Best Brooklyn Style Collard Greens Recipes

SOUTHERN COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Prepare the collard greens bath by filling your kitchen sink with cool water and adding vinegar and salt.
• Remove the collard greens from the steams by folding them in half lengthwise and pulling the leaf away from the stem. (discard the stem or see note below on how to cook them)
• Place the collard greens into the prepared water bath and swish them around several times, scrubbing them to help loosen up any dirt.
• Let the collard greens soak for 15-20 minutes, giving them a scrub midway. Drain the water and refill with plain water and allow the greens to soak again if needed. Repeat as many times as needed until the water is free from any dirt or grit. After the final soak, drain the water. Next, rinse and scrub each leaf front and back with cool water to ensure they are squeaky clean.
• Tear the greens into bite-sized pieces and set them aside.
• In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add onions and saute until tender.
• Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic is fragrant.
• Pour in the broth and add the turkey leg. Bring to a boil.
• Add collard greens and reduce heat to a simmer.
• Cover and cook collard for 1 hour (or longer depending on your desired tenderness), stirring regularly.
• Once done, stir and then taste the broth and the greens. (add a little water if the broth is too bold for your liking)
• Stir in vinegar and smoked salt, and black pepper if desired.
• Serve collard greens with pieces of the smoked turkey leg and hot sauce if desired.

BROOKLYN-STYLE COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Place turkey wing or hocks in a very large pot and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, turn heat to medium and simmer until water is reduced by about half.
• Meanwhile, plunge greens into a sink full of lightly salted cold water, drain and then rinse well with cold fresh water. Trim or remove biggest stems. Place five or six leaves on top of one another and roll like a cigar, lengthwise. Cut collards into inch-wide ribbons, then, keeping collards rolled, cut ribbons in half.
• Turn heat under pot to high. Add vinegar, one teaspoon salt and the garlic, then add as many greens as pot will hold. Wait until greens cook down, then add remaining greens. Turn heat to a simmer, cover and cook until greens for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add sugar, onion and crushed red pepper, cover again and continue to simmer until tender, another 15 to 30 minutes; time will vary depending on toughness of greens. Serve.

GINA'S BEST COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Thoroughly wash collard greens. Be sure to pull leaves apart and remove any sand. Chop collard greens.
• In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of salted water to a simmer. Place smoked ham hocks in salted water and cover for about 90 minutes. Cook ham hocks until slightly tender. In the same saucepan, add remaining ingredients and collard greens.
• Cover and cook greens for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

LOWCOUNTRY COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Tear the greens from their stems. Take a handful of greens, roll them up lengthwise and slice them into bite-size pieces. Add the sliced greens to an empty, clean sink full of cool water and wash them, removing all grit, sand and debris. Drain sink and rinse greens thoroughly with cold water until water becomes clear.
• Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add 4 cups of water to the pot. (This will become your potlikker.) Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the cleaned greens by the handful, stirring them until wilted before adding more.
• Add the smoked turkey, bouillon cubes, garlic and onion powders, apple cider vinegar, black pepper and red-pepper flakes to the pot. Bring to a rolling boil, then cover and lower heat to medium-low. Cook until greens are completely tender, at least 2 hours. Most of the water should have evaporated by this point, with just enough left to cover the bottom of the pot, and the meat should pull away from the bones.
• Take the meat out of the pot, transfer to a cutting board, and shred the meat with two forks. Add the shredded meat back to the pot and stir until well combined. Taste and adjust salt, pepper and onion powder as needed. To cut bitterness, add sugar; if you'd like more tang, add more vinegar. Serve hot.

SOUTHERN STYLE COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Combine onions, ham hocks, and garlic in a stockpot; add chicken broth. Cook mixture over medium heat until meat is falling off the bone, about 2 hours.
• Stir collard greens, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper into the broth mixture; cook until greens have reached desired tenderness, about 2 more hours.

KICKIN' COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, crumble and return to the pan. Add onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until just fragrant. Add collard greens, and fry until they start to wilt.
• Pour in chicken broth, and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until greens are tender.