These Southern collard greens are cooked low and slow on the stovetop with bacon and smoked turkey. The broth is built first, strained, and then used to cook the greens.
Plan on 3½–5 hours of cooking and 4–5½ hours total, depending on how tender you like your greens.
For a faster pressure-cooker version, try my Instant Pot collard greens. For a faster meatless option, use my sautéed collard greens.
Why This Recipe Works
- The broth is built before the greens go in. Bacon, onions, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and chicken broth simmer together for a full hour first.
- Bacon and smoked turkey do different jobs. Bacon builds the broth; smoked turkey cooks with the greens and gives you real pieces of meat in the finished pot.
- The pot liquor is part of the recipe. The greens cook in plenty of seasoned broth, and the extra is worth saving for rice, grits, beans, quinoa, or soup.
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon
- 2 yellow onions, quartered
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 16 cups chicken broth
- 2 pounds collard greens, shredded, about 2–3 large bunches
- 1 smoked turkey wing or leg
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
What Builds the Pot Liquor
Bacon brings smoke and fat. The onions add sweetness and body. Bay leaf and red pepper flakes add background flavor, and the chicken broth carries everything.
The smoked turkey and apple cider vinegar go in later with the greens. That keeps the turkey intact enough to shred at the end and keeps the vinegar bright.
Why We Strain the Broth
After the first hour, strain out the bacon and onion solids and return just the seasoned broth to the pot. They have already done their job.
The collards and smoked turkey then cook in that finished broth. The turkey stays intact enough to shred and stir back in when the greens are done.
Why I Start with So Much Broth
Starting with 16 cups of broth is intentional. The greens need plenty of liquid for a long cook, and the broth picks up flavor from the bacon, smoked turkey, and collards.
I usually have about 8 cups of pot liquor left after serving. Save it. Use it to cook rice, quinoa, grits, beans, or as the base for a quick soup.
How to Prep Your Collard Greens
Strip the stems
Hold the leaf in one hand and run your other hand down the stem to pull the leaf away, or fold the leaf in half lengthwise and slice the center stem out.
The thick center stems can stay fibrous even after a long cook, so I remove them before slicing the greens.
Stack, roll, and slice
Stack a few leaves together, roll them into a loose cylinder, and slice into ribbons.
Wash them well
Soak the shredded greens in cold water and swish them around. Lift the greens out, dump the gritty water, and repeat until the water runs clean. Bagged greens can still be gritty, so I wash those too.
How to Make Southern Collard Greens
Step 1: Build the broth
Add the bacon, quartered onions, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and chicken broth to a large stock pot.
Step 2: Simmer for 1 hour
Bring the broth to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 hour.
Step 3: Strain the broth
Strain out the bacon, onions, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes. Discard the solids and return the clean broth to the pot.
Step 4: Add the greens and turkey
Add the collard greens, smoked turkey, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Bring the pot back to a boil.
Step 5: Cook until tender
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the greens are as tender as you like, about 2½–4 hours. I usually go closer to 4 hours for very soft greens.
Step 6: Shred the turkey
Lift the smoked turkey out of the pot. Pull the meat from the bones, discard the skin and bones as needed, and shred the meat.
Step 7: Return the turkey and serve
Stir the shredded turkey back into the greens. Serve in bowls with plenty of pot liquor.
Equipment Note
You are starting with a gallon of broth plus greens and smoked turkey, so use a 12-quart stock pot or larger. A fine-mesh strainer is essential for the broth step. A funnel and mason jars make the extra pot liquor easier to save.
Expert Tips
- Cook to texture, not just the clock. Collards vary. Start tasting around the 2-hour mark of the greens stage and pull them when they are right for you.
- Wash them well. Even bagged collards can still carry grit.
- Taste the pot liquor at the end. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar or hot sauce only after cooking if it needs more brightness or heat.
- Save the extra pot liquor. Refrigerate it for up to 4 days, or freeze it for later.
- These are excellent made ahead. The greens continue absorbing flavor overnight and reheat well with the pot liquor.
FAQs
It depends.
Collards vary based on age, how they were grown, and how tender you like them. This recipe gives a range of 2 ½ to 4 hours, and that range is honest.
Technically they are edible earlier, but most people who grew up eating collard greens would not pull them at 30 minutes.
I cook mine closer to 4 hours because I like them very soft. Start tasting around the 2-hour mark and pull them when they feel right to you.
Yes.
Use two pieces of smoked turkey instead of one. The first piece goes in during the broth step, gets shredded after straining, and gets set aside. A fresh piece goes in with the greens and gets shredded and returned at the end.
You end up with double turkey throughout the dish.
You do not have to.
But it is what makes this recipe distinct. The straining step gives you a clean pot liquor and keeps the greens from cooking with spent bacon and onions.
If you skip it, you will still get good collard greens.
You just will not get this version.
Starting with 16 cups is intentional.
The greens need plenty of liquid for a long, slow cook, and by the time they are done, that broth has become something worth keeping.
You will usually have about 8 cups of deeply flavored pot liquor left after serving.
Save it. It’s one of the best parts of this recipe.
Bagged greens can still be gritty.
Give them a real wash in cold water before they go in regardless.
Yes.
Store leftovers with the pot liquor in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They reheat well on the stovetop over low heat.
Do not drain the pot liquor before storing.
Yes.
Collard greens freeze well. Store in freezer-safe containers with some of the pot liquor. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stove.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these in bowls or shallow bowls with some of the pot liquor spooned over the top. Cornbread is the natural pairing because it gives you something to soak up the broth.
Try them with Cast Iron Cornbread, Southern Baked Mac and Cheese, baked sweet potatoes, roasted chicken, ribs, or brisket.
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
Make-ahead: These are genuinely good made a day ahead. Store them with the pot liquor so the greens stay moist.
Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container with the pot liquor for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Warm gently on the stovetop over low heat, or reheat individual portions in the microwave. Keep the liquid with the greens.
Freezing: Freeze portions with some pot liquor in each container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently.
Extra pot liquor: Refrigerate separately for up to 4 days, or freeze for later.
Did you make these Southern Collard Greens?
Please leave a star rating and tell me how they turned out!
📖 Recipe
Southern Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey and Bacon
Equipment
- 12-quart stock pot or larger
- Funnel and mason jars optional for saving extra pot liquor
Ingredients
- 1 lb. bacon
- 2 yellow onions quartered
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 smoked turkey wing or leg
- 2 lbs. collard greens shredded, about 2 to 3 large bunches
- 16 cups chicken broth
- 2 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- Add the bacon, onions, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and chicken broth to a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
- While the broth simmers, strip the collard leaves from the stems, stack and roll them, then slice into ribbons. Wash the shredded greens thoroughly in cold water until the water runs clean.
- Strain the broth, discarding the solids, and return the broth to the pot.
- Add the collard greens, smoked turkey, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Bring back to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the greens are tender to your liking, about 2 ½ to 4 hours.
- Remove the smoked turkey from the pot and shred the meat, discarding the bones and skin as needed.
- Return the shredded turkey to the pot and stir well before serving.
- Serve the greens in bowls with some of the pot liquor spooned over the top. Save any extra pot liquor in jars for later if desired.
Notes
- Use a big pot. You are starting with a gallon of broth, plus greens and smoked turkey. A 12-quart pot or larger is the safest choice.
- Cook time will vary. Collards are done when they reach the texture you like. I usually cook mine closer to 4 hours for softer greens.
- Do not skip washing. Even bagged collards can still be gritty.
- Taste the pot liquor before serving. Add another splash of apple cider vinegar or a few dashes of hot sauce if it needs brightness.
- Do not drain the pot liquor. It is part of the dish.
- Save the extra. The leftover pot liquor is great for cooking rice, grits, quinoa, beans, or soup later in the week.
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