Soul Food Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Soul Food

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1 45

Total Time: 2

Servings: servings

Calories: 355kcal

Author: Jazzmine Woodard

Tender braised collard greens slow cooked in flavorful pot likker broth with smoked turkey meat

Print Recipe

Equipment

1 cutting board
1 knife
1 stock pot four quarts or larger
1 kitchen spoon
2 forks or a knife and fork

Ingredients

2 bunches collard greens
1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
1 bell pepper red, yellow or orange preferred
½ onion white or yellow
6 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Black pepper to taste
Sea salt to taste
2 pounds smoked turkey drums, tails, wings, neck, etc.
3 cups chicken stock or broth
1 ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
Hot sauce to taste

Instructions

Wash collard greens thoroughly then remove 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.
Add olive oil to pot over medium heat. Meanwhile, dice the bell pepper and onion and mince or crush the garlic.
Add onion and bell pepper to heated oil, followed by onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and sea salt. Cook until mixture is fragrant and onions are just about translucent then add in garlic and cook for one more minute.
Add smoked turkey and stock or broth to pot then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer and bubble for about 20 minutes then remove turkey from the pot.
Add collard greens, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar to the pot and stir to cover with the liquid.
Shred the meat from the turkey bones the stir into the pot. Collard greens should be starting to wilt at the point. Cover and reduce heat to medium low and simmer for up to one hour, depending on your desired texture.
Serve with hot sauce.

Notes

Preparation

You can prepare collard greens with smoked meat up to three days in advance, store in the refrigerator, and reheat when ready to serve.

To quickly de-stem collard greens, grasp the end of the stem firmly in one hand, then 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 as you pull the leaf downward, ripping it from the stem. You might have to repeat this a few times to get all the leaf off but you'll get cleaner (and faster) results as you practice!

You can use a fork and knife or two forks to shred the turkey.

Storage

Store cooked collards in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to seven days. Note that because of the collagen from the turkey, the pot likker will congeal and thicken when chilled. It will liquefy again once heated.

To freeze collard greens after cooking, allow them cool to room temperature then transfer the greens and pot likker to an airtight, freezer safe container. Store for up to six months.

Nutrition