Southern Braised Collard Greens with Ham Hocks

An amazing go-to braised collard greens recipe is a must, especially for this Southern girl. Tender and smoky, these greens are simple to make and require only a few ingredients that I almost always have on hand.

Make them for New Years or to go alongside your favorite barbecue. Either way, this is the best no-fuss Southern collards recipe. Pinky promise.

While I'll admit I am a little superstitious, you bet I'll be eating these collards on New Years Day for good luck. It doesn't hurt, right?

Along with black-eyed peas, my tomato rice pilaf, and sweet potato cornbread, it's a meal I look forward to all year long. (We love it so much that we often it have on other days too.)

It may seem a little odd to add brown sugar to greens, but between the sugar and the apple cider vinegar, it removes the bitterness you can sometimes find in greens. Add a smoked ham hock that simmers in the potlikker (pot liquor), and whew-ie, these greens are pure heaven.

Do not, and I mean do not dump that amazing braising liquid down the drain. They are liquid gold and amazingly delicious spooned over that rice pilaf I mentioned.

Wanna know what else is great about these greens? They're a great side dish to go alongside barbecue. In fact, visit any BBQ joint in the South, and there's a good chance you'll find collards on the menu.

If you're in the mood for some bbq-inspired dishes, you'll want to check out my sweet and sour spareribs, gouda macaroni and cheese, and blue cheese and bacon potato salad recipes. They're all great to serve with these collards. Now, let's get to it!

Ingredients

Before we get started, let's gather the ingredients we need for these Southern collard greens:

• fresh collard greens
• olive oil
• yellow onion
• garlic cloves
• chicken broth or chicken stock
• light brown sugar
• apple cider vinegar
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• hot sauce
• ham hock (or use a little ham and the ham bone from my brown sugar and bourbon glazed ham)

(See recipe card for quantities.)

Instructions

Now that we've got our ingredients, it's time to get cooking!

1. First, remove the center ribs and tough stems from the collard greens. Stack several leaves and roll up, pinwheel style. Slice the collards into 1- to 2-inch pieces.

2. Next, heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Then, add the garlic, salt, and black pepper to the onions. Add the collards and stir until coated.

4. Finally, add the chicken broth, brown sugar, vinegar, and ham hock. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to low heat, and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the meat falls off the ham hock bone. Remove the ham hock and shred and chop the meat. Return the meat to the collards in the pot.

Hint: Keep a watchful eye on the amount of liquid in the Dutch oven as the collards cook. If it looks a little low, add some water to the pan.

Substitutions

Looking to change it up? Check out these substitutions for these Southern-style collard greens:

• Collard greens - Instead of collard greens, you can use turnip greens, mustard greens, and kale.
• Ham hock - If you don't want to use a ham hock, smoked turkey legs or wings work great. You can also add a few tablespoons of bacon grease.
• Vinegar - I love apple cider vinegar for this recipe but you can use white vinegar, rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, or even lemon juice if you prefer.
• Brown sugar - Brown sugar is a great way to remove any bitterness from the greens. If you don't have brown sugar, a little maple syrup or honey works great too.

Variations

The great thing about this recipe is that it's so versatile. Here are some more ways to make it your own:

• Spicy - I douse my greens with hot sauce so feel free to add as much or as little as you'd like. You can also add in a little crushed red pepper flakes to the greens as they cook to give these collards a little more of a kick.
• Vegetarian Braised Greens - To make these vegetarian, instead of chicken broth, use vegetable broth. Omit the ham hock and add a few tablespoons of soy sauce for umami. You can also stir in some smoked paprika to mimic the smokiness of the ham.
• Slow Cooker Collards - Make these in a slow cooker instead of a Dutch oven. Combine the ingredients in a 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker and cook on LOW for at least 8 hours.

Equipment

Here's the equipment you'll need for this recipe:

• chef's knife
• measuring spoons
• liquid measuring cup
• Dutch oven

Storage

Store leftover collards in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months.

Frequently asked questions

Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips

When developing and testing recipes, here are some key things that I do for more success in the kitchen:

• Be sure to use dry measuring cups for things like flour, sugar, and mayonnaise and a liquid measuring cup for things like water, milk, and broth.
• When measuring dry ingredients like flour and powdered sugar that can pack down, spoon the ingredient into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife as opposed to scooping the measuring cup into the ingredient.
• I test and develop recipes using a standard electric oven and standard gas stovetop. Be aware that if you use an electric stovetop or convection oven, your bake times will be different.
• When recipes call for kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

Food safety

Finally, don't forget to keep these food safety tips in mind when making this recipe.

• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.