Southern Collard Greens

Collard greens with chunks of smoked turkey legs served in a vintage decorative bowl.

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These Southern Collard Greens are slow-cooked with smoked turkey, bacon grease, onion, garlic, Cajun seasoning, vinegar, and crushed red pepper for a smoky, savory side dish with plenty of flavor and heat.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2

Total Time2 15

Course: Side Dish, Sides

Cuisine: Comfort Food, Soul Food, Southern, Southern Comfort

Servings: Servings

Calories: 237kcal

Author: Jeremy Klae

Equipment

1 Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Ingredients

3 Lbs Fresh Collard Greens
1 Large Onion diced
2 tablespoon Fresh Minced Garlic
2 lbs. Smoked Turkey Leg
1 tablespoon Bacon Grease
2 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning
1 tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper
2 teaspoon Onion Powder
2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
8 cups Chicken Stock
2 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tablespoon Granulated Sugar

Instructions

Remove the thick center stem from each collard green leaf.
Stack several leaves on top of one another, roll them up tightly, and slice them into smaller pieces.
Rinse and wash the collard about 4 times and then soak in a large bowl of water with about ¼ cup of vinegar.
While the collard greens are soaking, dice the onion and set it aside.
Heat some bacon grease in a large Dutch oven, at least six quarts, over medium-high heat.
Once the bacon grease is hot, add the diced onion and sauté until they begin to soften and develop a little color.
Once the onions have softened, add the fresh minced garlic and continue cooking for another minute or two, just until the garlic becomes fragrant and begins to develop a little color.
Pour in the chicken stock.
Add the apple cider vinegar, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper, and sugar.
Give everything a good stir until the seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the liquid.
Drain the collard greens and begin adding them to the Dutch oven in batches until they are cooked down a bit and are submerged in the seasoned stock.
Nestle the smoked turkey leg down into the greens.
Bring the pot to a boil the cover the Dutch oven, reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer, and let the collard greens cook for about an hour and a half.
Carefully remove the smoked turkey leg from the pot, let it cool just enough that you can comfortably handle it, then pull all of the meat away from the bone.
Discard the bone, skin, and any tough tendons then return the meat to the Dutch oven.
Give everything a good stir so the shredded turkey is evenly distributed throughout the collard greens.
Reduce the heat to a low simmer and continue cooking for another 30 minutes.
Give the greens a taste, adjust the seasoning if needed, and serve hot with a warm slice cornbread.

Video

Notes

Wash your collard greens thoroughly. Fresh collards can hide dirt and grit between the leaves. Nobody wants gritty greens, so wash them well before you start cooking.

Remove the tough stems. The thick center stems don’t become tender at the same rate as the leaves. Removing them gives the finished greens a much better texture.

Adjust the heat to your taste. These collard greens have some kick! I use a full tablespoon of crushed red pepper, which makes them noticeably spicy. For milder Southern collard greens, reduce it to about 1 teaspoon. You can always add more heat later.

Don’t worry about the huge pile of greens. Three pounds looks like a ridiculous amount when it first goes into the pot. Collard greens cook down dramatically, so add them in batches if necessary and give them time to wilt.

Don’t throw out the pot liquor. That cooking liquid is packed with flavor from the greens, smoked turkey, chicken stock, bacon grease, seasonings, and aromatics. Spoon some over each serving.

Taste before adding additional salt. Between the chicken stock, Cajun seasoning, and smoked turkey, there’s already plenty of seasoning going into the pot. Taste the finished greens before deciding they need more salt.

Nutrition