Southern Braised Collard Greens with Ham Hocks
Every Southerner needs a great go-to braised collard greens recipe and this is mine. The greens are perfectly tender and smoky; great for eating alone or alongside black-eyed peas, rice pilaf, and cornbread for a good luck New Years meal.
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Servings: 8
Equipment
- chef's knife
- measuring spoons
- liquid measuring cup
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 (1 ½-pound) bunch collard greens
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce, plus more for serving1
- 1 (1-pound) smoked ham hock
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash the collard greens. Remove the tough center rib and stem from the centers of each collard green leaf. Stack several leaves on top of each other and roll up tightly. Cut the collards into bite-size pieces.
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for 30 seconds or until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the collard greens until well coated.
- Add the chicken broth, brown sugar, vinegar, hot sauce, and ham hock. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the collards are tender and the ham is falling off the bone.
- Remove the ham hock from the Dutch oven. Chop and shred the meat. Discard any skin, cartilage, and bones. Return the meat to the Dutch oven. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Serve the collard greens with additional hot sauce.