Ale-Braised Collards With Ham
- Total Time
- 1 to 2½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1medium yellow onion, diced
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- Kosher salt, as needed
- ½teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 12ounces American amber ale (such as Yalobusha Copperhead Amber Ale)
- ½cup apple cider vinegar
- 1smoked ham hock
- 3bunches (about 3 pounds) collard greens, thoroughly washed, stems removed, cut into 2-inch pieces
- Black pepper, as needed
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
292 calories; 13 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 943 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and just starting to color, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Step 2
Add 1 teaspoon salt, the red pepper flakes and the brown sugar; stir to combine. Add beer and cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Step 3
Add 2 cups water, the apple cider vinegar, the ham hock and the collard greens; stir to combine. Cover pot, raise heat to high, and bring to a rolling boil. Stir collards thoroughly to incorporate flavors, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring every 30 minutes, until collards reach desired tenderness, at least 30 minutes but preferably up to 2 hours. Remove ham hock; pull off and chop meat and return to pan, or discard if desired. Season with salt and pepper.
Private Notes
Comments
The cider vinegar, ale, red pepper & sugar are a spicy sweet & sour complement to the collards. Blanch the collard greens for 3 minutes in boiling water before adding to the mix of ingredients, & you won't have to cook them for 2 hours - they'll be deliciously infused with the flavors of this dish, with out becoming limp and overcooked - perfect at 30 minutes. If you want to make this the main course, add some small white beans.
You can't cook a ham hock in 30 minutes. And if you cook the greens for two hours to try to cook the ham hock, you'll have mush. Start the ham hock simmering in water 3 or 4 or even 5 hours before you start everything else. When you're ready to start the greens, reduce the ham water down to about two cups, and make the rest of the recipe more or less as written.
Or black eyed peas!
I thought the collards were too sweet. I used sliced ham that I had instead of a ham hock. I used a Becks lager (all I had on hand). I would leave out the sugar or reduce by half.
I made this with mustard greens, reducing cooking time to just over an hour, as mustards are less robust than collards. I used a strong IPA, and no ham as partner is vegetarian, and it was delicious!
Here to echo other commenters—braise the hock in a covered pot for several hours first! Then toss the greens in and braise to desired texture, which shouldn’t take too long.
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