Southern Braised Collards with Smoked Ham Hock

What you need

• 1 kg (2 1/4 lb) collard greens, about 3 bunches
• 2 tbsp bacon fat, or butter
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 450 g (1 lb) smoked ham hock, or a smoked turkey wing
• 1 l (4 cups) chicken stock, or water
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Fold each collard leaf in half along the stem and cut the thick stem away.

2. 2

   Wash the leaves in a sink of cold water, swishing them around. Lift them out, drain and repeat with fresh water until the water stays clean.

3. 3

   Stack a few leaves, roll them up and cut across into ribbons about 2-3 cm (1 in) wide.

4. 4

   Melt the bacon fat in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic until soft, about 5 min.

5. 5

   Add the ham hock and stock. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 min to flavour the broth.

6. 6

   Add the collards a few handfuls at a time, stirring each batch down as it wilts.

7. 7

   Cover and simmer gently for 1-1.5 hours, until the collards are silky and the meat is cooked through and tender enough to pull off the bone.

8. 8

   Lift out the ham hock, pull the meat into small pieces and discard the bone, skin and fat. Return the meat to the pot.

9. 9

   Stir in the red pepper flakes and vinegar, then season with salt and black pepper.

10. 10

    Serve hot in bowls with plenty of the cooking liquid, the pot likker.

Imported from tastingtable.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.