This is a continuation of my Southern New Year’s Foods series. I made an executive decision: I didn’t have photos of the finished greens in time for New Year’s Eve, but I wanted to share the recipe anyway. If I add photos later, I’ll post them here. Happy New Year!
Black-eyed peas, collard greens, cornbread—these dishes are inseparable from Southern food traditions. No matter which city, town, county, or mountain holler you call home, if you’re from the South you likely have a family recipe for these classics. I own three different collard green recipes written by my Grandma Shaffer on laminated cards; they are treasured heirlooms.
Collard greens are traditionally served on New Year’s Day in Southern homes. Black-eyed peas symbolize coins while collard greens represent paper money, so eating them together for the first meal of the year is meant to invite prosperity. Given my family’s good fortune, I’d say the tradition works.
People disagree about how long collards should simmer. My preference is for them to be fall-apart tender. I find it nearly impossible to overcook collards: on the stovetop that can mean simmering anywhere from 1½ to 4 hours. In a slow cooker—provided you have enough “pot liquor” (the cooking liquid)—you can let them go overnight. Of course, you may need to enjoy the aroma while you sleep.
A smaller, vocal group prefers chewier greens and cooks them for a much shorter time. I respectfully ignore them.
This is my special-occasion version of collards, and nothing says “special” like salt-cured pork. My Grandpa Shaffer would have approved—unless your guests are vegetarian. If you want a vegetarian version, omit the salt pork and use olive or canola oil instead of pan drippings.
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Slow-Simmered Collard Greens
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds washed, trimmed, and cut collard greens
- 1 large red onion
- 6 ounces salt pork
- 4–8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (adjust to taste)
- 2 cups water, plus additional as needed
- 1½ cups dry white wine or chicken broth
- Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste (I often use 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Slice the salt pork about 1/8 inch thick, then cut the slices into thin strips (about 1/4 inch wide). Place the strips in a deep, heavy-bottomed skillet, pot, or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Stir frequently—salt pork can pop and spit as it cooks—and fry until the strips are crispy and golden brown. Transfer the crispy pork to a paper towel–lined plate with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving approximately 1/4 cup of drippings in the pan. Remove any excess fat.
Tip: The reserved crispy salt pork is excellent scattered over the finished greens or baked into cornbread.
Halve and peel the onion, then slice into half-moons about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Add the onion and sliced garlic to the hot pan with the pork drippings and cook over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, until fragrant but not browned.
Add a handful or two of collard greens to the pot and stir until they reduce slightly in size (about one minute). Continue adding greens in batches until all are incorporated and slightly wilted. Pour in the water and white wine (or chicken broth), then add the kosher salt and black pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover tightly, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 1½ hours, checking occasionally and adding more water if necessary, until the greens are fall-apart tender. You can simmer longer if you prefer an even softer texture.
Serve the collards hot with cornbread, black-eyed peas, and hot pepper vinegar. These greens are so comforting and flavorful they might just make you exclaim, “Well, shave my legs and call me smoothy”—the kind of expression my Grandpa would have enjoyed.