Description
Southern comfort shines through paula deen’s collard greens recipe, blending smoky bacon with tender leafy vegetables. Simmered slowly with love, this dish brings hearty Southern warmth you’ll savor to the last bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 large bunch collard greens
- ½ lb (226 g) smoked meat (ham hocks, smoked turkey wings, or smoked neck bones)
- 8 tbsps (1 stick) (113 g) butter
- 1 tbsp Paula Deen’s Seasoned Salt
- 1 tbsp wet chicken base
- 1 tbsp Paula Deen’s Hot Sauce
Instructions
- Flavor Foundation: Combine water with smoked meat, seasoned salt, chicken base, and hot sauce in a large stockpot, developing a rich, aromatic liquid base.
- Leaf Preparation: Thoroughly wash collard greens, removing stems by stripping leaves and chopping into elegant 1/2 to 1-inch ribbons, ensuring uniform texture and cooking.
- Simmering Process: After initial meat cooking for one hour, introduce chopped greens into the seasoned broth, reducing heat to medium-low and allowing gentle simmering for 45-60 minutes.
- Flavor Enhancement: Periodically stir greens, tasting and adjusting seasonings with salt, pepper, or hot sauce to amplify the dish’s robust profile.
- Finishing Touch: Incorporate cold butter during final cooking moments, stirring until completely melted and creating a silky, glossy texture that elevates the collard greens’ overall richness.
- Serving: Carefully transfer the tender, flavorful greens to a serving dish, ensuring each portion captures the harmonious blend of smoky meat and vibrant vegetable essence.
Notes
- Meat Selection Matters: Choose smoked ham hock, bacon, or turkey for depth of flavor; each imparts a unique smoky profile that transforms the greens.
- Stem Removal Technique: Strip leaves from tough central ribs carefully to ensure tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture without bitter undertones.
- Liquid Gold Strategy: Use chicken base and hot sauce sparingly to build complex layers of seasoning without overwhelming the natural green’s taste.
- Butter Finishing Touch: Adding cold butter at the end creates a silky, glossy coating that elevates the dish from simple to spectacular, balancing richness and freshness.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 395
- Sugar: 0.5 g
- Sodium: 1,200 mg
- Fat: 44 g
- Saturated Fat: 27 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg