Swedish Christmas Ham (Julschinken) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 kg dry cured ham
15 None juniper berries
1 tbsp peppercorns
5 None bay leaves
15 None whole allspice berries
175 g white breadcrumbs (slightly stale)
2 None eggs
125 g medium hot mustard
2 None onions, peeled and finely chopped
3 None apples, peeled, cored and finely diced
50 g lard
2 jars (each 720ml) pickled red cabbage
200 ml apple juice
None None a few cranberries

Preparation

Cover the ham with water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the juniper berries, peppercorns, 3 of the bay leaves and allspice berries. Cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
Mix the breadcrumbs, eggs and mustard in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Heat the lard in a large saucepan on medium heat. Saute the onions, apples and remaining 2 bay leaves for 5 mins. Add the cabbage and apple juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for about 20 mins. Season to taste.
Lift the ham from the stockpot and place in a roasting pan .Let stand for 10-15 mins. Preheat the oven to 400\u00b0F. Coat the ham with the breadcrumb mixture to form a thick crust, press it down firmly. Bake for 18-20 mins.
Remove 1 1/4 cups of the meat stock from the stockpot and bring to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove the meat from the oven. Slice and serve drizzled with the stock. Serve with the cabbage mixture.