Southern-Style Collard Greens
By Morgan BollingPublished on October 15, 2019
Time
2½ hours
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Before You Begin
If you can't find ham hocks, you can substitute 6 slices of bacon and 3 ounces of ham steak cut into ½-inch pieces. Be sure to remove the rind from the ham before cutting it into pieces. Add the bacon and ham in place of the ham hocks in step 2, but discard the bacon before serving. Do not drain off the cooking liquid before serving. This flavorful, savory pot liquor should be sipped while eating the collards. Any leftover pot liquor can be used as a soup base. Serve with Cornmeal Cakes, if desired.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Trim collard stems to base of leaves; discard trimmings. Cut leaves into roughly 2-inch pieces. Place collard greens in large bowl and cover with water. Swish with your hand to remove grit. Repeat with fresh water, as needed, until grit no longer appears in bottom of bowl. Remove collard greens from water and set aside (you needn't dry them).
- Melt butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add water, ham hocks, garlic, salt, sugar, and pepper flakes and bring to boil over high heat. Add collard greens (pot may be full) and stir until collard greens wilt slightly, about 1 minute. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until collard greens are very tender, about 1½ hours.
- Transfer ham hocks to cutting board and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove meat from ham hocks, chop, and return to pot; discard skin and bones. Season collard greens with salt to taste. Serve with hot sauce.
Time
2½ hoursYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
This emblematic Southern recipe is made by braising collard greens with a salty smoked pork product. Over a long cooking time, the pork and greens intermingle and turn the cooking water into a supersavory pot liquor (or “pot likker”) that some consider the best part of the dish. We found that 2 smoked ham hocks provided the best deeply smoky pork flavor. Plus, after a long braising time, it was easy to pull the savory little chunks of meat off the hocks to add back to the greens. Cooking the greens in the controlled heat of the oven, rather than on the stove, provided silky, evenly cooked collard greens and plenty of pot liquor.
Before You Begin
If you can't find ham hocks, you can substitute 6 slices of bacon and 3 ounces of ham steak cut into ½-inch pieces. Be sure to remove the rind from the ham before cutting it into pieces. Add the bacon and ham in place of the ham hocks in step 2, but discard the bacon before serving. Do not drain off the cooking liquid before serving. This flavorful, savory pot liquor should be sipped while eating the collards. Any leftover pot liquor can be used as a soup base. Serve with Cornmeal Cakes, if desired.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Trim collard stems to base of leaves; discard trimmings. Cut leaves into roughly 2-inch pieces. Place collard greens in large bowl and cover with water. Swish with your hand to remove grit. Repeat with fresh water, as needed, until grit no longer appears in bottom of bowl. Remove collard greens from water and set aside (you needn't dry them).
- Melt butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add water, ham hocks, garlic, salt, sugar, and pepper flakes and bring to boil over high heat. Add collard greens (pot may be full) and stir until collard greens wilt slightly, about 1 minute. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until collard greens are very tender, about 1½ hours.
- Transfer ham hocks to cutting board and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove meat from ham hocks, chop, and return to pot; discard skin and bones. Season collard greens with salt to taste. Serve with hot sauce.
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