Living in Lisbon? Here is an easy Flæskesteg for Christmas DIY

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

For Scandinavians living in Portugal, one dish defines Christmas: Flæskesteg med sprød svær – Danish pork roast with crispy crackling. It’s the centrepiece of every Danish Christmas lunch and the dish most missed when living abroad.

From Tings Lounge Christmas menu. Leverpostej med surt & bacon. The only place in Lisbon to get Traditional Danish Christmas Lunch.
From Tings Lounge Christmas menu. Frikadeller med sur. The only place in Lisbon to get Traditional Danish Christmas Lunch.
From Tings Lounge Christmas menu. Flæskesteg med sprød svær. The only place in Lisbon to get Traditional Danish Christmas Lunch.
From Tings Lounge Christmas menu. Ris A lamende. The only place in Lisbon to get Traditional Danish Christmas Lunch.
Tings Lounge is the only place in Lisbon to get traditional Danish Christmas Lunch.

At Tings Lisbon, we love food from all over the world. And while our restaurant, Tings Lounge, focuses on international dishes made with local ingredients, there’s one glorious exception every year — our Danish Christmas Lunch season from mid-November to Christmas Eve.

From Kathmandu to Lisbon — and Back to Danish Traditions

Until the pandemic, Tings Lounge hosted cozy December lunches filled with Danish classics — Leverpostej, Frikadeller, Fiskefilet med remoulade — and, of course, the beloved Flæskesteg. We had no idea just how many Scandinavians lived in Lisbon until those first festive lunches became packed with Danes, Swedes, Norwegians, and curious locals.

After four quiet years, Tings Lounge reopened in 2024 — and we couldn’t be happier. Our chef Sagar, who worked with us in Kathmandu, flew in from Romania to rebuild the kitchen with Thomas. Together, they’re recreating the Tings spirit: simple, homemade dishes rooted in local ingredients.

The Challenge: Finding the Right Roast in Lisbon

Making a proper Flæskesteg in Portugal isn’t easy. Portuguese butchers don’t normally leave the pork skin on — and that’s exactly what makes the crispy crackling (“sprød svær”) so irresistible. But there’s a solution.

If you don’t already have a trusted butcher, visit Luis & Edgar Talho da Graça. They know exactly how to cut and prepare the roast for you — with or without bones — and their quality is unbeatable. Just show them the photo with the description of the cutting written in Portuguese in the image carrousel below and say: “Thomas from Tings sent me.” 

Last year 15 Danes did that 🙂  

DIY Flæskesteg for Your Lisbon Christmas

Cooking a perfect Flæskesteg takes patience but not magic. Good meat, proper scoring of the skin, generous salt, and the right roasting time are the secrets. Once you’ve mastered it, the crackling alone will make your guests applaud.

We’ll share the detailed recipe and roasting guide soon — but this post should give you the confidence to get started. The best advice? No shortcuts, no stress — just good ingredients and a bit of Nordic spirit.

So, if you’re living in Lisbon and dreaming of a real Danish Christmas feast, come by Tings Lounge or try your own Flæskesteg med sprød svær at home. Either way, you’ll taste a bit of Denmark right here in Portugal.

The recipe

IMPORTANT: To my horror I saw someone recommending people to order their 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 compromises on the quality like Luis & Edgar in Graca.
IMPORTANT: To my horror I saw someone recommending people to order their 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 compromises on the quality like Luis & Edgar in Graca.
THE RIGHT CUTTING: This is religion. To me the part of the spine just behind the head makes the best Flæskesteg. 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.
THE RIGHT CUTTING: This is religion. To me the part of the spine just behind the head makes the best Flæskesteg. 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.
FIRST AID KIT: In the beginning I always started from scratch. And I always got the first roast wrong. Without skin, with skin BUT separately and/or with or without bones. After a few years I asked the butcher to write everything on a small note so I could show them exactly what I want the following Christmas. You are welcome to use it yourself.
FIRST AID KIT: In the beginning I always started from scratch. And I always got the first roast wrong. Without skin, with skin BUT separately and/or with or without bones. After a few years I asked the butcher to write everything on a small note so I could show them exactly what I want the following Christmas. You are welcome to use it yourself.
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 cutting through to the meat. If that happens it’s impossible to get crispy cranks!!!!.
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 cutting through to the meat. If that happens it’s impossible to get crispy cranks!!!!.
BEFORE YOU PLACE IT IN THE OVEN: I love this part - this is almost like making love... you take the roast in your 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 your 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. Or make the pork roast together with your duck. Just remember that the roasting time between the two varies depending on sizes and weight. This process not only saves time - depending on your duck’s stuffing, it also makes the best sauce.
REMEMBER: You can easily place two roasts next to each other. Or make the pork roast together with your duck. Just remember that the roasting time between the two varies depending on sizes and weight. This process not only saves time - depending on your duck’s stuffing, it also makes the best sauce.
THE OVEN: Not two ovens are the same. So keep an eye on it every 10 minutes. Place the roast in a preheated 180°C - 200°C oven - lowest position. Roasts with bones are oddly angled. Place a potato or metal folie under the 'lower' part to make it horizontal. When the roast ‘falls’ because of the heat, just reorganize it.
THE OVEN: Not two ovens are the same. So keep an eye on it every 10 minutes. Place the roast in a preheated 180°C - 200°C oven - lowest position. Roasts with bones are oddly angled. Place a potato or metal folie under the 'lower' part to make it horizontal. When the roast ‘falls’ because of the heat, just reorganize it.
AFTER 1h30m - 2h (core temperature around 60°C) the roast is finished. I personally prefer my meat a little pink - but that's an individual thing. If the skin starts getting burned, cover it with metal folie and place the roast back in the oven. Take the roast out, cover it and leave it to settle for 30 min before cutting it..
AFTER 1h30m - 2h (core temperature around 60°C) the roast is finished. I personally prefer my meat a little pink - but that's an individual thing. If the skin starts getting burned, cover it with metal folie and place the roast back in the oven. Take the roast out, cover it and leave it to settle for 30 min before cutting it..
THE ICING ON THE CAKE: The cucumber salad is a must! Fill up a VERY CLEAN jar with thin cucumber slices. Cover it with a pot of boiling vinegar (4) + water (1), + a lot of sugar, little salt + a mix of star anise, cinnamon + estragon, thyme or Rosemary, peppercorns. BE CREATIVE!. Leave it for a few days. It will be a hit.
THE ICING ON THE CAKE: The cucumber salad is a must! Fill up a VERY CLEAN jar with thin cucumber slices. Cover it with a pot of boiling vinegar (4) + water (1), + a lot of sugar, little salt + a mix of star anise, cinnamon + estragon, thyme or Rosemary, peppercorns. BE CREATIVE!. Leave it for a few days. It will be a hit.
BON APPETIT! The Danes Love this dish for many reasons: The Salty and crispy Crackling the sweet and spicy pickled vegetables and the home baked rye bread you serve it with. When the smell from the oven in the kitchen reaches you, you know it’s Christmas.
BON APPETIT! The Danes Love this dish for many reasons: The Salty and crispy Crackling the sweet and spicy pickled vegetables and the home baked rye bread you serve it with. When the smell from the oven in the kitchen reaches you, you know it’s Christmas.

ChristmasTings LoungeTings Recipes

Thomas Tingstrup

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

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