Want silky, tender, flavorful collards? Follow these steps on how to cook collard greens to cook up a pot in true Southern style. Then keep the recipe handy all year long, because these silky greens are just too good to serve only on Thanksgiving and New Year's Day!
CLICK HERE TO PIN THIS FOR LATER
CLICK HERE TO PIN THIS FOR LATER
Being raised in Vermont, I definitely didn't grow up eating collard greens. They're decidedly not a New England thing.
But then I moved to North Carolina and married a true, good ol' Southern boy. Who just so happens to adore his collards, as they're affectionately known in the South.
So you can probably guess what happened next, right? I learned how to cook collard greens like a boss. Because any self-respecting Southern cook can whip up a pot of tender greens whenever pressed into service to do so.
Whether that be for Sunday dinner, Thanksgiving, or the traditional Southern New Year's Day meal.
True Southern-style collards are silky, tender, and flavorful, a result achieved with a long, slow simmer in a generously seasoned broth.
Because do you want
good luck in the new year?
Oh, then Southern
tradition says to eat your collard greens!
According to lore, a New Year's Day meal of black-eyed peas,
greens, and pork will bring good fortune in the new year. While turnip greens, mustard greens, or
cabbage will do, the Southern good-luck green of choice is collard greens ~ or
simply "collards" as you'll most likely hear in the South.
True Southern-style collards are silky,
tender, and flavorful, a result achieved with a long, slow simmer in a
generously seasoned broth.
Follow these
steps to cook your own pot of collard greens in true Southern style. Then be sure to keep the recipe handy to enjoy
all year long, because these silky greens are just too good to serve only on Thanksgiving or New Year's Day!
Step 1: Prepare the Cooking Liquid
Cooking the greens in seasoned broth creates very flavorful collards.
To prepare the seasoned cooking liquid, heat some olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot. Chop a few slices of bacon and an onion and sauté these together for about 5 minutes. Add a couple of cloves of minced garlic and cook for about another minute.
Then add a good dose of chicken broth, some granulated sugar, black pepper, apple cider vinegar, and a small pinch of crushed red pepper flakes if you'd like a bit of heat.
Next?
It's Southern tradition to season collard greens with some form of cured pork. The collards just wouldn't taste right without it!
You'll want to add in some meat for great flavor. Oh yes, it's Southern tradition to season collard greens with some form of cured pork. The collards just wouldn't taste right without it!
You can use any combination of smoked ham hocks, country ham, fat back, and hog jowls, as desired. We like to use about 2 pounds of smoked ham hocks and a small piece of fat back.
As all these cured pork products are quite salty, rinse your pork products of choice before adding them to the pot. For especially salty cuts, soak in warm water for about 30 minutes to draw out some of the salt.
Bring this pot mixture to a boil and then simmer the liquid for 30 minutes to develop rich flavor.
Step 2: Wash the Collard Greens
While the cooking liquid simmers, wash and cut the collard greens.
Collard greens are notoriously gritty, so it's important to get them good and clean.
So just how do you clean collard greens, you ask? - Soak them and scrub them with a little bit of salt.
Start by separating the leaves of your big bunch of collard greens and give them a quick rinse under running water to remove any "obvious" grit.
So just how to you clean collard greens, you ask? - Soak them and scrub them with a little bit of salt.
Then place them in a large bowl or clean sink and cover the collard leaves with warm water. Add 2 teaspoons salt to act as a scrubbing and gently scrub the leaves with your hands. Then rinse the collards again to remove the salt and any grit that's been scrubbed away.
If the greens are especially gritty, repeat the
scrubbing process to ensure all the dirt is removed.
Step 3: Remove the Spines
Collard green spines are very tough and need to be removed before cooking.
One
at a time, lay each leaf upside-down and flat on a cutting board. Cut along each side of the spine in the
center, cutting each leaf into two halves and completely removing the tough
spine.
Discard the spines.
Step 4: Cut into Ribbons
Pile the cut leaves into several stacks and roll up each stack lengthwise.
Slice each roll into 1-inch pieces, cutting
the collard greens into ribbons.
Step 5: Add Collard Greens to the Pot
Add
collard greens to the simmering pot. Stir into the
cooking liquid and bring to a boil.
Step 6: Cook the Collard Greens
Reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 2 to 3
hours until the greens are your desired tenderness. We like our collards super tender, so we usually cook them for the full 3 hours.
If needed, add a splash or two more chicken broth while the collards are cooking to keep the pot from going dry.
When done, use a slotted spoon to transfer the collard greens from the
cooking liquid to a serving bowl.
We like our collards super tender, so we usually cook them for the full 3 hours.
Chop the meat from the ham hocks and stir it into the greens. And then serve with vinegar on the side for drizzling
on each serving, if desired.
With this method, you'll have one pot of silky, tender, and flavorful collard greens for sure - cooked up in true Southern style.
And hey, keep this recipe handy all year long. Because seriously, these silky greens are just too good to serve only on Thanksgiving and New Year's Day!
Check out these other classic Southern sides:
Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love to have you back soon!
Yield: 8-10 Servings
How to Cook Collard Greens
Want silky, tender, flavorful collards? Follow these steps on how to cook collard greens to cook up a pot in true Southern style. Then keep the recipe handy all year long, because these silky greens are just too good to serve only on Thanksgiving and New Year's Day!
prep time: 30 Mcook time: 3 H & 30 Mtotal time: 3 H & 60 M
ingredients:
- 2 large bunches collard greens {about 2 to 2 & 1/2 pounds total}
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 T. olive oil
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 c. (32 oz.) chicken broth
- 1 1/2 T. granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 T. apple cider vinegar
- pinch crushed red pepper flakes {optional}
- 2 lbs. smoked ham hocks {or hog jowl or country ham}, rinsed with warm water to remove some of the saltiness
instructions:
How to cook How to Cook Collard Greens
- Prepare the cooking liquid: Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot. Sauté chopped bacon and onion about 5 minutes until bacon is cooked and onion is tender. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth, sugar, black pepper, vinegar, crushed red pepper flakes {if using}, and ham hocks. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.
- Wash & cut the collards: While the cooking liquid simmers, wash and cut the collard greens. Separate the collard leaves; place in a very large bowl or clean sink and cover leaves with warm water. Add 2 teaspoons salt to act as a scrubbing agent. Gently scrub the collard leaves with your hands and then rinse. For especially gritty greens, repeat the scrubbing process a second time.
- One at a time, lay each leaf upside-down and spread out flat on a cutting board. Cut along each side of the spine in the center, cutting each leaf into two halves and completely removing the tough spine. Discard spines.
- Pile the cut collard leaves into several stacks and roll up each stack lengthwise. Slice each roll into 1-inch pieces, cutting the collard greens into ribbons.
- Cook the collards: Add collard greens to the pot and stir them into the cooking liquid. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours until greens are your desired tenderness.
- When done, use a slotted spoon to transfer the greens from the cooking liquid to a serving bowl. Chop meat from the ham hocks and stir into the greens.
- Serve with vinegar on the side for drizzling on each serving, if desired.
You might also like these other Southern favorites:
Affiliate
links are included in this post. I receive a small amount of compensation for
anything purchased from these links,at Amazon.com
at no additional cost to you.
Looks yummy but Tracey, trust me no southern cook in the old days (my time) used olive oil. In Virginia, we ate kale instead of collard greens growing up.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the recipe for stewed tomatoes with Ritz crackers ?
Myrna
A southern cook does not cook a 'pot' of greens-
ReplyDeleteThey cook a 'mess' of greens
Thanks for the great photos Tracey. I grew up eating greens of all kinds and they're always on my holiday menus and lots of times in between. When my mom cooked greens or black eye peas for the new year she would put a dime in the bottom of the pot for prosperity. I did that a few times and then nixed the idea. Thanks for always sharing with us at Celebrate Your Story.
ReplyDeleteTracey, sounds wonderful! I love collard greens, but my husband merely tolerates them, so I don't make it nearly often enough to suit me!
ReplyDeleteSuch as really nice post. I have really impressed. Thanx for sharing this post.
ReplyDelete