Low-and-Slow Southern Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Two big bunches of collards melt down for an hour and a half in a smoky, garlicky broth built on smoked turkey wings (bacon works too). The real payoff is the pot likker — the dark, savory liquid at the bottom of the pot — sharpened at the very end with cider vinegar and hot sauce so every bite tastes bright instead of heavy. Serve with cornbread for dunking and don't you dare pour that broth down the drain.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp neutral oil or bacon fat
• 1 1/4 lb smoked turkey wings or drumstick (about 2 wings)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground

• 2 large bunches collard greens (about 2 1/2 lb total)

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp Louisiana-style hot sauce, plus more for the table
• 1 tsp unsalted butter (optional)

• 6 oz thick-cut bacon, chopped (in place of turkey)
• 1 smoked ham hock (in place of turkey)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or 6-8 quart heavy pot over medium heat. Add the smoked turkey wings and brown them lightly, about 3 minutes per side, just to wake up the smoke. (If using bacon instead, render the chopped bacon over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until crisp, remove with a slotted spoon, and cook the onion in the fat.)
2. Add the diced onion and cook 5-6 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 60 seconds more, until fragrant but not browned.
3. Pour in the chicken broth and water. Add 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, the sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a bare simmer, cover, and cook 45 minutes so the turkey gives its smoke to the broth. This liquid is your pot likker — treat it like the point of the dish, not a byproduct.
4. While the broth simmers, prep the collards. Stack 5-6 leaves at a time, fold them lengthwise, and slice out the thick center rib with a knife (or strip the leaf off the stem by hand). Roll the stacked leaves into a fat cigar and cut crosswise into 1-inch ribbons.
5. Wash the ribbons aggressively: submerge in a sink or large bowl of cold water, swish hard, and lift the greens out leaving the grit behind. Repeat with fresh water 2-3 times until no sand settles at the bottom. Do not skip this — collards hold sand like a beach.
6. Add the collards to the pot in batches, pushing each handful down into the hot liquid until it wilts enough to fit the next. Once all the greens are in, the liquid should nearly cover them; add a splash of water if needed.
7. Return to a simmer, cover partially, and cook at a lazy bubble over low heat for 60 to 90 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes. They're done when a ribbon is completely tender and silky with zero chew — taste at 60 minutes and keep going if there's any resistance. Older, thicker-stemmed bunches can take the full 90.
8. Lift the turkey wings onto a plate. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones, shred or chop it, discard skin and bones, and stir the meat back into the pot. (If you used bacon, stir the reserved crisp bacon in now.)
9. Now finish. Off the heat, stir in the 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, the hot sauce, and the butter if using. Taste the pot likker itself from a spoon — it should be smoky, a little sweet, and sharp at the back. Adjust with salt, more vinegar, or more hot sauce until it makes you sit up.
10. Serve the greens in shallow bowls with a generous ladle of pot likker over them, extra hot sauce and a cruet of vinegar on the table, and cornbread for soaking up the broth.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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