This weekend’s entry in ‘Cooking with the Big Green Egg’ was beef brisket. Ed started the night before by prepping the brisket with a simple rub of kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder. In the morning he began nine hours of smoking.

While Ed was busy monitoring the smoker, I was busy in the kitchen (but not quite nine hours worth). I made a simple Carolina BBQ sauce which is vinegar-based rather than ketchup and molasses based. And, followed it up with my first attempt at collard greens. I’ve had them in restaurants before but I don’t think I ever gave them much attention. I was struck with the similarities between Italian and Southern cooking. While I’ve never cooked collard greens before, this recipe reminded me of cooking broccoli rabe with pancetta.

This recipe is fairly easy to make but it does take some time to make it right. I took a cue from Ed taking his time with the brisket and used the same approach with the collard greens – it was worth it. These greens are a great accompaniment to any grilled/smoked meat.

 

Collard Greens
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Recipe type: Side
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 ounces sliced bacon, chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 pound (16 ounces) collard greens, remove ribs and most of stems, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
  1. In a large pot (at least 5 quarts) that you can cover, heat oil over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes until bacon begins to look crispy.
  2. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 12 minutes.
  3. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  4. Working in batches, add collard greens to pot, letting greens wilt slightly after each handful before adding more.
  5. Add broth, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring often, until greens wilt and lose about half of their original volume, about 4 minutes.
  6. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally until greens are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 60 minutes.
  7. Stir in vinegar and sugar and cook another minute to allow sugar to dissolve. Season with salt and pepper.
Notes
* I prefer my greens to be on the slightly crunchy side (more the case if there are some short stems in the mix) and cook them a bit less – about 50 minutes.
* For ease, look for a bag of washed and chopped collard greens in the produce section.
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