Collard Greens

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Collard Greens with Ham Hock are a southern classic! These slow cooked greens are full of flavor and perfect for Sunday dinner.

I’m not southern and have no southern roots, but boy do I enjoy southern food. Whether it’s Fried Chicken, Southern Style Green Beans or my personal favorite, fried green tomatoes, Southern American food is one of my favorite cuisines. Perhaps it’s because each southern recipe I try just screams comfort.

Take these Collard Greens for instance, they might not be the first thing that you reach for in the grocery store. But give them the Southern treatment by cooking them low and slow with ham hocks and they’ll be a new favorite.

Let’s talk about everything that you’ll need to make them.

Ingredients you’ll need:

• COLLARD GREENS: Collards are a member of the cabbage family and a southern staple. Did you know that Collard Greens are among one of the most nutritious foods you can eat? They are right up there with kale. Loaded with vitamins A, C and K. They also have tons of fiber and calcium.
• OLIVE OIL: To sauté the onions
• ONIONS: Yellow onion works perfect in this recipe.
• GARLIC: 4 to 6 cloves
• CRUSHED RED PEPPER: these are optional but they do add a nice touch of heat.
• CHICKEN STOCK: Some recipes call for water but chicken stock adds a ton more flavor in my opinion.
• HAM HOCK: Ham hock plays two roles in collard greens. First you’ll cook the ham hock in the broth which will give it a smoky flavor. Finally, you’ll chop the ham hock after cooking and put it into the greens to add some hearty meatiness to the dish.
• APPLE CIDER VINEGAR: This will help cut the bitterness of the greens.

Step by step photos and instructions:

The key to making the ultimate Collard Greens is to cook them low and slow. That means that this recipe does take some time, about 3 hours but it’s not really super labor intensive.

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• STEP #1: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in onions, garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook just until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• STEP #2: Pour in the chicken broth and add in ham hock. Cover, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
• STEP #3: Clean the greens throughly. Soak them in water, pick then up to let the water drain off and repeat until they are clean. Remove stems and chop.
• STEP #4: Remove the ham hock and chop the meat.
• STEP #5: Add the cleaned greens and vinegar. Cover and simmer until they are tender about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Use a slotted spoon to serve.

While I like to serve my collard greens with a slotted spoon to avoid excess liquid on my plate, the broth that the greens are cooked in is often called the “pot likkor” and it is delicious. Especially with cornbread.

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