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The Best Slow Cooker Collard Greens Recipe

The Best Slow Cooker Collard Greens Recipe

Fresh collard greens simmer slowly with smoked ham or turkey, chicken broth, aromatics, vinegar, and spices until tender and richly seasoned. Serve the greens with their flavorful cooking liquid, known as potlikker.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 6 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients
  • 2 pounds Fresh collard greens
  • 1 piece Smoked ham hock or smoked turkey leg
  • 1 medium Medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 3-4 cloves Garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 cups Chicken broth or chicken stock
Seasonings
  • 1 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Granulated sugar or brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Crushed red-pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2-1 teaspoon, added after tasting Kosher salt
Optional Ingredients
  • 4-8 ounces Cooked and crumbled bacon
  • 1 tablespoon Hot sauce

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Wash the collard greens very thoroughly in several changes of cold water. Remove the tough ribs and stems, stack the leaves, roll them tightly, and slice into approximately 1-inch ribbons.
  2. Place the smoked ham hock or turkey leg in the slow cooker. Add the onion, garlic, broth, vinegar, sugar, red-pepper flakes, and black pepper.
  3. Add the collards by handfuls, pressing them down gently as needed. The cooker may look full at first, but the greens will quickly collapse as they cook.
  4. Cover and cook on LOW for 6–8 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours, stirring once or twice if convenient. Cook until the leaves are very tender and the broth is richly flavored.
  5. Remove the smoked meat from the cooker. Pull the meat from the bone, discard the bone and skin, and return the meat to the greens.
  6. Taste the greens before adding salt because the smoked meat and broth may already contain plenty. Adjust with kosher salt, vinegar, black pepper, and hot sauce, then serve with potlikker.

Notes

For deeper flavor, brown 4–8 ounces of bacon or sauté the onion and garlic before adding them to the slow cooker. For a sharper result, use up to 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, although 1 tablespoon gives a balanced flavor. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and reheat gently with some of the cooking liquid.