Collard greens with ham hock
Large, tough green leaves slowly simmered in a broth flavored with smoked pork until tender and silky. The cooking liquid, slightly bitter and smoky, is called 'pot likker' and is almost drunk like a soup.
Large, tough green leaves slowly simmered in a broth flavored with smoked pork until tender and silky. The cooking liquid, slightly bitter and smoky, is called 'pot likker' and is almost drunk like a soup.
My dears, never throw away the juice of these greens — the 'pot likker', we sipped it with a little spoon when I was a kid, and it set you right better than any doctor. You let the ham hock talk to the leaves for a good hour, ever so gently, and the house smells like the South. It's humble, yes, but that's where I come from, and I never was ashamed of it, even in a stage gown in London.
- •Collard greens — 2 large bunches (main vegetable)
- •Smoked ham hock — 1 piece (smoky flavor and umami (signature))
- •Onion — 1 (aromatic)
- •Apple cider vinegar — a splash (brightness)
- •Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Collard greens with ham hock
Large, tough green leaves slowly simmered in a broth flavored with smoked pork until tender and silky. The cooking liquid, slightly bitter and smoky, is called 'pot likker' and is almost drunk like a soup.
Why this dish? No African-American table is complete without its pot of greens braised for hours. It is the everyday, economical dish known since childhood — the kind of family meal that Adelaide Hall, a Brooklyn girl, found every time she returned home.
My dears, never throw away the juice of these greens — the 'pot likker', we sipped it with a little spoon when I was a kid, and it set you right better than any doctor. You let the ham hock talk to the leaves for a good hour, ever so gently, and the house smells like the South. It's humble, yes, but that's where I come from, and I never was ashamed of it, even in a stage gown in London.
Ingredients (period version)
- Collard greens — 2 large bunches (main vegetable)
- Smoked ham hock — 1 piece (smoky flavor and umami (signature))
- Onion — 1 (aromatic)
- Apple cider vinegar — a splash (brightness)
- Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Collard greens or large-leaf kale — 800 g (main vegetable)
- Smoked ham hock (or smoked pork belly) — 1 hock (approx. 400 g) (smoky flavor and umami)
- Sliced onion — 1 (aromatic)
- Garlic — 2 cloves (aromatic)
- Apple cider vinegar — 1 tbsp (balance bitterness)
- Pinch of sugar, salt, pepper, chili flakes (optional) — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Sweat onion and garlic in a large pot.
- Add the smoked ham hock and cover with water; let simmer 45 minutes to flavor the broth.
- Wash the leaves thoroughly, remove tough stems, and cut into strips.
- Submerge the leaves in the broth, add vinegar and a pinch of sugar; braise 45 minutes to 1 hour until tender.
- Shred the meat from the hock into the greens; adjust salt and pepper.
- Serve the greens with a little of their juice (the 'pot likker').
How it was made : Greens braised with smoked pork are a direct legacy of enslaved cooks in the South, who valued cheap smoked cuts and leafy tops. The long cooking tenderizes leaves too tough to eat raw, and the 'pot likker', rich in nutrients, was drunk to waste nothing.
The contemporary twist : A spoonful of pot likker served in a small side bowl, like a broth 'shot', always surprises at the start of a meal.
Sources : Edna Lewis, The Taste of Country Cooking (1976) · Adrian Miller, Soul Food (2013)
Adelaide Hall · Charactorium