My mustard greens with ham hocks make for the perfect side dish to any good southern meal. They're pretty widely available all year but peak in the spring and fall months so now is the best time to enjoy them--let me show you how!
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my baked bacon mac & cheese or fried cabbage with Andouille sausage, too!
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Mustard Greens vs Collard Greens
Mustard greens are thinner and less fibrous compared to collard greens, so they have a more tender texture. As a result, they cook a little quicker. And their flavor is bright and peppery, whereas collards have more of an earthy flavor. Both greens can have a bitter taste to them without cooking.
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Old School Ingredients - Stewed greens are a major part of the African American heritage diet and this recipe keeps to the old fashioned preparation of Black mustard greens from our history in The South: sturdy leafy green vegetables, smoked meat, and aromatics.
Slow Cooked Goodness - These mustard greens with ham are braised and slow simmered in a flavorful pot likker until tender. So you'll taste smoky, salty, savory notes from the ham, a little spice, a little tang, and even a tiny touch of sweetness to compliment the bold peppery flavor of the greens.
My grandmother passed down a love of slow cooked southern recipes to me and I'm so proud to share them with you: smoky black eyed peas, traditional collard greens, and soulful green beans and potatoes!
I love slow-cooked greens, but this was my first time trying mustard greens. I used smoked turkey necks instead of ham hocks, and omg these were so good. Super flavorful and very tender.
-reader review from Marsha
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Fresh Mustard Greens Grab greens that are firm (not shriveled or wilted) and medium to dark green. You can use whole or pre-chopped greens for ease but with either option, make sure to clean them very well.
Ham Hocks - Smoked and tougher cuts of meat are traditionally used in southern style greens because they need more time to become tender--just like mustard greens. You can also use smoked jowl, ear, shank or ham bone instead.
Chicken Broth is the foundation of the pot liquor. Since we're using smoked pork in this recipe, which is on the saltier side, I prefer to use unsalted broth and start with a small amount of salt in the seasoning, which can be adjusted to taste later, if need be.
Vinegar and Brown Sugar add very subtle sweetness and acidity to balance out the greens' natural bitterness. Some people add sugar and some people add vinegar and in my house, we add both!
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Stock or Broth - Any kind of poultry or pork stock works in this southern mustard greens recipe including homemade turkey broth, chicken stock, or bone broth. Alternatively, you can use water and add bouillon cubes or better than bouillon base.
Sweetener - You can use any kind of sweetener you like, including coconut sugar, maple syrup or honey or even granulated sugar.
Vegan or Vegetarian - Make vegan mustard greens by using vegetable broth and leaving out the ham. I recommend adding up to one teaspoon of liquid smoke to incorporate some of the smoky flavor the ham hock would typically provide.
How to Cook Mustard Greens with Ham Hocks on Stove
- Step 1: Thoroughly wash the mustard greens, pat them dry then remove the stems and chop the leavs.
- Step 2: Sauté the onion, garlic, and spices in olive oil.
Pro Tip #1
To make quick work of removing mustard green stems: grasp the end of a stem firmly in one hand and grip the base of the leaf with the other. You should be holding the green at an angle with the stem end angled upward and the leaf end angled downward. Pinch your fingers and pull the leaf downward, tearing it from the stem. You might need to repeat this technique a few times to get all the leaf off but you'll get cleaner results the more you practice!
Pro Tip #2
Cooking the aromatics and spices deepens and infuses their flavor throughout the finished dish. This process is also called "blooming" the spices.
- Step 3: Add the stock or broth and smoked ham hock to pot, bring to a boil then reduce and simmer.
- Step 4: Add the greens, brown sugar, and ACV. Cover and cook until greens are tender.
- Step 5: Remove the meat from the pot and cut it off the bone and into pieces.
- Step 6: Return ham pieces and bone to the pot and serve!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can prepare mustard greens with smoked meat up to three days in advance, store in the refrigerator, and reheat when you're ready to serve.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to seven days. Note that because of the collagen from the ham bone, the pot likker will congeal and thicken when chilled. But don't worry, it will liquefy again once reheated.
To freeze cooked mustard greens, let them cool to room temperature then transfer the greens and pot likker to an airtight, freezer-safe container. They'll keep in the freezer for up to six months.
How to Serve
Whether you're enjoying them during a Black Sunday dinner or adding to your Soul Food holiday dinner menu, the best Soul Food mustard greens are served warm with hot sauce to taste!
Just place a bottle near the bowl so everyone can douse to their heart's content.
Add my roast chicken with crispy skin and classic sides like slow cooked candied yams, baked mac & cheese or cornbread dressing, and you've got a fire plate. Don't forget red velvet cake or bourbon peach cobbler for dessert!
And greens go with black eyed peas and cornbread for the traditional Black American New Year meal. The green symbolizes prosperity, beans represent good luck, and the golden cornbread (or even sweet potato cornbread) signifies wealth.
More Favorite Side Dish Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you enjoy this Soul Food recipe for mustard greens soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Southern Mustard Greens with Ham Hocks
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 stock pot four quarts or larger
Ingredients
- 2 bunches mustard greens
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ onion sweet yellow preferred
- 6 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper or to taste
- black pepper to taste
- sea salt to taste
- 4 cups chicken broth or stock
- 2 pounds smoked ham hocks or shank, jowl, ears, etc.
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- hot sauce to taste
Instructions
- Wash the greens well then pat them dry, remove and discard stems, and chop the leaves. I recommend stacking the leaves on top of each others, cutting into four strips lengthwise, then cutting the strips into pieces.2 bunches mustard greens
- Add olive oil to pot over medium heat. Meanwhile, dice the onion and mince or crush the garlic.1 ½ tablespoon olive oil, ½ onion, 6 cloves garlic
- Add onion to heated oil, followed by onion powder, garlic powder, crushed pepper, black pepper, and sea salt. (See notes section) Cook until mixture is fragrant and onions are just about translucent then add in the garlic and cook for another minute.½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, black pepper, sea salt
- Add chicken broth and ham hock to pot then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer and bubble for about 20 minutes.4 cups chicken broth, 2 pounds smoked ham hocks
- Stir mustard greens, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar into pot making sure the greens get coated in liquid to help them wilt and cook.1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about an hour or until greens are tender then remove from heat. Taste test and add salt, if needed.
- Remove ham hock from pot, cut the meat from the bone(s) into bite-sized pieces, then stir the meat and bone back it into the greens to serve. Serve with hot sauce.hot sauce
Gail Nancarrow says
Yum! Cooked this for the 1st time yesterday, & it's delicious Jazzmine😋, thank you so much!
Mustard greens are not at all common in Australia (I'm in Hobart, Tas), but I have them constantly self-seeding in my veg garden. I had many Nepali/Bhutanese refugee neighbours, who gave me my 1st seedlings, but then I moved house b4 I learnt any of their recipes.
I tried using mustard greens like bok choy in stir-fries, but it did not taste good! Then I found an excellent Hawaiian/Japanese recipe online (spicy pork & mustard greens soup), which I love, & now have on high rotation.
But that was my sole recipe for mustard greens, while those plants continue to pop-up in my garden!
So thank-you Jazzmine: this Southern (US) dish has doubled my Southern (Aus) repertoire ☺️. I love it 💕
Gonna try some more of your recipes now, too: I reckon black beans or maybe cornbread
Jazzmine Woodard says
Hi, Gail--thanks so much for your feedback! I'm honored to have doubled your repertoire and hope you find more to love here.
Mary B Coy says
Making your recipe now for New Year's Eve along with some cornbread and pulled pork! Excited to try it!
Jazzmine Woodard says
Hi, Mary! I hope you enjoy them. Please come back and let me know--and Happy New Year!
Kathleen West says
Can I use mustard and collard greens along kale?
Also what about adding in whole kernel corn, black beans, etc...
I love lots of vegetables.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Hi, Kathleen! You can mix mustard, collard, and kale greens in this recipe. Collard and mustard greens have about the same cooking time but kale takes about half as long to get tender, so I recommend adding it in halfway through the cooking time so it doesn't turn to mush. I haven't incorporated beans or corn in this recipe but, if you're using dried black beans, I recommend soaking them overnight to shorten the cooking time. Fresh or canned (and drained) or frozen corn and canned black beans (drained and rinsed) can be stirred in during the last five to 10 minutes of cooking.
Marsha says
I love slow-cooked greens, but this was my first time trying mustard greens. I used smoked turkey necks instead of ham hocks and omg these were so good. Super flavorful and very tender.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks, Marsha! Glad you could make these your own.