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collard greens with smoked turkey in a bowl

Southern Collard Greens w/ Smoked Turkey

Southern collard greens with smoked turkey simmered slowly with onions, garlic, red pepper, & vinegar leaving a delicious pot liquor
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Soul Food
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 130kcal
Author: Marwin Brown

Ingredients

For the Greens

  • 2 bunch of collard greens de-stemmed, chopped and cleaned
  • ½ onion sliced
  • 2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
  • 4-5 cups of homemade broth or low-sodium chicken stock
  • 1 /2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon molasses

For the charred onion

  • 1 large white onion halved

For the Homemade Stock

  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh herbs
  • ½ large onion charred
  • 3 garlic cloves diced
  • 1 whole ear of corn husks removed
  • 2 large carrots halved
  • 2 celery stems halved
  • 2-3 fully cooked smoked turkey wings or 1 smoked turkey leg
  • ½ tablespoon kosher salt
  • ½ tablespoon black pepper

Instructions

For the onion

  • Turn cooktop burner to highest settings. Place onion halved side down and burn to a char. Flip and char the other side

For the Homemade Stock

  • Add 7-8 cups of water to a large stock pot.
  • Add smoked turkey, charred onion, corn, carrots, celery, bay leaf, garlic, salt, and pepper, bring to a boil, then simmer for at least 2 hours. I simmer mine from anywhere between 12-24 hours.
  • Let the stock cool. Strain the stock into a large bowl. Pull the smoked turkey meat off the bones and reserve for later. Let stock sit overnight in the fridge.

Make the greens

  • In a large pot, add a tablespoon of olive oil and the sliced onions. Season with half the paprika. Saute until tender.
  • Add in the broth, red pepper flakes, greens, molasses, vinegar, and smoked turkey meat pieces. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for about an hour. Halfway through add the remaining paprika.
  • Season to your preference with more paprika, salt, pepper if you feel the need, but the flavor from the stock should be enough.

Video

Notes

 
  • First and foremost spend the time to clean the greens. Unless you're buying pre-packaged collards, thoroughly wash the greens. Check that! Even give the bagged version a rinse. Greens typically have all kinds of dirt on them, so take the time and wash them in your sink to ensure of the sandy, earthy grittiness is removed. You'll thank me later otherwise you'll get sand in your teeth and that's not a good look
  • Chop the collards in some measure of uniformity. Roughly chopped is fine, you just want to avoid having really big leaves as once they absorb the liquid you'll end up with mounds or globs of greens which can be a chore to chew
  • Make your own homemade broth. Commercial broths are either too salty or bland. Making your own allows you greater control.
  • 95% of your effort should be spent on the broth. My greens don't touch the broth until after about 2 days of broth refinement. Refinement for me includes building the broth slowly letting it simmer for hours, tweaking the seasonings, and allowing for rest to allow the flavors to come together.
  • Resist the urge to boil the collard greens; instead let them cook slowly wilting as they cook.
  • For a version of these that can be made with convenience and ease try this instant pot greens recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 488mg | Potassium: 326mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2835IU | Vitamin C: 5.6mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 0.9mg
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