Name: Polish-Style Roasted Pork Neck (Karkówka Pieczona)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 115 min
Total time: 390 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 1,200 g boneless pork neck, one evenly shaped piece; trim only hard excess fat; 20 g garlic, about 5 cloves, finely grated or crushed; 8 g fine salt; 3 g freshly ground black pepper; 8 g dried marjoram; 20 ml rapeseed oil; 120 ml hot water

A wide view of „Polish-Style Roasted Pork Neck (Karkówka Pieczona)“ arranged on a table for serving.

Yield 6 servings

Serving size one-sixth of the cooked roast and pan juices; sides excluded

Prep time 20 minutes

Cook time about 1 hour 55 minutes; check temperature, not the clock

Ingredients ↓

Recipe at a glance

Polish-Style Roasted Pork Neck (Karkówka Pieczona)

Excerpt: Garlic, black pepper and marjoram season a whole pork-neck roast that stays juicy beneath a browned crust and slices neatly for dinner or sandwiches.

Karkówka pieczona is a familiar Polish home-style roast made from pork neck. The cut has enough marbling to stay moist through a covered oven roast, while garlic and dried marjoram give this measured version its clear, savory character.

The seasoning is rubbed over the whole piece, then given time to flavor the meat in the refrigerator. A little water in the roasting dish helps keep the covered roast from drying; the pork releases more juices as it cooks, making a simple pan sauce.

The recipe aims for tender, sliceable meat rather than a shredded roast. A thermometer gives the dependable endpoint because the exact roasting time changes with the shape of the pork. Resting before carving helps the slices hold together and keeps their juices on the board and in the pan.

Serve the pork warm with boiled potatoes and beet salad or another crisp side. Once chilled, thin slices also work well in sandwiches. This is a measured home version; Polish households use different marinades and roasting methods, and no single regional origin is claimed.

Tips for success

Choose one evenly shaped, boneless pork-neck roast so it cooks at a more predictable pace.
Pat the meat dry before rubbing it; do not rinse raw pork in the sink.
Keep the marinating roast covered in a refrigerator at or below 4 °C for at least 4 hours.
Use the thermometer in the thickest center, away from the dish; begin checking around 95 minutes.
Keep the roasting dish covered for most of the cook, and add hot water only if the pan dries.
Rest the roast for 15 minutes, then slice across the grain for tender, neat portions.

Ingredients

Roast and garlic-marjoram rub

1,200 g boneless pork neck, one evenly shaped piece; trim only hard excess fat
20 g garlic, about 5 cloves, finely grated or crushed
8 g fine salt
3 g freshly ground black pepper
8 g dried marjoram
20 ml rapeseed oil

Roasting liquid

120 ml hot water

Method

Directions

Make the rub.Pat the pork dry; do not rinse it. Mix the garlic, salt, black pepper, dried marjoram and rapeseed oil into a paste. Rub it over every surface of the meat.
Marinate safely.Place the pork in a covered non-reactive dish or sealed food-safe container. Refrigerate at or below 4 °C for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours. Do not leave raw pork at room temperature.
Set up the roast.Heat the oven to 160 °C conventional heat. Transfer the pork and all the rub to a snug 3–4 L lidded roasting dish. Pour 120 ml hot water around the meat, not over its seasoned surface.
Roast covered.Cover tightly and roast for about 100–130 minutes, basting once or twice with the pan juices. Begin checking around 95 minutes. Insert a clean thermometer into the thickest center without touching the dish. Cook to at least 75 °C; the time varies with the roast's shape. The safety minimum for an intact pork roast is 62.8 °C followed by at least 3 minutes of rest; this recipe uses a higher tenderness-oriented target.
Brown if needed.If the center has reached 75 °C but the outside needs more color, uncover and roast for 5–10 minutes, watching closely so the garlic does not scorch. If the pan dries before the center is ready, add hot water in 30 ml increments.
Rest and carve.Move the roast to a clean board and rest loosely covered for 15 minutes. Keep the resting juices. Slice across the grain with a sharp knife.
Serve.Spoon the pan juices over the warm pork or serve them alongside. Offer boiled potatoes and beet salad or another crisp vegetable side if you like; sides are not included in the nutrition estimate.

Nutrition and allergens

Energyabout 430 kcal per serving
Proteinabout 35 g
Fatabout 31 g
Saturated fatabout 11 g
Carbohydratesabout 1 g
Fibreabout 0 g
Sodiumabout 625 mg

The listed ingredients contain no major declared allergen. Check product labels and account for cross-contact in your own kitchen. Keep raw pork and its juices away from ready-to-eat food, wash hands and utensils after handling, and refrigerate the marinating meat. Cook whole pork to at least 62.8 °C and rest it for 3 minutes for immediate safety; this recipe's 75 °C target is higher. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours at or below 4 °C for 3–4 days and reheat to 74 °C.

Nutrition and allergens

Serving, make-ahead and storage: Bring the sliced roast to the table with its warm pan juices. Boiled potatoes and beet salad make familiar, contrasting sides; keep them separate from the meat so each retains its texture. Thin chilled slices can be served in sandwiches.

Serving, make-ahead and storage: The pork can be rubbed and marinated up to 12 hours ahead. Keep it covered and refrigerated at or below 4 °C. Roast and rest as directed before serving; do not leave the raw marinated meat on the counter.

Serving, make-ahead and storage: Cool leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Keep them at or below 4 °C and use within 3–4 days. Reheat portions throughout to 74 °C, adding a spoonful of pan juices or water to keep the slices moist. Do not leave a large roast at room temperature while it cools.

Serving, make-ahead and storage: For a different texture, slice the rested meat thinly for sandwiches. Pork shoulder can replace pork neck, but its shape and connective tissue can change the roasting time; use the same thermometer endpoint. Keep dried marjoram as measured because fresh leaves have a different intensity.

Estimate basis: one-sixth of the roast and pan juices, modeled with a generic cooked pork-shoulder entry and counting all the oil, garlic, salt and seasoning; optional sides excluded. Pork-neck fat and the amount of pan fat served vary.

In closing

Garlic and dried marjoram give this whole-roast pork neck its direct, savory seasoning.
Rest the roast before carving, then serve it warm or chill slices for sandwiches.

Polish-Style Roasted Pork Neck (Karkówka Pieczona)

Tips for success

Ingredients

Roast and garlic-marjoram rub

Roasting liquid

Method

Nutrition and allergens

Nutrition and allergens

In closing

Polish National Dishes

Polish Sauerkraut with Dried Mushrooms and Linseed Oil (Kapusta z olejem lnianym i grzybami)

Łódź-Style Pork Knuckle with Braised Cabbage (Golonka z kapustą zasmażaną)

Polish Potato and Pea Dish (Kapusta Dębowa)