Thistle Hill food co-editors named….

….well not really, but sometimes I think it would be nice to have a Food Editor and, while I’d apply for the job, it would probably have to go to Tom Garnett of Boonesboro, Maryland.  And his wife, Brooke, would have to be the co-editor because she does the job of documenting his work.

Not long ago we reported—with photos by Brooke—on Tom’s special pork chop recipe.  And after I bragged about my ham, Tom set out to do me one better for his family.  He did not share the food but Brooke shares the recipe here:

I wanted to report back on our Thistle Hill ham. Tom did an amazing job and everyone loved it. Here’s roughly what he did: 

Preheated oven to 300 degrees. 

Almost 5-pound THF ham (end) defrosted. 

Ground up about 1 tsp. of cardamom seeds and 1 tsp. of coriander seeds, mixed with grated fresh ginger (small knob), juice and zest of 1 lemon, a few tablespoons (3-4) of maple syrup. 

Sliced two yellow onions and placed on roasting pan and set ham flat side down on the onions. Smeared ham with glaze and basted with glaze about every 20 minutes. Par-boiled some root vegetables and added them once the bottom of the roasting pan had a good layer of fat and juices. Cooked to an internal temperature of about 150 degrees.  

Wish I’d taken a photo but I forgot. Our son said he thought it was the best Christmas meal we’d ever had!

With suitable modesty, here’s the Thistle Hill original recipe as passed down from a veteran southern cook, Ann Morton, of Baltimore:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place ham flat side down in a pan and pour a bottle of Coca Cola over it.

Bake 20 minutes per pound.  Baste occasionally with Coke from the pan.

About 30 minutes before completion, cover with a glaze:

     Brown sugar mixed with brown mustard

     Affix pineapple slices with cloves

Complete baking.  Slice and enjoy!

The secret to the success of both recipes, we think, is our Thistle Hill ham.  Tamworth pigs make incredible hams, chops and sausages.