Braised collard greens are one of my favorite side dishes because of the beautiful balance of texture and flavor. Made correctly they have a silky texture and a little hint of bitterness balanced with salty, sweet and smoky notes. These do take a few hours to make, but almost all of that is slow cooking time where you can mostly ignore them.
A few years ago my husband added ribs to our Thanksgiving menu, along with the smoked turkey he always makes, and our Thanksgivings now have a slightly southern twist, including collard greens as a side. You can make these ahead of time and freeze them or keep in the fridge. I used a smoke turkey leg here to add flavor, you can also use ham hocks.
One super super important note on collard greens. You must wash them super well and repeatedly. They tend to have a lot of dirt/grit on them when you get them and if you don’t wash them multiple times well, it will ruin your dish. I fill a big pot with water and put a colander in it, then add the greens and agitate them like a washing machine does clothes. Drain and rinse, and repeat 3 times making sure you don’t see any grit in the last batch of water. An alternative is buying prewashed and cut greens, which I often do, although I still rinse them some to be sure.
Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 3 lbs fresh collard greens 5-6 small bunches or a few bags (check weight on the bag)
- 2 smoked turkey legs or ham hocks
- 2 tsp chicken powder or bouillon
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp season salt or to taste
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar or hot pepper vinegar to taste, I use a little more
- 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- Remove the stems from the greens and cut into 2-3 inch strips. Wash thoroughly and repeatedly. I wash mine 3 times.
- Rinse the turkey legs or ham hocks and add to a large pot with 10 cups of water. Add the bullion and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Add the greens and enough extra water if needed to cover. Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer on low for about 2 hours or until very tender but not mushy. Remove the meat and bones and shred a little of the meat and add it back. Taste the greens and liquid and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve warm. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze for later use.
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