How To Cook Collard Greens With Hot Pepper Sauce
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Learn how to cook collard greens with this super simple and easy Southern collard greens and tasty hot pepper sauce recipe.
Wanna know how to cook collard greens? Well, I am gonna tell ya today.
I have always loved greens. Turnip greens, collard greens, or mixed, I just adore them. Among the greens I like, my Grandmama’s is one my favorite southern recipes for collard greens. No one can make them like her.
New Year’s Day traditions
Greens are a critical part of our New Year’s Day meal in the South. According to our tradition, the amount of greens you eat is directly proportionate to how much money you will have in the coming year. Even my brother, who has picky eating habits to rival the most obstinate toddler, has been known to manage a bite or two on New Year’s Day! We serve this Southern collard greens recipe with Hoppin John, of course.
No one knows for sure why collard greens can make you rich when you eat ’em. However, the theory is that the green veggie is the color of money. So if you indulge on New Year’s Eve or Day, the legend goes, you will have a prosperous year ahead of you. The same is said for black eyed peas, of course. And you can click on the link to find out why and then make my crockpot black eyed peas with a smoked turkey leg.
In this post, I show you step-by-step how to cook collard greens, including how to prepare the greens. When cooked in water flavored with salt and apple cider vinegar, your braised collard greens will be perfectly balanced and so tender. Serve this soul food as a side dish with any main meal, like fried chicken, steak and milk gravy, or pork chops. I love to pair this easy collard greens recipe with my homemade hot pepper sauce, so let’s get cooking!
Recipe Ingredients
Southern-Style Collard Greens
- Collard greens
- Apple cider vinegar
- Salt
- Ham hock, ham bone, or pieces of country ham (optional)
Hot Pepper Sauce
- Vinegar
- Minced garlic
- Sugar
- Hot peppers
- Salt
Helpful Kitchen Tool
How To Make Some Tasty Southern Collard Greens with Hot Pepper Sauce
How to prep collard greens
Let’s start with your greens. You can use collard or turnip greens, or a mixture of both.
I am using fresh collard greens because that was what was available to me. This is what a bunch looks like. The bundle I bought had three of these and that is the amount I’ll be making today.
I start by chopping the end off like this.
Then I put them in my pot and run cold water over them to start washing them. Washing your greens is extremely important as they do have dirt on them and you want to remove that.
I also pick up each individual leaf and run that under the water too. Then I place the washed leaves in a clean bowl or dishpan.
These little ones that have clearly been feasted on by little critters just get thrown away. I don’t mind them though, I don’t fault a little buggy who has a taste for some fresh greens!
Now we need to get that big old tough spine out of them. If you fold the leaf in two and hold it, it will easily tear right off the spine. If you can’t manage this, just tear it off or cut it off, whatever works for you is just fine!
You just want to end up with a nice bowl of collard leaves like this one.
Now take a bunch at a time and just coarsely chop them up a bit.
Don’t worry about making them too small, they will shrink a lot when cooked anyway. We’re just going for big pieces rather than huge leaves here.
How to cook collard greens
Once that is done, put them in a large pot.
In your pot, pour a 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar…
About two quarts of water…
and 1/4 cup of salt.
You may put more or less salt to taste but I would wait and let them cook a bit before you decide. If it is too salty, drain some of the water and add fresh, unsalted water. If it isn’t salty enough, just add a bit more. This isn’t rocket science so don’t fret over whether or not you are doing it right. If it tastes right to you, it’s perfect.
If you REALLY want some good greens, add in a ham hock or some country ham slices while these cook.
Then shred it up and put it back in after the collards are done.
Give those ingredients a mix and then cook your collard greens on medium heat for about two hours or until tender.
You’ll notice the greens slowly shrink into the water the longer they cook.
If your water starts getting too low at any time, add some more while these are cooking.
But your collard greens should look like this after cooking for a couple of hours.
How to make the hot pepper sauce
In a pot, place all of your pepper sauce ingredients. Starting with the water…
Then the vinegar…
Then the sugar and salt…
The hot peppers, of course…
And finally, the minced garlic.
Give it a stir and bring it just to a boil.
Then, reduce the heat and simmer until it is cooked down by about half like so.
By that I mean, look at the level it is at now and when it is half that amount (thanks to evaporation), your sauce is done!
Drain your collard greens and place them in a serving bowl after cooking them for about two hours.
Drizzle individual servings with the pepper sauce. This sauce is great for so many vegetables!
Decide how rich you want to be in the new year and eat greens accordingly!
Storage
Store leftover collard greens in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 1 year. The best way to reheat them is on medium-low heat on the stovetop until heated through.
Recipe Notes
- If you want to make spicy collard greens without making the hot pepper sauce, simply add a tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes or serve with some .
- Add a tablespoon of sugar or to your southern collard greens recipe to add sweetness to the smoky flavor.
- Instead of smoked ham hock, you can serve your collard greens with some crispy cooked bacon. Fry the in with chopped onion before adding them to the saucepot alongside the other ingredients. Alternatively, substitute the ham hock for another smoked meat, like a smoked turkey leg.
- Another option is to substitute the water for 4-5 cups of chicken broth. The chicken stock will make the collard greens more rich and flavorful.
Here are more sensational Southern side dishes:
Oven-Baked Mac and Cheese (Southern Plate Favorite)
Southern-Style Fried Okra Recipe
Ingredients
Southern Collard Greens
- 3 bunches collard greens
- 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 quarts water
- 1/4 cup salt
- ham hock, ham bone, or pieces of country ham (optional)
Hot Pepper Sauce
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 4 whole hot peppers from a jar
- 1 tsp minced garlic
Instructions
- Rinse the collard greens well. Remove the spines and chop coarsely, then place in the pot.3 bunches collard greens
- Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until collards are tender, about two hours, adding more water if needed.3/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 quarts water, 1/4 cup salt, ham hock, ham bone, or pieces of country ham (optional)
How to Make Hot Pepper Sauce
- Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a different saucepot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until amount is reduced by half. Drizzle over greens or other vegetables. Refrigerate remainder.3 cups water, 1 cup white vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp salt, 4 whole hot peppers from a jar, 1 tsp minced garlic
- Serve your collard greens warm with the hot pepper sauce.
Video
Nutrition
Thank you all and Happy New Year!
Gratefully,
Stacey Lynn
I made this recipe, along with the black-eyed peas (first time anyone in my family has had black-eyed peas), and we all LOVED both. The collard greens were the best I’ve ever tasted! Today was the first time I’d done a New Year’s Day dinner, and I hope to continue the tradition from here on out. My kids even ate the greens because I told them it would bring them money this year!
Stumbled upon Southern plate one day and love all the recipes and stories. I relocated 5 yrs ago (family in tow) to SLC, Utah from Florida. Husband and I still keep a big garden up here during the growing season and enjoy all our bounty. I will be enjoying some greens i froze since you can’t buy fresh ones up here. Introduced my best friend to you too. Love ya Christy
I don’t have a blog, but I enjoy reading yours and love your reciepes. I love in Alabama. So I like southern food!!
Thanks so much for the recipe. I never knew to add vinegar to greens and my hubbie loves the pepper sauce,so now I can make and not have to pay a big price for a small amount. Thanks so much for all the hard work you have done for Southernplate this year. I have enjoyed it very much and hope you continue.. Happy New Year 2010!!!
For some reason, my comments posted to the wrong post! I’ll have to try again! LOL!
Christy,
What an honor that you posted my email to you! I just love Southern Plate and your “pull up a chair and sit a spell” style of Southern charm! I want to note that while some of the information that I sent you was my own, I did obtain some of the information from Epicurious, so I wanted to give them proper credit. Isn’t it great that we form bonds and traditions over food? My mother is a wonderful Southern cook and I wrote a poem to honor her and my father on their 50th anniversary. One part of that poem pointed out that my mother not only fed our bodies but our souls with the love and care she poured into her cooking. I have had the incredible opportunity to train with many chefs from different parts of the country and the world, so those experiences have broadened my palate and extended my culinary abilities; but I value my Southern roots and traditions, which are the bases for most of my cooking. I have found that we can all learn from one another if we keep open minds and open hearts. Chef Tell, who passed away a couple of years ago, was one of the most “challenging” chefs I ever worked with…but beneath that demanding exterior was the desire for perfection and beauty in the foods he prepared. It seems that commitment runs deep in all true “foodies!” Again, thank you for posting my email, for including me in your wonderful website and for making me feel “at home” each and every time I read your wonderful posts and try your recipes!
Blessings in the New Year!
Melissa
P.S. And I just love that I’m not the only Southern Belle who grew up dunking her cornbread into the “pot liquor” of the greens…that made me smile!
I love your website. All the traditional southern foods makes my mouth water. I will be cookin’ your greens for our New Year’s Day Feast. Thanks for sharing all of these wonderful things.