This is as Southern as you can get.
This is an excellent recipe I have been doing it for years. The only thing I do differently is add about 1 TBSP honey, or syrup or even brown sugar. This gets rid of all bitterness from the greens. Everyone I have cooked them for loves them even the ones who say they don't eat collards.
Read MoreThe ingredients are right on, but not the cooking directions. First, wash your ham hocks off and put them in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for about fifteen minutes and pour the water off. Then, start a fresh pot with water to cover and cook until almost tender, but not quite done. It could take as long as three hours. It depends on your cookware, your fire, etc.. You can boil them on high heat, but watch them and add water if necessary. Then, when they're almost tender, but not too tender, add your remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. You won't need too much salt and I always use crushed red pepper, a white or yellow onion, quartered, a few cloves of garlic, chopped and even some cajun seasoning. Simmer about an hour, or until the greens are the way you like them. Some people like them chewy, so take a few out after about 45 minutes and taste them for tenderness. These steps are necessary to keep from having your greens too salty or overcooking them. Serve with vinegar and hot sauce, like Louisiana Hot Sauce. Yummy!
Read MoreThis is an excellent recipe I have been doing it for years. The only thing I do differently is add about 1 TBSP honey, or syrup or even brown sugar. This gets rid of all bitterness from the greens. Everyone I have cooked them for loves them even the ones who say they don't eat collards.
I'm not a Southerner but I love me some greens. This is a great recipe for collards. none of the recipes I've seen on this site stress the neeed to wash the greens throughly. It takes a while and is the worst part of making them but very necessary.I also add somecoarsely chopped onion and red pepper flakes. Serve with hot sauce and cornbread, mmmmmmmmmmmmmm gooood!
Perfect. To reduce the smell of the collards while they cook, add one pecan (shelled). Seriously, it helps.
I love greens and was dying to make my own. This recipe was great. The only thing I did differently was boiling the ham hocks for a while before adding the greens. I was very satisfied with the results and will use this recipe often.
The ingredients are right on, but not the cooking directions. First, wash your ham hocks off and put them in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for about fifteen minutes and pour the water off. Then, start a fresh pot with water to cover and cook until almost tender, but not quite done. It could take as long as three hours. It depends on your cookware, your fire, etc.. You can boil them on high heat, but watch them and add water if necessary. Then, when they're almost tender, but not too tender, add your remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. You won't need too much salt and I always use crushed red pepper, a white or yellow onion, quartered, a few cloves of garlic, chopped and even some cajun seasoning. Simmer about an hour, or until the greens are the way you like them. Some people like them chewy, so take a few out after about 45 minutes and taste them for tenderness. These steps are necessary to keep from having your greens too salty or overcooking them. Serve with vinegar and hot sauce, like Louisiana Hot Sauce. Yummy!
I have been trying to duplicate the collard greens I had at a friend's house a long time ago without much success. This recipe did it! I added a heaping tablespoon of sugar to the recipe to provide a hint of sweetness and found the flavor I had been searching for. The vinegar cuts the bitterness and really cuts the odor while cooking. Thanks for the recipe!!
These were great! I used smoked turky necks, since I don't eat pork. I also used 1/2 broth and 1/2 water. They were flavored well. I fixed some cornbread and ate them with it....SO GOOD!
I've always had the worst time making greens. However, this one came out amazin'! I cooked the ham hocks in the liquid for half an hour prior to adding the greens. I also added 1 tablespoon of sugar and half an onion(chopped). Came out quite tasty!
THESE ARE THE BEST collard greens I have ever had! I am not a true southern since my mom is from New York and my dad from Minnesota, so after marrying a Georgia boy and living in South Carolina, I desperatley wanted to make collard greens comparable with his mothers. Hubby said these tasted different but were equally good! And surprisingly, I loved them as well. I did alter the recipe slightly though. I halved it because it was only for the four servings and then used frozen collard greens already chopped (only b/c the store was out of fresh though!) I used Goya ham flavoring in place of the ham hocks. Then I added some finely chopped onion and cayenne or red pepper to it as well. SPICY! I will never cook collard greens any other way again. THANKS!
I made these for New Years and used hog jowl instead of ham hocks and they turned out wonderful! I did cook them on low for about five hours. They just kept getting better. I am from Chicago and my Southern friends said they were really good and couldn't believe a Yankee could have made them!!!
These were delicious, tender and easy to make! I did follow the suggestion of some of the reviewers and added 1 TBSP brown sugar to cut bitterness. I also stirred in a few dashes of cayenne just because I like it :) This is an awesome recipe! I didn't even use salt because the salt from the broth and the hocks was plenty enough to season them just perfectly. Thanks for sharing!
Truly (as a girl that learned this from a southern cooking Grandmomma) is THE southern collard greens. Must add cornbread to complete. :) Oh, tip to cut bitter is add a pinch of baking soda (works for sweet tea too to cut bitterness).
I'm a Chinese/Hawaiian girl married to an African American and I never tasted greens till I met him. I've been looking for a recipe to surprise him with because he's always saying how he misses greens. So I made this recipe and only changed a few things based on others reviews. I use 1 lb of greens (not 1 bunch), a pince of red pepper flakes, 1 lg onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 6 slices of bacon (fried and cut up), and 3 tbsp of Liquid Smoke. I also put the ham hock overnight in the slow cooker to make it tender and then used the liquid as the "water" for the recipe. My husband couldn't believe this was my first try and loved it. He said it was right up there with his mom's greens (and she's a good ol' girl from Alabama). I was thrilled and will continue to use this often. It was soooo easy.
I used mixed turnip, collar and mustard, and did add the brown sugar so I did twek it but these were devoured at christmas! Making them for new years day! thank you , killer recipe....
I was looking for another way to make collard greens but I wouldn't even chance this recipe. It takes more than 1hr 15 min to cook the ham hock. I'll stick with what I know.
This southern girl LOVES some collard greens! I have never used vinegar or chicken broth before so I tried it and LOVE THEM EVEN MORE! Serve with some beans and cornbread. YUM YUM
Excellent! Not bitter at all! I made this recipe at the last minute, so I did not have the ham hocks so I used two slices of bacon. I also threw in a tablespoon of honey, red pepper flakes, onion bits and a couple sprigs of thyme. VERY good. I am no longer afraid of this vegetable!
I ABSOLUTELY love this recipe. I've been looking for a recipe to raise my family on, and I hit the jackpot with this one. Since I have big eaters in my family, I have to double the recipe. That's where my slow cooker comes in handy. I make my own chicken broth, so that helps too. I always slow cook my ham hocks in my broth and vinegar. That seems to produce the best flavor. Then I strain the broth before using it for the greens. Whooo! My husband says "my" greens are the best ever. Thanks, from one Southern girl to another!
Awesome. I did add a few more items to this recipe to make it like down home greens. I added some chopped onions, and sliced hot sausage links. I also added about 1/8 cup of chopped pecans, to reduce the strong smell that the green make when you cook them. It works perfect every time. My fiance and daughter both ate these , even though neither one of them like greens, so they say. :-)
These were yummy. Very flavorful. I did add a little hot sauce just for an extra kick but these were finger licking good. This was my first time using pork instead of Turkey meat and this was a good change. Keeps you from using a lot of seasonings which is a plus. Will make again!
Sensational! I have been trying to make collard greens for years, to no avail, this recipe changed that. I prefer a softer texture, so I cooked them for five hours instead of one. Thank you!
Great way to make a lower-carb veggie side dish. They were tasty but more soupy than I expected. Next time I'll cut back on the liquid. My BF loved them and he "doesn't like collard greens." :)
Love this recipe and it's simplicity! I do not use ham hocks, I used chopped ham from my bone-in ham and let this simmer in my crock pot for hours. Other than that substitution and cooking in a crock pot I followed the recipe exactly. Thank you for a true recipe!
The chicken broth made a huge difference and when I cooked them a little too long waiting for the other dishes to get ready, I just added another can of chicken broth and took them out of the pot. Simmering hot in chicken broth in the bowl was perfect texture for serving!
love, love, love it!!!!! My bf said he never liked collard greens but after this he's been asking me when am I going to make it again!! The only thing I've added was a sprinkle of crushed red pepper while it's simmering. This is a true the south collards recipe.. thanks for sharing southerngirl3 :)
I added red pepper flakes, diced onions and a tsp of brown sugar for added flavor and it turned out amazing!!!!!!
And my mom said you had to cook these things for hours?!?!? NOT!!! This was an awesome recipe! The only thing I did different...I added some crushed red pepper flakes...Yummmm
Excellent! My father passed away unexpectantly and he made the best greens ever. Unfortunately, I never got the recipe from him. I made these at a recent family get together and the pot was EMPTY by the time everyone left. Thanks so much for this one!!!
Cooking early for dinner, and I am not sure that I can wait to eat them. I've gotten other recipes for collards on this site and this is by far the best! So very good. Followed the basic recipe to the letter, minus the hocks (used smoked turkey wings). Oh, I did simmer the turkey wings for about an hour in the broth and water before adding the greens because that what mom does). Also added about tsp of dark brown sugar and dash of red pepper flakes. I used kosher salt and black pepper in the grinder to taste. Plan on looking at the rest of your recipes Southerngirl3. Muy bueno!
This was a great treat! I could not find smoked ham hocks, so we broiled ours and added a little bacon to get the smoky flavor.
Excellent receipe. I used a quart of the low sodium chicken stock and cooked all day long. Soak the greens in cold water, rinse, stack 4 or 5 leaves on top on one another; roll the stack and slice in 1/4 rounds, turn the cutting board and slice the rounds again. Easy and perfect size for cooking. I use the stems too.
Awesome recipe! I tripled the ingredients to make a larger batch. Cooked all ingredients about 1/2 hour before adding collards. Added 2tbs brown sugar to decrease bitterness. I also cooked the greens about 2 1/2 hours to get them a little more tender. Definetly a keeper!
These were really good. My husband who is from the south and also very picky really enjoyed them. thanks for sharing.
Had this for '10 Thanksgiving and it turned out wonderful. Followed recipe exactly but started the boil on the ham hocks as I was chopping the greens. Will definitely keep making again!
Yum! Everyone (including individuals who don't usually like collard greens) loved them. Thanks so much! I added a pinch of sugar and a dash of hot sauce at the end as suggested by fellow ARers in the exchange (to help with bitterness).
These were delicious. Just like grandma used to make. They were out of smoke ham hocks at my grocery store, so I substituted smoked turkey legs. Mmm, mmm, good! I served these with pot roast, black eyed peas spooned over cornbread, and a bottle of "pepper sauce" to pass around. Grandma would be proud.
I guess I owe this recipe a quick review. I've made it an embarrassing amount of times in the 8 months since I moved to the south. :-) All I can say is, who knew greens were so darn good?! This recipe is perfect and I wouldn't change a thing -- except maybe to double it. Thanks for helping make me a real southern cook!
First time ever making collard greens . They turned out perfect but i am just not a collard green type of person . I wish it would have let me know if I was suppose to drain the juice or keep them in it when all is done .
So.. I'm a vegetarian, so I needed to adapt this recipe :) - used frozen collards in 3 cups of water with a vegetable boullion cube, added 1/2 onion chopped, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tbsp cider vinegar, 1 tbsp honey, salt and pepper. High heat till boiling, then simmered for 20 minutes. Yum!!!
These greens are really great. I add some Frank's hot sauce & it's good to go. The pot liquor could be served in a cup as a soup! I do a rough chiffonade on the greens & go back & do a couple cross cuts. The longer pieces of greens can be hard to eat. Try this recipe you won't be disappointed.
Delicious and tender- not bitter at all. I used beef boullion instead of chicken as I do with canned greens beans.
Yum.. I added a little sugar to take away the bitterness of the greens; also a few dashes of hot sauce is how we like them!
I've always avoided collard greens, thinking I wouldn't like them. Made this for our New Year's dinner and was pleasantly surprised that I actually ENJOYED them! I used one really big ham hock and cooked it in the broth in a crockpot for a few hours - then transferred to pot where I added/cooked the rest. Really glad I tried this!
Best collards ever! My husband is from Alabama and I am from Illinois. I made these for him the first year we were married and he has raved about them for 7 years. He even said they were better than his memaws and that is saying a lot :)
These are fantastic! They came out exactly as I had hoped. They were great with a roasted pork loin and the Acorn Squash with Apples recipe from this site.
This recipe is fantastic! I do vary it slightly though. I add 2 teaspoons of red pepper flake and I simmer the ham hocks in the broth for about 45 minutes before adding the greens. I remove the hocks and pick off the meat and toss it in with the greens.
Great recipe! The only thing I changed was the time. I got the fire as low as I could get it and left it there (cover on) all night, and all day, stirring occasionally. I heard if you do the same thing with green beans, they come out amazing. Can't wait to try it.
This recipe is ALL that!! I have never cooked collard green until today. My picky kids wanted seconds! Some small changes I made: Used packaged concentrated tubes of chicken broth, rather than the can. Used 1/2 smoked turkey leg for flavor, since we dont eat pork (If you use the whole leg, the smoked turkey might be overwhelming in taste). Put a Tablespoon of brown sugar with the vinegar. I think I will use 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar instead, cause it still had that vinegar taste (Thats the purpose of the brown sugar, to eliminate that taste). Oh man, this will be a favorite at te table. Especialy since my kids wil eat their veggies!
This is the perfect recipe for collard greens. I grew up in the South and could eat greens every day. This is five star on its own, but after I made it the first time, I added red pepper flakes and a bit more vinegar to mine. I like spicy greens!
Absolutely wonderful. Adding a tablespoon of vinegar really made a difference. My family enjoyed this VERY MUCH!!!!
Simple easy and good. I used smoked ham shanks. Other than that I kept the recipe the same.
This was AWESOME. I've always loved greens and wanted my kids to like them so I could make them more. I tried this recipe and it was a hit. Only thing was that I didn't have fresh collards so I used the frozen ones. I also used chicken bouillon instead of broth and as other have suggested, I added a tbls of brown sugar to take out the bitterness. The sugar did not make it sweet at all. I also cooked the ham hocks a bit before adding the greens. A new staple to our menu THANKS SO MUCH Southerngirl!
I tried this recipe with the left over hamhock I had and it turned out AWESOME! My husband kept telling me how good it was! I put mine in a pressure cooker for about 4 minutes then added the hamhock I had simmered earlier. Let it simmer together for about 30 mins. Thanks so much!
Oh my goodness...I love greens...I love a couple other recipes...THIS one is da bomb.
we had never had collared greens - these are so good - using a good smoked ham hock is very important - we simmer apr 8 hours to insure the greens are so tender & the flavor is right
I be lovin' me some greens! I had to learn how to cook collards cuz they're NOT like others that cook up quickly. I also put in some chopped onion and Tabasco sauce. (Diced up smoked sausage rocks as well). They'll cook up quickly in a pressure cooker in 10 minutes.
I did as one of the other review suggested and added a rounded tbsp of sweetener (splenda) and it came out perfect. I didn't have ham hock so I just used about 4 slices of bacon and it was fabulous. I will try it with the ham hock next time. Thanks!
When you get collards in your CSA and have Easter hambone in the freezer, this recipe was perfect. In the arena of collard greens, which we eat only when necessary, DH said it was very good and my 2 y.o. ate some. I followed tips to add 1T of brown sugar; hope it helped. My taste buds are on vacation, so I can't judge at all.
made this with smoked turkey wings - took all the meat of the bone before adding to the pot. Next time I'll cook the meat and liquid before adding the greens. Overall very good -close to what I'm used to (my family is from the south)
This is the best recipe for collard greens! I didn't think I'd find anything better than what I ate in West Africa but I did. I used 2 smoke ham shanks and 32 oz chicken broth with water in slow cooker all night. Woke up to a wonderful aroma! Used 2 bunches of collard greens. Agree to coarsely chop onions. Minced onions make the predominate flavor onion. Not good. Thank you for a wonderful recipe! This has become a very regular recipe.
I used this receipe for part of my New Years fare and the greens were delicious. The broth makes all the difference. My boyfriend who comes from Louisiana loved them!
DELICIOUS!! That sums it up in one word! My husband of 34 years if from the north and would NEVER touch greens from the south. I convinced him to take one bite, and he was hooked. I wanted to take a picture of him sitting at the table with collard greens on his plate. I did make a couple of changes or rather additions. I added some sugar, some Balsamic vinegar, crushed red pepper flakes, a pinch of baking soda and just a splash of lemon juice. This recipe is just delicious! A true southern dish!
i read lots of recpies about southern cooking . some i can't belive they have the gall to call it southern cooking . this one is great . !!!! ksquawd
If this recipe had more rating stars i would max them out. This recipe is great. I followed the recipe to the exact. I can't figure out why some change the ingredients and give the recipe a lower rating.
My husband loves collards and I've made them a number of times. After using this recipe, he said, "you finally got it" these are super! I did ad both chicken broth and some pork to flavor. Even my little boys decided that they finally like collards!
This was my first attempt at cooking collard greens and this recipe was a huge success! The only thing I did differently was use regular chicken broth cause I didn't have condensed chicken broth. I also don't think one bunch of collards equals 8 servings...cause it barely feed 4 people ;-)
This is the second time I have cooked collard greens. I guess you have to develop a taste for them.
First time making Collard Greens and it was a big hit. Easy recipe and very tasty. I will be making this again...often.
Being from Charleston, collards is something every girl should know how to do. Although I don't personally care for them (no matter how they are prepared), this recipe received praise at two family "Sunday dinners" and Thanksgiving. My only suggestions is that they cook significantly longer than an hour. I usually put them on the stove in the morning and let them sit as I don't think you can overcook a collard but oyu can certainly undercook them. Have pepper sauce available for the die hard greens eaters. Enjoy.
I don't eat greens but I made these for my boyfriend and he said they were almost as good as his mom's.
My only complaint about these is that they are too salty with ham hocks *and* chicken broth, so you need to use low-sodium broth (or reduce it to one can broth and substitute more water). Otherwise they are super tasty.
I use smoked ham hocks & a pinch of red pepper flakes - oh yeah - these are some darn good collards!!!
love'em....i like to add a little more spice to mine but other than that, perfect. i usually use pancetta in mine
This is a wonderful recipe and my gang gobbled it up. In addition to the hock, I also added in some chopped bacon. I let it simmer for a couple hours and served it the next day. Flavor was fantastic and went great with our fried chicken. Thank you!!
These are the best collards I have ever made! Wonderfully simple but oh so good.
Pretty good. This was my 1st time cooking greens. I would add something else for some cajun spices to bring out a little more flavor, and would try adding mustard greens too.
I have used this recipe several times and every time it just gets better and better. Thank you for sharing this, it's exactly what I've been looking for!
Perfect! I used mustard greens because I like them better. Next time I will try this with a mixture of collard, mustard & turnip greens. Best darned greens I've ever made tho!
Simple. Easy. Delicious. First time making collard greens, an it was delicious!!
Gotta love the collard greens. I didnt have ham hocks on hand so I used smoked k-basa. Other than that I followed the recipe. I know, I should have used ham hocks, next time I will.
My wife said it was better than her Grandmother's. Wow ! Only thing I did differently was add a tablespoon of brown sugar. Also if you are new with collards be sure to wash them several times & I always cut out the big stems off the leaves.
Absolutely DELICIOUS! These are the best southern style collards, I have ever put in my mouth! I did 2 bunches of collards so I made a couple of changes: First of all, I only used one ham hock. I used 3 cans of chicken broth. I decided not to double the broth. No need to. I just used a little extra water. I used 2 tablespoons of vinegar and plenty of salt and pepper. I cooked these for two hours. In my opinion, one hour just isn't enough. Plus, the longer you cook them, the better they are!!!! :-) I used two bunches, because collards tend to cook way down. I highly recommend this recipe! You have never had real southern style collards, until you've had THESE! Beth Wilson Raleigh, NC
Southerngirl SAVED THE DAY! I cooked mine in a crock pot...and I used smoked pork necks instead of hamhocks...the flavor was delicious! And they were so tender. Best greens I ever made :-) thanks!
