a very sharp knife to cut through the skin without cut through to the meat. If that happens its impossible to get crispy cranks!!!!. Furthermore - you have to decide whether you want the roast with or without bones. This one I ordered without. It's a little easier to roast...
ASK THE BUTCHER TO PREPARE THE ROAST: I always cut and mince everything myself - except for slicing the skin on my pork roast. It takes forever, you need a very sharp knife to cut through the skin without cut through to the meat. If that happens its impossible to get crispy cranks!!!!. Furthermore - you have to decide whether you want the roast with or without bones. This one I ordered without. It's a little easier to roast...
TINGS FIRST AID FLÆSKESTEGS KIT: If you don't speak Portuguese just show this note to your butcher - then you'll get the right cutting prepared the right way.
TINGS FIRST AID FLÆSKESTEGS KIT: If you don't speak Portuguese just show this note to your butcher - then you'll get the right cutting prepared the right way.
BEFORE YOU PLACE IT IN THE OVEN: I love this part - this is almost like making love... you take the roast in you hands and rub a little sea salt between all skin slices plus a few bay leaves Then you place it on a grill on the big oven tray with a few cm of boiling water (to gather the juices if you want to make a sauce).
BEFORE YOU PLACE IT IN THE OVEN: I love this part - this is almost like making love... you take the roast in you hands and rub a little sea salt between all skin slices plus a few bay leaves Then you place it on a grill on the big oven tray with a few cm of boiling water (to gather the juices if you want to make a sauce).
REMEMBER: You can easily place two roasts next to each other...
REMEMBER: You can easily place two roasts next to each other...
... or even place the roast next to your ducks (just be aware that they need different timings)
... or even place the roast next to your ducks (just be aware that they need different timings)
THE OVEN: This is the second most important thing (after the butcher). Not two ovens are the same - so until you know yours you can’t rely on recipes and directions - you have to keep an eye on it every 10 minutes. The following is how it works in our kitchen!! Place the roast in a preheated 180°C - 200°C oven - lowest position. To get an even and crispy crackling the roast must be horizontal. BUT toasts with bones are always odd angled. So you'll have to make it horizontal by placing a potato under the 'lower' part of the roast - or as I have done here - metal folio. NB After a while it tends to 'fall'' a bit. Then you have to reorganize your potato or metal folio.
THE OVEN: This is the second most important thing (after the butcher). Not two ovens are the same - so until you know yours you can’t rely on recipes and directions - you have to keep an eye on it every 10 minutes. The following is how it works in our kitchen!! Place the roast in a preheated 180°C - 200°C oven - lowest position. To get an even and crispy crackling the roast must be horizontal. BUT toasts with bones are always odd angled. So you'll have to make it horizontal by placing a potato under the 'lower' part of the roast - or as I have done here - metal folio. NB After a while it tends to 'fall'' a bit. Then you have to reorganize your potato or metal folio.
AFTER AROUND 1h30m - 2h, or when the core temperature is 55 - 60°C the roast is finished. I personally prefer my meat a little pink - but that's an individual thing. NOTE: After around 1 hr check how the skin looks. If it starts getting black/burned cover the skin with alufoil and place the roast back in the oven until its finished. When finished cover the roast with a kitchen towel and leave it to 'sett' for 30 min before cutting it.(IMPORTANT - this varies from the cuttings - so check online).
AFTER AROUND 1h30m - 2h, or when the core temperature is 55 - 60°C the roast is finished. I personally prefer my meat a little pink - but that's an individual thing. NOTE: After around 1 hr check how the skin looks. If it starts getting black/burned cover the skin with alufoil and place the roast back in the oven until its finished. When finished cover the roast with a kitchen towel and leave it to 'sett' for 30 min before cutting it.(IMPORTANT - this varies from the cuttings - so check online).
THE ICING ON THE CAKE: The cucumber salad is a must! And it's here you can ad your personal touch to this classic Christmas dish. I have made it so many times and for so many years that I never know the measures of the various ingredients. For a classic cucumber salad I fill a VERY CLEAN jar with thin cucumber slices (use the cheapest mandolin you can get). Then I make a pot of 4 parts of vinegar + 1 part water, spiced up with a lot of sugar, little salt, and my personal herbal mix of star anise, cinnamon, estragon/thyme/Rosemary (depending on availability) and few whole pepper corns. Fill up the jar, close it immediately and leave it for a few days. Don't worry - it will be a hit.
THE ICING ON THE CAKE: The cucumber salad is a must! And it's here you can ad your personal touch to this classic Christmas dish. I have made it so many times and for so many years that I never know the measures of the various ingredients. For a classic cucumber salad I fill a VERY CLEAN jar with thin cucumber slices (use the cheapest mandolin you can get). Then I make a pot of 4 parts of vinegar + 1 part water, spiced up with a lot of sugar, little salt, and my personal herbal mix of star anise, cinnamon, estragon/thyme/Rosemary (depending on availability) and few whole pepper corns. Fill up the jar, close it immediately and leave it for a few days. Don't worry - it will be a hit.
NO FLÆSKESTEG WITHOUT RØDKÅL: Get a whole cabbage 'head', chop it roughly and fry in the fat from the pork OR duck in a big pot until the volume is reduced by 50%. Ad orange juice, vinegar, sugar, salt and your own personal mix of herbs and spices and leave for 15-25 minutes - until the cabbage is 'soft and tender' BUT with a bite.
NO FLÆSKESTEG WITHOUT RØDKÅL: Get a whole cabbage 'head', chop it roughly and fry in the fat from the pork OR duck in a big pot until the volume is reduced by 50%. Ad orange juice, vinegar, sugar, salt and your own personal mix of herbs and spices and leave for 15-25 minutes - until the cabbage is 'soft and tender' BUT with a bite.
SUSTAINABLE TRAVELERS SUPPORT THE LOCAL ECONOMY: We buy most of our ingredients locally. Snr Francisco & Dona Fatima's Grocery has been one of our two main providers for 6 years. It took me five years to get his private products and last week the wife small talked with us for the first time ever. And I don't speak a word of Portuguese :-)
SUSTAINABLE TRAVELERS SUPPORT THE LOCAL ECONOMY: We buy most of our ingredients locally. Snr Francisco & Dona Fatima's Grocery has been one of our two main providers for 6 years. It took me five years to get his private products and last week the wife small talked with us for the first time ever. And I don't speak a word of Portuguese 🙂
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Thomas Tingstrup

Blogger, Traveller and Food, Music & Literature lover. Founding partner of Tings Lisbon.

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