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 12/8/22
Tested by
Noah Velush-Rogers
Noah Velush-Rogers
Tested by Noah Velush-Rogers
Noah Velush-Rogers works on food prep for several area caterers. He has worked with a team of prep chefs for a private school group. He was an assistant cooking teacher for children and teen group cooking classes. Noah was hired as an intern and was then trained as a recipe tester for Fine Cooking Magazine. 
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Swedish Christmas ham recipe julskinka

The Spruce / Nita West

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 5 hrs
Total: 5 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 25 servings
Yield: 1 ham

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.

“Incredibly easy in the effort department and a nice way to spice up your holiday ham. Make sure to save the rind after cooking. Chop up and serve on the side because it’s super-delicious.” —Noah Velush-Rogers

Swedish Christmas Ham (Julskinka) Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

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.

    Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat to 350 F.

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

  2. Rinse the ham well to remove any excess salt. Pat dry with paper towels.

    Rinse ham
    ​The Spruce / Nita West

  3. Place the ham, rind-side up, on a rack in a heavy-duty roasting pan. 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 the ham and reserve. 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 surface of the ham.

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

  6. Sprinkle with the crumbled gingersnaps or breadcrumbs until evenly coated.

    Sprinkle with crumbled gingersnaps
    ​The Spruce / Nita West

  7. Return ham to oven and roast until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.

    Return ham to oven
    ​The Spruce / Nita West

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

    Remove from oven
    The Spruce / Nita West

  9. Carve and serve warm, or let it cool completely and serve at room-temperature or cold.

    Carve and serve
    The Spruce / Nita West
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.)