How to Cook Collard Greens: Step-by-Step

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!
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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!

 Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love to have you back soon!

How to Cook Collard Greens: Step-by-Step

(Printable recipe)

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

Directions

1. 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 {is using}, and ham hocks. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.
2. 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. 
3.  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. 
4.  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.
5. 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.
6. 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. 
7.  Serve with vinegar on the side for drizzling on each serving, if desired.

Enjoy!

Please enjoy these other Southern favorites from The Kitchen is My Playground ...

Classic Southern Deviled Eggs

Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding from Scratch

How to Bake Classic Pound Cake

How to Make Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

Southern Strawberry-Coconut Punch Bowl Cake

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