Southern US · Sides

Southern collard greens with smoked turkey

Name: Southern collard greens with smoked turkey
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 2 h 5 min
Yield: 8 side servings
Cuisine: Southern US
Ingredients: 2 pounds fresh collard greens; 1 tablespoon neutral oil; 1 large yellow onion, diced; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 smoked turkey wing, about 1 pound; 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth; 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste; 1 teaspoon brown sugar; Kosher salt, as needed; Hot pepper vinegar, for serving

Slow-braised collard greens and smoked turkey in a savory, peppery potlikker sharpened with cider vinegar.

About 2 hr 5 minTotal

About 2 hr 5 minActive

$$Cost

ModerateDifficulty

Makes 8 side servings

Equipment

Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
Best value covered pot
Lodge Essential Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven · EC6D43
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched capacity, lid fit, oven rating, heat retention, maneuverability, care, stable model identity, and usefulness outside bread baking. Kwilt has not baked with this pot.
Lodge Essential Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven · EC6D43: The six-quart capacity, heavy cast-iron body, and fitted lid create the enclosed high-heat environment used by these bread methods while remaining useful beyond baking. Trade-off: At more than thirteen pounds it is demanding to move when hot, and the enamel needs gentler utensils and hand washing.
Another workable path: Bake on a preheated heavy sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl, keeping face and hands clear when removing the hot cover.
Sources
Lodge six-quart Essential Enamel specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 8 side servings

2 pounds fresh collard greens
1 tablespoon neutral oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 smoked turkey wing, about 1 pound
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Kosher salt, as needed
Hot pepper vinegar, for serving

Instructions

Strip collard leaves from their tough center stems. Wash in two changes of cold water until no grit remains, stack the leaves, roll them, and slice into 1-inch ribbons.
Heat oil in a over medium. Cook onion 6 minutes until soft; add garlic for 30 seconds. Add smoked turkey, broth, red pepper, and black pepper and bring to a gentle simmer.
Cover and simmer the turkey 40 minutes to build the potlikker. Add collards in handfuls, stirring each addition down. Cover and simmer 45 to 60 minutes more until the greens are silky-tender but not disintegrating.
Transfer turkey to a plate. Remove skin and bones, shred the meat, and return it to the pot. Stir in cider vinegar and brown sugar, then taste before adding salt because smoked turkey varies widely in salinity.
Serve greens with some potlikker and hot pepper vinegar alongside. Cool leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours; the flavor often deepens overnight.

Southern United StatesSouthern American household and holiday cooking

From the table

About this recipe

Collard greens with smoked meat are rooted in Southern Black foodways, where long simmering transforms sturdy leaves and preserves the seasoned potlikker for serving.

Collard greens are central to Southern and African American foodways, shaped by West African greens traditions and generations of Black cooks who made nourishing use of both leaves and potlikker—the deeply flavored cooking broth. Smoked turkey is one established branch alongside ham hock and other smoked pork. Long cooking is elapsed time, but this remains one pot with little active supervision. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Choose the established smoked-turkey branch, retain the long potlikker-building sequence and late vinegar, and make the one-pot low-supervision nature visible so long elapsed time is not mistaken for hidden complexity.

Sources

Dinner does not stop at the recipe