If you already know my Instant Pot collard greens, this is not the same recipe with the same method.
This is the stovetop version, and the approach is different on purpose.
Here, you build the broth first. You cook bacon, onions, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and chicken broth together for a full hour before a green leaf ever hits the pot. Then you strain it. Then you add the collards and smoked turkey and let everything cook low and slow until the greens are exactly as tender as you want them.
The recipe uses both bacon and smoked turkey, so if you avoid pork, there is a straightforward workaround in the tips below.
The result is clean, deeply flavored pot liquor, greens that taste like the broth was made for them, and usually about 8 cups of extra cooking liquid left over that is too good to waste.
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe uses both bacon and smoked turkey for a reason.
The bacon helps build the flavor.
The smoked turkey gives the finished pot real substance.
Together, they give you a broth with real depth and a finished dish where the meat is actually worth eating.
The other thing that sets this recipe apart is the broth step. Instead of throwing everything in at once, you build the flavor base separately, strain out the solids, and cook the greens in a broth that is already doing exactly what it needs to do.
The greens and smoked turkey cook in clean, smoky, slow-built pot liquor from start to finish.
What Builds the Pot Liquor
This is not a generic ingredient shot. It shows the ingredients that shape the final pot liquor.
Everything in this recipe is working together to build flavor. Some ingredients go in during the broth step. Others, like the smoked turkey and vinegar, go in later with the greens. But all of them help create the final pot.
The bacon brings smoke and fat.
The onions add sweetness and body.
The bay leaf and red pepper flakes add layers you might not notice individually, but you would notice if they were missing.
The chicken broth is the canvas.
The smoked turkey goes in later, with the greens, after the broth is built and strained. That is intentional. The turkey cooks with the greens, stays intact, and gets shredded at the end so you get real pieces of meat in every bowl.
The turkey helps flavor the pot liquor in that second stage, while still giving you meat worth shredding and serving.
Apple cider vinegar also goes in with the greens, not the broth. That keeps it from cooking down too much and gives the finished dish a cleaner brightness.
This is why people call it pot liquor. You are building something.
Why We Strain the Broth
After an hour of simmering, you strain everything out and return just the broth to the pot.
This gives you a clean cooking liquid without chunks of cooked-down onion or bacon that have already given everything they had. The greens get to cook in that broth without competition for texture or attention.
It also means the smoked turkey goes into the pot intact after the broth is strained. That matters. The turkey cooks with the greens, then gets pulled at the end, shredded, and stirred back in. You get real pieces of smoked turkey in every bowl, not meat that cooked itself into the background hours too early.
The pot liquor in the finished dish is there on purpose.
Do not drain it off.
It is the whole point.
Why I Start with So Much Broth
Starting with 16 cups of broth is not an accident.
The greens need plenty of liquid to cook low and slow for several hours, and that liquid is doing a lot of work the whole time. By the time the greens are done, the broth has picked up everything good from the bacon, the smoked turkey, and the collards themselves.
After I serve the greens, I usually have about 8 cups of pot liquor left in the pot. I pour it into mason jars and put it in the refrigerator or freezer.
That liquid is one of the most useful things in my kitchen for the rest of the week. Use it anywhere you would use broth:
- Cook rice in it
- Cook quinoa or grits in it
- Start a pot of beans
- Use it as the base for a quick soup
It has a depth that plain chicken broth cannot match.
This is one of the real advantages of the stovetop version. You are not just making collard greens.
You are building a cooking asset at the same time.
How to Prep Your Collard Greens
Collards need attention before they go in the pot, and washing is not optional.
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 stem out. Either works.
Collard stems are fibrous and stay tough no matter how long you cook them, so take them out.
Stack, roll, and slice
Once the stems are out, stack a few leaves together, roll them into a loose cylinder, and slice into ribbons.
This is the easiest way to shred collards without making a mess.
Wash them well
Collard greens can be gritty.
Fill a large bowl or clean sink with cold water, add your shredded greens, and swish them around. The dirt sinks. Lift the greens out, dump the water, and repeat until the water runs clean.
Do not skip this step.
And do not just run them under the faucet.
They need a real soak.
Visual Process
1. Build the broth
Add all broth-building ingredients (Bacon, onions, broth, bay leaf, red pepper flakes) to a large stock pot
2. Simmer for 1 hour
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, let it work
3. Prep the greens
Strip stems, stack, roll, and slice
4. Wash the greens well
Soak and rinse until the water runs clear
5. Strain the broth
Discard solids, return clean broth to the pot
6. Add the greens and turkey
Add collards, smoked turkey, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper
7. Cook until tender
Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer
8. Remove the turkey
Lift it out carefully once the greens are done
9. Shred the turkey
Pull the meat, discard bones and skin
10. Add the turkey back in
Stir the shredded meat into the greens
11. Finished pot
Serve in bowls with plenty of pot liquor.
Equipment Note
This recipe starts with a gallon of broth, plus two pounds of raw greens and a smoked turkey wing or leg.
Use a 12-quart stock pot or larger.
Anything smaller and you will be fighting a crowded pot from the start.
Helpful Tips
- Pork-free option: Skip the bacon and use two pieces of smoked turkey instead. Use one for the broth step. When you strain, shred that first piece and set it aside. Add a fresh piece when you add the greens. At the end, shred the second piece and return both to the pot. You end up with double turkey throughout the dish.
- Other pork options: Ham hocks can go in at the broth step and stay through the full cook. Smoked neck bones can substitute for the bacon, come out when you strain, and the meat picked from the bones gets set aside and stirred back in at the end with the turkey. Smoked pig tails make a richer, fattier broth with a distinct smokiness and are worth trying if you can find them.
- Use a smoked turkey wing or leg, not a breast. You need the bones and connective tissue for flavor. A breast will not give you the same result.
- Do not rush the broth step. A full hour of simmering is what builds the depth in the pot liquor.
- Taste and adjust at the end. Before you serve, taste the pot liquor. If it needs brightness, add a splash of apple cider vinegar. If it needs heat, reach for hot sauce. Do this at the end, not during cooking.
- Save the extra pot liquor. After serving, pour the remaining pot liquor into mason jars. It keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week and freezes well. Use it for rice, grits, quinoa, beans, or soup.
- Collards are better the next day. The greens keep absorbing the broth overnight and the flavors settle in. If you can make these the day before, do it.
FAQ
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, not on a plate. Spoon some of the pot liquor over the top when you serve.
That liquid is part of the dish.
Cornbread alongside makes a lot of sense here. It is the natural pairing, and the pot liquor is why. You want something to soak it up.
These are good with:
- Cornbread
- Macaroni and cheese
- Baked sweet potatoes
- Smoked or roasted chicken
- Ribs
- Brisket
And do not forget the extra pot liquor. Once the greens are gone, you still have a jar of smoky, savory broth in the refrigerator. Use it to cook rice, quinoa, or grits, start a pot of beans, or build a quick soup.
It earns its place.
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
Make-ahead: These are genuinely better the next day. Making them 24 hours ahead is not a workaround. It is the move. The greens absorb more flavor overnight and the pot liquor deepens.
Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator with the pot liquor included. They hold well for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Reheat on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Individual portions reheat fine in the microwave too. Either way, reheat with the liquid.
Freezing: Freeze in portions with some pot liquor in each container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stove.
Extra pot liquor: Store separately in mason jars in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for later. Label it so you remember what it is.
📖 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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