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Pork

Sweet Tea & Sage Ham

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Sweet Tea & Sage Ham accentuates the natural flavor of a spiral bone in ham, making a tender and delicious meal for your family.

Sweet & Citrusy Spiral Ham

Oh Southern sweet tea, how you look so lovely glazing my spiral ham. Really, though, just look at that beautiful golden brown coloring on this ham. The sweetness of the tea balances the saltiness of the ham and the sage?

Let me tell you about the sage. I LOVE sage. I love it for drying and smudging; I love it for cooking with; and I love it for garnishing. Sage has a strong, clean scent, but also pulls bright citrus notes as well. This is why it works in this Sweet Tea & Sage Ham. Add a few oranges and lemons to tie it all together and keep everything juicy.

All that citrus will combine with the glaze in the bottom of the baking dish and when you pull it out of the oven, you’ll want to spoon all that liquid goodness right over the top just before serving. Scroll down to see what I pair this beauty with and make it a meal PLUS dessert!

Sweet tea balances the saltiness of the ham and sage adds a nice citrus note.
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Sweet Tea & Sage Ham

Sweet Tea & Sage Ham accentuates the natural flavor of a spiral bone in ham, making a tender and delicious meal for your family.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Easter
Keyword Easter dinner, Spiral Ham
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 16

Ingredients

  • 1 9 lb spiral cut ham (pre-cooked)
  • 3 cups sweet tea
  • 1/4 cup fresh sage chopped
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2-3 oranges, lemon, limes halved

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Make glaze by combining sweet tea, sage, honey and smoked paprika in a small pot. Simmer over medium high heat until reduced by half and starting to thicken.
  • Place ham, cut side down, in a baking dish. Set citrus around the ham in the baking dish. Brush 1/4 of the glaze over the ham, cover with foil and place in oven.
  • Bake for 10 minutes per pound, brushing with more glaze every 30 minutes. (A 10 pound ham cooks for 1 hour and 40 minutes) Remove from oven and brush with juices from baking dish. Slice and serve.

Pairs Perfectly With:

  • Golden browned red potato gratin with warm and spicy Serrano peppers
    Golden browned red potato gratin with warm and spicy Serrano peppers
  • Delicate Spring greens, juicy blood oranges and creamy ricotta rolled in lemon zest and cracked pepper combined with crunchy sunflower seeds.
    Delicate Spring greens, juicy blood oranges and creamy ricotta rolled in lemon zest and cracked pepper combined with crunchy sunflower seeds.
  • This carrot cake gets it’s moisture from crushed pineapple and coconut milk

Citrus Chipotle Ham

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Citrus Chipotle Ham combines bright flavors of grapefruit and orange together with warm smokey chipotle for extra flavorful bite.

Throw out that little spice packet and jazz up your holiday ham with the flavors of citrus and spice. Bright tones of orange and grapefruit blend perfectly with smokey chipotle and give this ham the beautiful color everyone hopes for.

This Citrus Chipotle Ham will be the center of attention at your holiday table with the caramelized edges and tender juicy inside. Serve with Classic Potato Gratin which compliments this bold flavored ham with it’s tender creaminess. Complete the meal with Northern Winter Salad featuring shaved brussel spouts, hazelnuts, cranberries and Beecher’s Flagship cheese. That’s all you need, I mean, except dessert, of course!

Pairs Perfectly With:

Tender, creamy Classic Potato Gratin can be tailored to your taste by adding fresh herbs.
Northern Winter Salad combines all the the Pacific NW favorites like crunchy Oregon hazelnuts, sweet Washington cranberries and Beecher’s Flagship cheese tossed together with pear, Brussels spouts and kale.
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Citrus Chipotle Ham

A little sweet, a little spicy for the perfect combination 
Course Main Course
Cuisine Pork
Keyword Easter dinner, ham
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 12

Ingredients

  • 1 8-10 lb bone in spiral cut ham

Citrus Chipotle Glaze

  • 1/4 cup shallot minced
  • 1 tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce
  • 1/2 cup grapefruit juice fresh squeezed
  • 1/2 cup orange juice fresh squeezed
  • 1 tsp garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp green onions chopped
  • 2 tbsp butter

Instructions

Ham

  • Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
  • Unwrap ham, discard glaze packet that comes with the ham, place ham in a large oven safe pan and cover with foil.
  • Bake 12 minutes per pound. (My roast was 9 lb. and I baked for 1 hour and 45 minutes) You want the internal temperature to be 140 degrees. The last 10 minutes remove foil and brush glaze over the ham and in all the nooks and crannies.  Crank the oven up to 425 degrees and bake for 10 minutes. 

Citrus Chipotle Glaze

  • In a small sauce pan over medium heat cook shallot and chipotle for about 3 minutes. Add grapefruit juice, orange juice, garlic, cumin and brown sugar.  Simmer until reduced by half, about 10-15 minutes.  Add green onions and butter until melted.  Set aside until ham is ready to glaze.

Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

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Spice it up with these chili rubbed pork chops and corn relish. Tender grilled pork that’s been rubbed with a blend of chili spices and topped with a seasonal relish of corn, peppers and tomatoes. Celebrate summer in just 15 minutes with this easy to follow weeknight meal.

Spice it up with these chili rubbed pork chops and corn relish.

When summer rolls around, it’s time to eat corn. I love coming up with creative ways to use corn. Anything from a quick relish, like this, to a corn puree and of course, just plain old buttered corn. It’s fresh, it’s seasonal and it’s budget friendly. All things that make me very happy.

I like buying my corn on the cob from the local farm stands, simply because you know where it’s coming from. There are still a few farms around here that go by the honor system. You know, pull up to a huge bin of corn, leave a few bucks in the drop box and away you go with fresh corn. This year is my first year trying to grow my own corn. My dad was an expert corn grower and very adamant that your corn had to be ‘knee high by the fourth of July’ and his was just that. I have a small garden where I planted 3 rows of sweet corn and 1 row of Indian corn (this may or may not be the correct term, but that’s what we call it). Only 4 stalks were knee high by the fourth of July, so I’m praying and hoping it all works out. If not, I’ve got some great decorations for fall.

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Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

Spice it up with these chili rubbed pork chops and corn relish.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Pork
Keyword 15 minute meals
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

  • 4 bone in pork chops
  • 1 can ginger ale
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Corn Relish

  • 4 ears corn cut off the cob
  • 1 cup red onion small diced
  • 1/2 jalapeno seeded, small diced
  • 6 mini sweet peppers sliced in rounds
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

  • Soak pork chops in ginger ale while the grill heats up.
  • Combine paprika, garlic, salt, cumin, pepper and cayenne in a small bowl. Remove pork chops from ginger ale and rub with spice blend. Drizzle with olive oil.
  • Grill until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. About 3-4 minutes on each side.

Corn Relish

  • Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add onion, jalapeno and peppers. Stirring for about 2 minutes. Add corn, stir for a minute. Add tomatoes and stir for an additional minutes. Remove and serve over pork chops.

Balsamic & Hot Honey Grilled Pork Chops

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The juiciest grilled pork chops with balsamic and hot honey sit on a bed of creamy parmesan grits dressed with sweet corn and fresh peas. If you frequent the local Farmer’s Market, this meal is for you. Seasonal ingredients make an elegant weeknight meal in less than 30 minutes.

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Grilled Balsamic & Hot Honey Pork Chops

These bone in pork chops are so flavorful and juicy with balsamic and hot honey.
Course Main Course
Cuisine PNW, Pork
Keyword 30 Minute Dinner, Farmer’s Market Meal, Seasonal
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

Balsamic & Hot Honey Pork Chops

  • 4 1/2 inch bone in pork chops
  • 1 can ginger ale or rose cider
  • 4-5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 4-5 tsp hot honey
  • 1 tbsp oilve oil
  • salt and pepper

Sweet Corn & Sugar Snap Peas

  • 2 ears sweet corn cut off the cob
  • 1 cup sugar snap peas sliced on a bias
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil chiffonade
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Parmesan Grits

  • 4 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 cup quick grits
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup parmesan grated

Instructions

Balsamic & Hot Honey Grilled Pork Chops

  • Soak your pork chops in the can of either ginger ale or rose cider. I like to do this about 20 minutes before I start the grill.
  • Prepare your grill. I like to use Applewood Briquettes from Kingsford. It works really well with pork. Wait until the coals turn gray before your start grilling.
  • Right when you start your grill, remove your pork chops from liquid and put on a plate. Drizzle with about 3-4 tbsp balsamic and 3-4 tsp hot honey. Season with salt and pepper. Let sit while grill heats and you prep your sides.
  • Grill pork chops for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Internal temperature of 145 degrees.
  • Remove from grill and drizzle with just a little balsamic and hot honey

Parmesan Grits

  • Bring vegetable broth to a boil. Add grits and stir. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until thickened and creamy. Stir in butter and parmesan.

Sweet Corn & Sugar Snap Peas

  • Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add corn and peas. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until just heated through. Season with fresh basil and salt/pepper.

Dinner Prep:

The first thing I do (on the day I know I’m making pork chops) when I get home from work is put those chops in a dish of ginger ale. Tonight I used what I had on hand, Rose Cider, which was amazing and did the trick. While those are soaking, I use this time to feed the animals and get ready to prep for dinner, Believe me, I can’t do anything before I feed my cat. Karl will hunt me down and give me the death stare until I feed him.

Once you’re ready to prep for dinner, remove the pork chops from the ginger ale or cider and place on a plate. Season with salt and pepper. Next you want to drizzle with alittle balsamic and hot honey. Gently push the pork chops around, fully coating them. Let them sit while you start the grill.

While your grill is heating up, prep your sides. Cut the corn off the cob and slice the sugar snap peas. Get your grits and broth measured out. Now your all set to have dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less.

Make it Your Own:

I like to add seasonal touches to my dinners. Salmon berries that I foraged from my yard gave and extra burst of sweetness. Grilled nectarines are always a great addition to pork chops. The sugars get caramelized and smoky sweet is MOSTLY Amazing!

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Crispy Pork Tacos

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Tender pork gets crisped up and served in a charred flour tortilla along side fresh corn and onion sauté with roasted tomatillo salsa. Like to meal prep on the weekends? This recipe can be made ahead of and finished in a cast iron pan adding that street taco crispiness.

If you’re like me, you never get tired of tacos! In fact, I love creating new taco recipes using seasonal ingredients. This time it’s corn. Corn adds that nice crisp sweetness that pairs perfectly with charred meat.

I’m using a small one pound pork shoulder roast that I had in the freezer. I like to get a big pork shoulder roast and save a little piece for later when I need a quick meal. Usually you won’t find this small of a roast at the grocery, but you can just cut a large roast down and freeze the rest for another time OR adjust the recipe to double or triple for a large dinner.

As you know, if you’re a regular at The Herbalist & The Carnivore, I like to get straight to the recipe and get you cooking! Scroll down for the goods:

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Crispy Pork Tacos

Tender pork gets crisped and served in a charred flour tortilla with corn relish and tomatillo salsa
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword tacos
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 lb pork shoulder roast cut in 1 inch cubes
  • 1/2 onion cut in 1 inch wedges
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 1/3 cup triple sec Orange liqueur used in margaritas
  • 2-4 cup water
  • 8 medium flour tortillas grilled

Pork Rub

  • 1 tbsp fresh garlic minced
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp dried Mexican oregano
  • 1/4 tsp dried coriander
  • 1/2 tsp achiote powder found in Mexican grocery aisle (if you can't find, o.k. to omit)

Corn Saute

  • 2 ears sweet corn cut off the cob
  • 1/2 yellow onion cut in 1/4 inch wedges
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • salt to taste

Tomatillo Salsa

  • 5 tomatillos husk removed
  • 1/2 yellow onion quartered
  • 1/2 jalapeno
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1/2 cup water
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Crispy Pork

  • Combine all Pork Rub ingredients and massage into cubed pork.
  • In a large pot over medium high heat, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Add onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove onion to a bowl.
  • Working in two batches, brown pork in oil left in pan from cooking onion. Remove the fist batch to the bowl with the onion. Repeat with second batch.
  • Add orange juice and triple sec to the pot and scrape off browned bits from bottom of pot. Add browned pork and onion back to pot. Cover with water. Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until for tender.
  • Remove pork from pot, being careful to keep the cubed shape. Discard juices.
  • Heat a cast iron pan (or large saute pan) over medium high heat. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Place cooked pork cubes in cast iron pan and sear until crispy on the outside.
  • Serve with flour tortillas, corn saute and tomatillo salsa.