diff --git a/package/linux-backports/linux-backports.mk b/package/linux-backports/linux-backports.mk
index 030d7a2864..1827ee18b7 100644
--- a/package/linux-backports/linux-backports.mk
+++ b/package/linux-backports/linux-backports.mk
@@ -85,21 +85,24 @@ $(eval $(kconfig-package))
 # not have been parsed yet, so the Linux build dir LINUX_DIR is not yet
 # known. Thus, we use a "secondary expansion" so the rule is re-evaluated
 # after all Makefiles are parsed, and thus at that time we will have the
-# LINUX_DIR variable set to the proper value.
+# LINUX_DIR variable set to the proper value. Moreover, since linux-4.19,
+# the kernel's build system internally touches its .config file, so we
+# can't use it as a stamp file. We use the LINUX_KCONFIG_STAMP_DOTCONFIG
+# instead.
 #
 # Furthermore, we want to check the kernel version, since linux-backports
 # only supports kernels >= 3.0. To avoid overriding linux-backports'
-# .config rule defined in the kconfig-package infra, we use an
-# intermediate stamp-file.
+# KCONFIG_STAMP_DOTCONFIG rule defined in the kconfig-package infra, we
+# use an intermediate stamp-file.
 #
 # Finally, it must also come after the call to kconfig-package, so we get
 # LINUX_BACKPORTS_DIR properly defined (because the target part of the
 # rule is not re-evaluated).
 #
-$(LINUX_BACKPORTS_DIR)/.config: $(LINUX_BACKPORTS_DIR)/.stamp_check_kernel_version
+$(LINUX_BACKPORTS_DIR)/$(LINUX_BACKPORTS_KCONFIG_STAMP_DOTCONFIG): $(LINUX_BACKPORTS_DIR)/.stamp_check_kernel_version
 
 .SECONDEXPANSION:
-$(LINUX_BACKPORTS_DIR)/.stamp_check_kernel_version: $$(LINUX_DIR)/.config
+$(LINUX_BACKPORTS_DIR)/.stamp_check_kernel_version: $$(LINUX_DIR)/$$(LINUX_KCONFIG_STAMP_DOTCONFIG)
 	$(Q)LINUX_VERSION_PROBED=$(LINUX_VERSION_PROBED); \
 	if [ $${LINUX_VERSION_PROBED%%.*} -lt 3 ]; then \
 		printf "Linux version '%s' is too old for linux-backports (needs 3.0 or later)\n" \