Southern Collard Greens with Ham Hock

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Southern

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 2 45

Total Time 3 10

Servings people

Calories 87kcal

Author Rachel Ballard

Ingredients

6-8 cups water
1 ham hock
2 pounds collard greens
1/4 cup red onion diced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon sea salt See Note 1
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions

In a 7 quart stock pot, add six cups of water and the ham hock.
Cover and simmer 45 minutes until the hock is just about tender.
While the hock simmers, prepare your collards. Pull or cut out the tough stems from the leaves. If your collards are very gritty, soak them in a large bowl or sink of water until the grit falls to the bottom.
Dry the collards lightly if washing then stack three or four and roll them up like a cigar. Slice into 1/2-1" thick slices and set them aside.
Once the ham hock is more tender, add the collards, onion, garlic, paprika, salt and vinegar to the pot and 1-2 cups more water. Just enough to cover the collards by an inch or so.
Cover and simmer 2 hours until the greens are tender. You can take the lid off and simmer down some of the pot liquor if you'd like less. Adjust seasoning with more salt or vinegar after you've simmered down the liquid.
Shred the meat from the ham hock and add it to the pot before serving or on individual bowls.

Notes

Note 1: Sea salt is less salty than table salt. If you are using table salt, start with half as much and adjust seasonings after the collards have cooked and the pot liquor has reduced. If you add additional salt before the liquor reduces it could end up too concentrated after cooking.

Nutrition