Collard greens (whole collard heads or leaves)
2 ham hocks
Water
Salt to taste
Toppings (suggestions follow)

Wash greens thoroughly, approximately 3 or 4 times to ensure they are clean and free of insects. Remove large stems.

Place ham hocks in an extra-large pot with enough water to completely cover them. Add salt and cook ham hocks at least 30 minutes before adding collards greens. Add collards, big leaves first (let them start boiling), then add remainder of greens. Cook 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once about midway to ensure thorough cooking. Test for tenderness of stems at 45 minutes by piercing with a sharp knife. Cook additional time if necessary.

Remove from heat and drain in a colander, reserving the juice (pot likker). Chop collards with a collard chopper or a knife, leaving no large leaves or pieces. Add some of the pot likker if the greens are too dry.Salt to taste. Serve hot or at room temperature with your choice of toppings.

Toppings:
Hot pepper

Vinegar

Onions and vinegar (chopped onions and vinegar mixed together)

Salsa

Small whole tomatoes

We love our collard greens.  I cook them with the ham hocks or smoked neck bones.  I like mine very well cookd which takes at least 2 hours. 

We eat ours with hot pepper vinegar.  Love cornbread crumbled in the pot likker.

Ohhhhhhhh collards are one of my all time favorites. Love them with salt pork, taters, and dodgers (corn meal dumplings).

i love collards and hot cornbread.
i fry some seasoning bacon, then add diced onion and fry till soft.  add well washed greens   cut up, some brown sugar, salt and pepper and some water.  bring to boil, cover and simmer for 3-4 hours, checking periodically to make sure therte is enoough water…pot likker.  i drink it after i finish the greens…lick the bowl…lmao
serve with pepper sauce, malt vinegar or rice wine vinegar, hot cornbread dripping with butter.
some pork chops, fried chicken even meatloaf make great additions to this meal.  god, i’m starving now.

I had collard green at a restaurant for the first time (I am from California) and they are just yummy! I could live on them and nothing else! BUT I am so afraid to try and make them. My hubby said his family made them a lot (from East Texas & New Orleans) and they were always horridly bitter. I saw Auntie Paula make them with Gina Neeley and they said if you don’t take the big stems off, that it isn’t good (while Auntie Paula was making a sour face). My hubby said he was willing to try them one more time IF I make them. My hubby said he didn’t remember if the stems were removed when he used to “have to eat them”.

Do ya’all think that is why they were bitter for him? The stems not being removed?

And where would ham hocks be in the grocery store? I looked all over the pork area in the meat dept. and didn’t see anything that said “Ham Hocks” (I don’t know what they look like ) and well….customer service out here is not what it used to be. I got forgot about…..the guy who worked in the meat dept. said he would be right back and never did (my 3 year old wouldn’t stop running around so we left).

I was hoping I could make them yummy and they will turn out like Paula’s recipe for chicken pot pie. My hubby turned his nose up at the chicken pot pie . But I finally just went ahead and made it and he loved it and now is on our regular dinner menu.

My Grammy got me some ham hocks…yippeee.. Okay now, how many collard greens do I use? Do they cook down like spinach? You know where a whole lot (bunches and bunches) cooks down to almost nothing (well for spinach lovers anyway