I’m from Iowa, so I’m a yankee by birth. But moving around with a military husband gave me a great appreciation for southern cooking. I hadn’t even heard of collard greens until living in Georgia and hubby wanted me to try making them. He’d been served them as part of a Thanksgiving meal years ago.
I was nervous at first, but should have been. They are amazing! They go REALLY well with anything BBQ or something off the smoker.
You can choose to make them in a slow cooker, which takes several hours to soften properly. Or you can choose the stop top method, but you’ll need a large pan or pot to make this this way.
You’ll also notice my ‘ham hock’ looks a little different, that’s because we make our own by smoking pork belly with extra salt in it.
Most days I prefer the slow cooker method because I can toss it all in, set it on high and forget about it.
Southern Style Collard Greens – Slow Cooker Method
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz thick cut bacon, chopped
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 16 oz chopped collard greens
- 1 large ham hock
- 16 cups chicken stock*
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 6 oz diced ham
- 2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- dash salt & pepper
Instructions
- Chop your bacon into the size you prefer and render until crispy. If you prefer to soften your onion or to add some caramelization, cook your diced onions with the bacon.8 oz thick cut bacon, chopped
- Scoop your rendered bacon (and onions if you cooked them with the bacon) into the bottom of your slower cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients in order into your slow cooker.1 large yellow onion, diced, 16 oz chopped collard greens, 1 large ham hock, 16 cups chicken stock*, 3 cloves minced garlic, 6 oz diced ham, 2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp sugar, dash salt & pepper
- Turn your slow cooker on high and cook for 8 hours, stirring occasionally. The greens are done once they are softened to your preference. We like ours very soft.
Notes
- to make your own chicken stock, use 1 cup water to 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon. For this recipe you would use 16 cups water and 16 tsp chicken bouillon (5 Tablespoons)
There may be times you need to make collard greens faster than 8 hours in a slow cooker. Use this stop top method to get them done.
Souther Style Collard Greens – Stove Top Method.
Equipment
- 1 Large Deep Skillet either will work, you need stirring room
Ingredients
- 8 oz thick bacon, diced
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 6 oz diced ham
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 16 oz chopped collard greens
- 16 cups chicken broth*
- 1 smoked ham hock
- 2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Chop your bacon over medium heat and fry it in your large pan until nearly crisp.8 oz thick bacon, diced
- Add your diced onion and soften 8 – 10 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant.1 large yellow onion, diced, 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Add greens, diced ham, broth, ham hock, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt & pepper.6 oz diced ham, 16 oz chopped collard greens, 16 cups chicken broth*, 1 smoked ham hock, 2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp sugar, salt & pepper
- Cover and cook on medium high for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Greens are done when they are softened to your preference.
Notes
- you can make your own chicken broth by combining a cup of hot water to 1 tsp chicken bouillon. For this recipe you would need 16 cups water and 16 teaspoons (5 Tbsp) chicken bouillon