Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey
These collard greens are slow-cooked with smoked turkey until they're tender, flavorful, and so good you'll want to drink the pot likker. It's a Sunday table staple that fills the house with that good smell and fills your belly with something wholesome. Folks always come back for seconds on these greens.
Cooking tutorial
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 lbs fresh collard greens
- 1 smoked turkey leg or wing (about 1 to 1½ lbs)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 cups chicken broth or water
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp seasoned salt
- 2 tbsp butter
- Hot sauce, for serving
Instructions
- 1
Wash the collard greens real good in cool water, at least 2 or 3 times until no grit remains. Cut out the thick stems, stack the leaves, roll them up tight, and slice them into 1-inch ribbons.
- 2
In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, add the smoked turkey, chicken broth, onion, and garlic. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low and let it simmer for about 30 minutes to get that smoky flavor going.
- 3
Add the collard greens to the pot in batches, letting each batch wilt down before adding more. They'll look like a mountain at first but they cook down considerably.
- 4
Stir in the vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and seasoned salt. Cover the pot and let the greens simmer on low heat for about 1½ hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so.
- 5
When the greens are tender and the pot likker tastes rich, remove the turkey leg, pull off the meat, chop it up, and stir it back into the greens. Stir in the butter until it melts.
- 6
Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve hot with the pot likker spooned over the top and hot sauce on the side for folks who want extra heat.
Pro Tips
- ★If you like your greens extra tender, cook them for another 30 minutes — some folks like them falling-apart soft.
- ★Save that pot likker! It's perfect for dipping cornbread or spooning over rice.