Air Fryer Flæskesteg (Danish Roast Pork with Crackling)

November 10, 2021

Air Fryer Flæskesteg (Danish Roast Pork with Crackling)

Flæskesteg with crisp crackling is one of the Danish classics — the Sunday roast, Christmas food and festive fare. In the air fryer it goes faster than in the oven, and the powerful hot air is good at making the crackling crisp. You still need a roast with the rind on, coarse salt and a meat thermometer, but you avoid tending the oven for hours.

The rind should be scored all the way down to the fat, but not into the meat, with about half a centimeter between the cuts. Dry the rind well, and rub the coarse salt down between all the cuts. The roast is cooked in two stages: first at 355°F (180°C), until the meat is juicy and almost done, and finally at high heat, so the crackling bubbles up and turns crisp.

Go by the internal temperature rather than the clock, because roasts vary a lot in size and shape. Around 150°F (65°C) gives juicy, just-cooked-through meat. If you want it more well done, go up toward 160°F (70°C) — but then the meat gets a little drier.

Press a couple of bay leaves down into the cuts while the roast cooks. It is an old habit that adds aroma and flavor. If you pour water and a few aromatics into the bottom of the air fryer, you collect pan juices that can be cooked down into brown gravy. Serve the flæskesteg with red cabbage and both caramelized and plain boiled potatoes.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

1.5 kg pork loin roast (or pork neck roast) with rind, scored
1½-2 tbsp coarse salt
3-4 bay leaves
1-2 dl water, for the pan juices
1 onion, in wedges (optional)
2 cloves garlic (optional)
a couple of sprigs thyme (optional)

Directions

Check that the rind is scored all the way down to the fat, but not into the meat, with about half a centimeter between the cuts. Score it further yourself with a sharp knife if needed.

Pat the rind completely dry with paper towel. If you want extra-crisp crackling, leave the roast uncovered in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight, so the surface dries out completely.

Take the roast out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking, so it comes to room temperature. Rub the coarse salt well down between all the cuts — reckon on about 1 tsp per kg — and brush excess salt off the surface. Press the bay leaves down into some of the cuts.

Pour the water into the bottom of the air fryer along with the onion, garlic and thyme, if using. Place the roast horizontally in the basket with the rind facing up, so the fat can drip down into the water.

Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat from the side — not down between the scores — so the meat juices don’t run up onto the crackling.

Cook at 355°F (180°C) for about 40-45 minutes per kg, that is, around 60-70 minutes for a 1.5 kg roast, until the internal temperature reaches 145-150°F (63-65°C).

Turn it up to 390-410°F (200-210°C) for 5-10 minutes, until the crackling is crisp all over and bubbles up. Keep an eye on it, and give it a couple more minutes if there are areas that lack crunch.

Let the roast rest uncovered for 10-15 minutes before carving it. Strain the pan juices from the bottom, bring them to a boil, and thicken into a brown gravy.

Notes

The two-stage cooking is the key: the 355°F (180°C) cooks the meat juicy, and the final 390-410°F (200-210°C) crisps the crackling in a hurry — this is where the air fryer is faster than the oven.

An internal temperature around 150°F (65°C) gives juicy, just-cooked-through meat. If you want it more well done, go up toward 155-160°F (68-70°C), but then the meat gets a little drier.

Never rest the roast covered. Steam under foil softens the crackling again.

Size matters most for the timing. Always use a thermometer rather than the clock — a tall, thick roast takes longer than a flat one.