There’s nothing better than making a huge pot of Southern-Style Collard Greens. Now I will say there is a lot of prep involved in making a great pot of greens, but I define that as there’s a lot of love involved in making this dish.

I’m making a large batch of collard greens today. The idea is to freeze half for another time. Let’s get started!

After removing the stems, I like to stack the leaves one on top of the other and then tightly roll them up into a large log. With my chef’s knife, cut the leaves into ribbons.

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour 8 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 8 minutes
Yields: 10 to 12 servings
Equipment: 1 large stock pot with a tight-fitting lid, 1(3-quart saucepan), long tongs, chef’s knife, colander, Microplane, large plastic container

Collard Greens Wash Solution For 2 Bunches:
1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
3 tablespoons of Kosher salt

Ingredients:
4 bunches of collard greens, stems removed and washed, approx. 6 pounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 onions, thinly sliced into half moons
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, more if you like it spicier
1 quart of chicken broth, unsalted and heated
2 smoked turkey wings, 4 halves if they come cut in half as seen above
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
2 tablespoons of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper

Directions:
Prep The Collard Greens
Fresh collard greens are known to be full of dirt and grit. It’s really important to wash the collard greens to remove any sandy grit. Fill your sink with cool water. Add a 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar and 3 tablespoons of Kosher salt.

Swish this around and then submerge the greens (2 bunches) into the water. Agitate the greens while scrubbing and swishing them around in the water to loosen up any dirt. The vinegar and salt will help to loosen and remove any dirt. Allow the greens to soak for 15 minutes. Drain the water. Next, turn the water back on and give each leaf a good rinse until each leaf is squeaky clean with clean before transferring them to a colander to drain.

I’ve bought 4 bunches of collard greens so I’ll need to repeat this process 1 more time.

Start by following the prep above for cleaning the collard greens. Remove the collard greens from the stems by folding them in half lengthwise and pulling the leaf away from the stem.

Stack the leaves on top of each other (6 to 8 leaves at a time) forming a stack. Roll them up as tight as possible then, taking a knife and slice each roll, about 2 inches in width. This will form long ribbons of greens. Refer to the above picture.  Transfer all of the cut greens to a large plastic container until needed.

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the chicken broth.

In a large stock pot, over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the sliced onions, red pepper flakes, and sugar. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

Next, add the smoked turkey wings, warm chicken broth, red wine vinegar, freshly grated nutmeg, Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.  Add in the warm chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Add the collard greens and reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer. Cover and cook collards for 1 hour (or longer depending on your desired tenderness), stirring regularly.

Once the collard greens are done, taste the broth and the greens for seasoning. Using a pair of long tongs, fish out the smoked turkey wings. I prefer to remove the meat from the bones (totally optional) and return the smoked meat back to the pot. Stir to combine.

Serve the collards in a pretty porcelain bowl with pieces of smoked turkey wing meat and onions. I like to hit the collards again with a couple of dashes of red wine vinegar before serving.

There you have it, my Southern-style Collard Greens.

*Potlikkur is the flavorful, rick, savory broth-like gravy (liquid)  that’s created when you slow-cook a pot of collard greens.

Note: 1 bunch is approx. 20 whole large leaves with stem equaling about 2 lbs, stems removed they are approx 1.5 lbs.

Note: To store cooked collard greens safely, allow them to cool to room temperature for no more than 2 hours. Transfer to zip-lock freezer bags (don’t forget a little of the potlikker). Remove any air from the bag before freezing. Store for up to 3 months.