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Julskinka
Julskinka: Swedish Christmas ham glazed with mustard and breadcrumbs
Julskinka, the Christmas ham, is the centrepiece of the Swedish julbord: a lightly cured pork leg poached slowly, then brushed with a glaze of mustard and egg, scattered with breadcrumbs and browned in the oven. This is a pork dish. Swedish families cook it a few days before Christmas Eve and eat it cold in thin slices with mustard, and the cooking broth is used for 'dopp i grytan', dipping bread into the broth on Christmas Eve. Use a mild cured gammon. A common mistake is boiling it hard, which makes the meat stringy. Chef's tip: keep the water at a bare tremble, about 85 °C, and take it out when the centre reaches 71 °C; it stays juicy.
- Total time
- 230 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the ham
- 5 ½ lb mild cured gammon joint, bonelesssoaked overnight if salty
- 21 cups water
- 1 onionhalved
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
For the glaze
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp dry breadcrumbs
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 5 ½ lb mild cured gammon joint, boneless in a large pot with 21 cups water, 1 onion, 3 bay leaves, 10 whole allspice and 1 tsp black peppercorns. Heat slowly to 185°F, a bare tremble.
30 minStep 2: Poach for about 3 hours, until the centre reaches 160°F. Common mistake: boiling it; it turns stringy.
180 minStep 3: Lift out, cool slightly and cut off the rind, leaving a thin layer of fat. Keep the broth.
Step 4: Heat the oven to 425°F (fan 400°F). Mix 3 tbsp Swedish or wholegrain mustard, 1 egg and 1 tbsp sugar, brush over the ham and press on 4 tbsp dry breadcrumbs.
Step 5: Roast for 10–15 minutes, until golden. Cool and slice thinly. Keeps a week in the fridge.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does julskinka take?
- About 230 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 210 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
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