Winter & Christmas

Glazed Christmas ham

Glaseret juleskinke

A glazed ham is a popular festive dish in Denmark at Christmas and a classic of the julefrokost. It is first gently simmered and then glazed with mustard and brown sugar in a hot oven – delicious warm or cold.

A glazed Christmas ham on a platter with a knife
Photo: Santeri Viinamäki / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Preparation
20 min
Cooking/baking time
2 h 30 min
Servings
8–10 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

Ham

Glaze

Method

  1. If the ham is strongly salted, soak it as advised by your butcher. Place it in a large pan, cover with cold water and add the onion, bay leaves and peppercorns.
  2. Bring slowly to the boil and cook the ham over low heat just below simmering point until the core temperature reaches 68–70 °C – 2–2½ hours depending on size. A meat thermometer helps.
  3. Preheat the oven to 225 °C. Lift the ham out of the stock, remove the rind and score the fat in a diamond pattern. Stick a clove into every other diamond.
  4. Mix the mustard, brown sugar and honey and brush the ham with the glaze.
  5. Bake for 10–15 minutes until the glaze is golden and caramelised. Rest for 10 minutes before carving.

The story behind the dish

Ham (Danish “skinke”) is the prepared hind leg of a pig. In Denmark it is served in many ways – glazed, smoked, boiled, roasted or air-dried.

Enjoy it at Dansk Cottage

A big ham feeds many guests – just right for the days between Christmas and New Year, when family and friends gather around the long table.

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