Swedish Christmas Ham (Julskinka)

By
Kari Diehl
Kari Diehl
Freelance food writer who specializes in Scandinavian cuisine and is the author of "The Everything Nordic Cookbook."
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 05/5/21
Swedish Christmas ham recipe julskinka

The Spruce / Nita West
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 5 hrs
Total: 5 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 25 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
290 Calories
15g Fat
7g Carbs
31g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 25
Amount per serving
Calories 290
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 19%
Saturated Fat 5g 23%
Cholesterol 109mg 36%
Sodium 2151mg 94%
Total Carbohydrate 7g 3%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 31g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 20mg 2%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 509mg 11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Merry Christmas in Swedish is "God Jul" and no Swedish “julbord” (Christmas buffet) would be complete without Christmas ham (“jul” + “skinka” = “julskinka”). Ham in Sweden is salt-cured and unsmoked or “fresh.” It’s often served cold on the Christmas buffet, but serving it warm is certainly acceptable.

If you can only find salt-cured hams that have been smoked, you can go with that, but, it's worth the effort to source and prepare a salt-cured fresh (uncooked) ham for this traditional Christmas entree. IKEA often carries hams in the freezer section, especially seasonally. For best results, make sure that it still has its thick covering of pork skin and fat.

Other popular Swedish Christmas foods include rice porridge (Risgrynsgröt ) and fragrant limpa bread, a moist rye bread flavored with fennel or anise, cumin, and orange rind.

Ingredients

  • 1 (7- to 9-pound) fresh unsmoked, salt-cured ham

  • 2 large egg yolks

  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

  • 6 tablespoons grainy mustard

  • 6 tablespoons finely crumbled gingersnaps, or breadcrumbs

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F and place the oven rack in the upper third of the oven.

    Ingredients for Swedish Christmas ham recipe
    ​The Spruce / Nita West

  2. Rinse the ham well to remove any excess salt and pat it dry.

    Rinse ham
    ​The Spruce / Nita West

  3. Place pork, rind-side up, in a heavy roasting pan. Put the pan in the oven and roast until the internal temperature on an instant-read thermometer registers 160 F (about 4 1/2 hours). Remove from the oven and increase heat to 450 F.

    Place pork on roasting pan
    ​The Spruce / Nita West

  4. Carefully slice the rind off of ham (in Scandinavia, this crispy, delicious, heart attack-inducing crackling is often served as a side dish.)

    Carefully rinse rind off ham
    ​The Spruce / Nita West

  5. Whisk together the egg yolks, brown sugar, and mustard, and spread evenly over the entire surface of the ham.

    Whisk egg yolks, brown sugar, mustard
    ​The Spruce / Nita West

  6. Sprinkle with the crumbled gingersnaps or breadcrumbs until covered.

    Sprinkle with crumbled gingersnaps
    ​The Spruce / Nita West

  7. Return ham to oven and cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

    Return ham to oven
    ​The Spruce / Nita West

  8. Remove from oven and cover loosely with aluminum foil and let it rest for 15 minutes.

    Remove from oven
    The Spruce / Nita West

  9. Carve and serve warm or let it cool completely and serve it cold.

    Carve and serve
    The Spruce / Nita West