Julskinka- Christmas ham

finished Julskinka

Christmas time in Sweden is huge.  The season starts on the first Sunday in December, which is today.  And it seems like the whole city is dressed for the holiday much like the States.  To add to the feeling, it has been snowing nonstop for the last few days and there is a huge stuffed real reindeer right in the middle of the supermarket close to where I am staying.  Creepy (poor Roudolph...)!!  My friend Sami bought a Julskinka a couple days ago for the season and we cooked it today.  Julskinka is a pork shoulder or fresh ham coated with a mixture of egg, brown sugar, fine breadcrumbs, allspice, and Dijon mustard to put it simply.  It’s baked in the oven and usually served with pickled herring, potato salad and Swedish Christmas sausages.  People usually eat it some time during the Christmas season, usually on Christmas and making it last until New Years.  The recipe we used for Juskinka is from Sami’s own repertoire; it turned out fabulous and is something I will try to replicate in the future.

1 fresh ham

2 eggs

3 TBLS Dijon honey mustard

1/2cup brown sugar

1/4cup fine breadcrumbs

Swedish ham...

10 whole allspice kernels

4 bay leafs

Large stockpot

Large casserole dish

Put the Ham in the large stockpot and pour 3 inches of water over the ham.  Leave it overnight in the refrigerator to take out some of the salt form the curing.  The next day, pre heat the oven at 240 F and bake the ham until the internal temperature reaches 170 F or for about an hour.  Take the ham out of the oven and trim the rind off and as much fat as you want.  Preheat the oven at 450 F.   Combine all of the ingredients except the breadcrumbs into a glaze and smooth it over the entire ham, after sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the ham.  Bake the ham for about 10 minutes or until it is golden brown.