Collard greens are a godsend, especially when you are feeding a large family. The silky texture of a well-cooked pot of collard greens is divine, and the potlikker (the broth that forms while the greens cook) is one of the most flavorful tastes you might ever taste. Collard greens are very rich in vitamins, including A, C, K, and B-6, as well as fiber, choline, calcium, and iron, among many other health benefits. Collard greens are also a very cold-weather hearty plant and relatively easy to grow, so give it a try sometime if you have the space.
Like all my personal favorite foods to cook (soups, stews, sauces), it is a long, developing process, so I recommend starting early in the day and allowing for long cooking times.
Many people think that they don’t like collard greens, but often times they have only had lightly-seasoned collards that have been boiled in water, which tend to be bland and gritty. The key is to very thoroughly wash the greens and cut them properly (I’ll show you how below), and adorn the pot with many layers of flavorings. Collards tend to hold a lot of sandy particles and grit, and it is important to wash them thoroughly beforehand to remove the grit. When you make collards in the Southern tradition, they are intensely flavorful with a beautiful texture.
My suggestion is to use a smoked turkey leg, but you can also use smoked ham-hocks so long as they are very meaty. You want to cook it long enough for the meat to become tender so that it falls off the bone and incorporates into the collards.
As always, I highly recommend listening to a good mix of old school funk, R&B, soul, jazz, and hip hop while cooking soul food. I’ve done the work and made a detailed spotify playlist for you to listen to while cookin:
Here’s what you’ll need for a large pot that will feed a family:
4-6 bunches of collard greens, thoroughly washed and cut
1 smoked turkey leg (or 2-3 ham hocks with lots of meat)
1/3 pound of bacon (for the grease; I like to use brown sugar-cured bacon, but any will work)
1 large yellow onion, diced
5-6 cloves of garlic
2 quarts of low sodium chicken broth
1 12-oz can or bottle of beer (I like to use Rolling Rock or Modelo, but any basic beer will work)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of Louisiana-style hot sauce (Crystal brand is best)
2-3 teaspoons of Cajun or Creole spice mix
How to wash and cut collard greens:
First off, clean your entire sink with soap and hot water.
Plug the drain and place your collard leaves inside. Add a few splashes of white vinegar and salt (this will not affect the flavor of your greens), and fill up your sink with cold water. Gently rub each leaf with your hands until you can feel some of the grit dissipate. Drain the water, then repeat, then repeat again. After a third time, I use the faucet to do a final rinse.
To cut your greens, simply roll them up like a taquito, and cut in 1 inch intervals. Some people like to remove the stalks, but I will die on the hill of keeping stalks in my collard greens.
How to cook collard greens:
In a large stock pot, cook the bacon on medium heat. Remove the bacon (feel free to snack on it, it’s not necessary for the recipe), but keep the grease in the pot.
Add diced onion and garlic to the skillet and saute in the bacon grease for about 7 minutes on medium heat until the onion starts to sweat.
Pour in about 1/2 to 3/4 the bottle or can of beer, and cook down, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes. Drink the rest of the beer.
Pour in the chicken broth and add the whole smoked turkey leg. Bring to boil.
Once boiling, add the collard greens by handful, pushing them down and around the smoked turkey leg with wooden spoon. Reduce to simmer.
Loosely cover with lid and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Add Worcestershire, apple cider vinegar, spice mix, and hot sauce. Simmer for 1 more hour.
Remove the turkey leg bone, allowing the meat to be pulled off. Make sure that any smaller strands of ligament or undesirable textures from the turkey leg are removed from the pot.
Taste the potlikker and feel free to add more hot sauce or spice mix if necessary.
At this point, the greens should be very tender and somewhat mushy, and the potlikker should be oozing with flavor.
I like to make collards for any occasion with family and friends, because when you make collard greens the right way, you end up making a large pot of them. It isn’t really plausible to make this recipe with 1 or 2 bunches of greens - you need at least 4-6, so it’s perfect for family gatherings.
Some good pairings for this would be mac and cheese, cornbread, mashed or fried potatoes, baked or jerk grilled chicken, maybe even meatloaf or roasted turkey and gravy.
For people unfamiliar with good Southern cooking, this is a wonderful place to begin.
Thank you for following along while I learn and teach how to make classic soul food recipes. Here’s some others to try out:
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