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Collard Greens · Southern-Style with Ham Hock

Southern-Style Collard Greens

Collards simmered slowly with a smoked ham hock, onion, garlic and broth until silky, then brightened with cider vinegar and a little heat. Save the broth, the potlikker, for dunking cornbread.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
1 hr 50 min
Total
2 hr 10 min
Serves
8 · About 6 cups
Level
Easy

Ingredients

Greens

  • 2 ½ lb collard greens, 2 large bunches
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 smoked ham hock, about 1 lb
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp light brown sugar
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • kosher salt, to taste

To serve

  • hot sauce

Steps

  1. Swish the collard leaves in a sink full of cold water, then lift them out so the grit stays behind. Repeat until no grit settles.
  2. Strip the leaves off the thick center stems. Stack several leaves, roll them up and cut across into 1-inch ribbons.
  3. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft.
  4. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant.
  5. Add the broth, water and ham hock and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat and simmer to build a smoky broth.
  6. Add the collards a few handfuls at a time, stirring each batch down as it wilts.
  7. Partly cover and simmer gently, stirring now and then, until the greens are silky and tender.
  8. Lift out the ham hock. When it's cool enough to handle, pull off the meat, chop it and stir it back in; throw away the skin, fat and bone.
  9. Stir in the vinegar, brown sugar and pepper, then taste and add salt as needed. The hock is salty, so taste first.
  10. Serve the greens with some of their broth and pass hot sauce at the table.

Tip: No pork? Use a smoked turkey wing or drumstick the same way. For vegetarian greens, skip the meat, use vegetable broth and add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika with the garlic.

Tip: Black-eyed peas, greens and cornbread stand for coins, money and gold on New Year's Day in many Southern homes.

Storage: Refrigerate in their broth within 2 hours, up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months. Reheat until steaming hot (165°F).

Make ahead: Collards taste even better the next day. Make them up to 2 days ahead, cool and refrigerate in their broth, then reheat covered over medium-low heat until steaming.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 90 calories · protein 5 g · carbohydrates 9 g · fiber 5 g · sugars 2 g · fat 4 g (saturated 0.5 g) · sodium 300 mg. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 11 of 11 ingredients.