Southern Style Slow Cooked Collard Greens

Collard greens are a necessity when it comes to side dishes for a Thanksgiving meal. And I promise you that my southern style slow cooked collard greens with smoked turkey will win you and your family’s heart! 

I’ve executed this dish for years now without an actual recipe. It took a few friends and family members to ask me how I make it so they could cook it at home for themselves for me to get the measurements written down. Since then, someone reaches out to me once a month, and several times during the holidays, saying how much they love my collard green recipe. For some, it’s now the only recipe they follow!

Some slow cooked collard greens can take up to 4 hours to cook. There’s some time needed to make the flavorful broth, plus the time for cooking the actual greens. However, my recipe only takes 2 and a half hours, saving you lots of time in the kitchen!

The addition of apple cider vinegar is what helps to cut down the cook time, and also adds some more flavor. The vinegar helps to tenderize the greens, resulting in them only needing to cook for an hour and a half. Cooking it ahead with the broth before adding the greens helps to cut back on the acidity. 

I promise these collard greens will be your go-to recipe when it’s time to whip up a batch. Hope you get to make it! Don’t forget to visit my website for more delicious recipes at theskinnifoodwhore.com!

Recipe link: https://theskinnifoodwhore.com/southern-style-slow-cooked-collard-greens/

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Southern Style Slow Cooked Collard Greens

Collard greens are a necessity when it comes to side dishes for a Thanksgiving meal. And I promise you that my slow cooked collard greens with smoked turkey will win you and your family’s heart!

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author Crystal F

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion sliced
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 6 cups 48 ounces chicken stock
• 1 smoked turkey neck
• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
• 1 pound collard greens washed and stems removed
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions

• 1. On medium low heat, add canola oil into a 5qt (or larger) pot. Once warm, add onions and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• 2. Add chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
• 3. Pour in vinegar, and let it simmer for 1 1/2 minutes. The amount of vinegar will reduce by half. Pour in chicken stock. 
• 4. Add remaining ingredients, excluding the collard greens and butter. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. 
• 5. Add collard greens, a couple of handfuls at a time, to submerge the greens into the broth. Once all greens have been submerged, turn the heat up to high to bring to a quick boil. Then, bring the temperature down to low. Cover and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• 6. Remove the turkey neck from the pot with a fork or tongs onto a plate. Let it cool for about 5 minutes, and pick the meat off the bone. Be sure to leave behind and gristle or tendons. 
• 7. Add butter and the picked turkey meat back into the pot, cover, and cook for an additional 20 minutes. (optional – add the picked turkey neck back into the greens. This will keep adding flavor!) 
• 8. Remove from heat. Spice level can be adjusted by adding more red pepper flakes. Greens can be served right away. Enjoy!