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Smoky Meat Collards with Bacon and Pot Likker

Source of Recipe

From "Big Food Big Love" by Heather Earnhardt


Recipe Introduction

"Collards grow year-round and are available in almost every part of the country. I grow them here in the Pacific Northwest and love them best after the first frost has sweetened the leaves. In this recipe, they have the perfect balance of sweet, heat, and vinegar. (They're quite spicy, so if you aren't up for the heat, cut the hot sauce by half.) Serve them as a dinner side, or for breakfast in a bowl with corn bread to soak up the pot 'likker.' (See Pot Liquor.) You can also make a collard biscuit sandwich with a fried egg and melted cheese served with likker on the side for dipping. For vegetarian collards, omit the bacon and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. Add a few teaspoons of liquid smoke if you're missing the smoky flavor of the bacon."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ¼ cup canola oil
â—¦ 8 ounces smoky bacon, such as Benton's, cut into ¼-inch dice
â—¦ 1 large sweet onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
â—¦ 6 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 6 bunches collard greens, tough ribs removed and leaves cut into 1-inch-wide strips
â—¦ 2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock
â—¦ 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
â—¦ ½ cup Crystal hot sauce
â—¦ ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
â—¦ ¼ cup red wine vinegar
â—¦ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


Recipe

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the bacon and onion and cook until the bacon has rendered its fat and is crispy (don't let it burn), and the onions are translucent, 6 to 7 minutes.

Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add half of the collard greens and 4 cups of the stock. Cook until the greens begin to soften, about 10 minutes, then add the remaining collard greens and remaining stock. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot halfway, and simmer the greens gently for 1 ½ hours.

Stir in the brown sugar, hot sauce, Worcestershire, and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer another 30 minutes, then taste and adjust the seasoning with additional hot sauce, salt, and pepper as needed.

Makes 12 servings



• Pot Liquor:
Collards simmering on back stoves are commonplace in much of the South. (The scent of a big pot of collards is strong enough that you can smell it down the block.) And in the South, where there's collards, there's "pot liquor" (also spelled "pot likker.") Pot liquor is the broth that's left in the pot after cooking any leafy greens. It's full of flavor and nutrient-rich. You can drink it on its own, or save it to use as a base for soups or in place of water when making rice. Never discard the likker!