Here is my best recipe for a truly Danish favorite – Organic Roast Pork with Crackling. If us Danes were to elect THE Danish National dish the roast pork with crackling would definitely be a serious candidate. We eat it all year round but there is one particular time of the year where the roast pork is a must and that is christmas.
On christmas night, the 24th of December, most families eat roast pork with crackling for dinner. Some families eat duck or some even both, but the roast pork is a favorite on that day or in the days leading up to christmas. Normally, we put bay leaves and cloves in between the thin strips. But for this recipe I have added something quite different.
Organic roast pork with crackling and liquorice
I have replaced the traditional christmas spices with another yet popular ingredient – liquorice powder! Normally liquorice is something we eat in Denmark as candy but over the past few years it has become more and more popular to use liquorice for cooking.
I have used this fine liquorice powder from the Danish company Lakrids by Johan Bülow. Lakrids is by the way the Danish name for liquorice. This brand makes without a doubt the best liquorice you can get in Denmark, so if you ever come to visit make sure to try the liquorice from Johan Bülow.
At first, pork and liquorice might sound like a strange combination but I promise you, it makes perfectly sense once you taste it. It’s the perfect match and gives the roast pork some extra depth in flavor.
Organic Roast Pork with Crackling and Liquorice
- 1 organic loin of pork approx. 3.3 lbs.
- Liquorice powder
- Sea salt
- Preheat oven to 450 °F
- To prepare the pork loin; score the skin almost down to the meat.
- Combine a dry rub of liquorice powder and salt and cover the skin evenly.
- Put the roast in a roasting pan and place in the middle of the oven. After 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 320 °F. and roast approx. 1 hour and 45 minutes longer, or until it registers 68 ° on the thermometer.
- If the skin is not quite crispy, you can give it a few minutes under the grill, but be sure to watch it!
- Take the roast out and cover loosely with foil to keep the heat in and let it rest 10 minutes before cutting. Hint: letting the meat rest will ensure that all the juices will stay in the meat. Cutting it before you let it rest will result in juices escaping all over your cutting board and the meat will be dry.
- Slice the meat and arrange on a plate.
- This roast pork goes extremely well with my recipe of Baked Plums and Red Onion with Liquorice, Lemon & Acacia Honey (see under recipe category)
- Save the juices from the roasting pan and serve over the plated pork. You will have the unique depth and mellow taste of liquorice. It’s soooo good!
Denmark
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