Collard Greens with Smoked Pork
Collard Greens with Smoked Pork
Southern style collard greens is one of my favorite side dishes. They take a little bit of time to cook, but are extremely easy to prepare. Simply boil pork shanks, onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper for an hour. Add in the collard greens and continue to boil for 45 minutes. Remove the shanks from the pot. Take the meat off the bone and chop up, returning back into the pot with vinegar. Simmer for another 15 minutes and you’re done. If you happen to not eat pork, you can substitute smoked turkey to the greens.
Ingredients
- 2 smoked pork shanks
- 1 gallon water
- 1/2 medium white onion sliced
- 1 head garlic peeled
- 3 tsp crushed red pepper
- 3 bunches collard greens centered rib removed; washed
- 1 cup vinegar
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the shanks, onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Boil for 1 hour.
- Add the collard greens to the boiling water. Boil for 45 minutes.
- Take the shanks out of the water. Carefully remove the meat from the bone and chop up into bite sized pieces.
- Add the meat back into the pot along with 1 cup of vinegar. Simmer for another 15 minutes.
Smoked Pork Shanks
Smoked pork shanks are great to have around when making collards greens, split pea soup, beans and rice, and many more dishes. They add copious amounts of hammy goodness to whatever you’re making. They also cost a fraction of the price smoking them yourself compared to buying them already smoked. The raw shanks I purchased are $1.49/lb compared to $5-$6/lb smoked.So what’s the difference between pork shanks and pork hocks? Shanks are from the front shins of the pig, aka forshank. They will have the shin bone through the center with a lot of meat surrounding the bone. The bone also contains marrow, which will add a lot of flavor. Pork hocks are from the ankle of the pig. They contain a little less meat. They contain a lot of collagen and cartilage that also adds flavor. The shanks will only need a day to brine. In the brine is pink curing salts, which will turn your shanks to ham. The shanks will take about 2 1/2 hours to smoke. I use hickory wood since it is a nice neutral flavored wood for smoking. They can be instantly used once finished, stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, or frozen in freezer paper for up to 6 months.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
Ingredients
- 2 pork shanks around 2” thick
Brine
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup sea salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp pink curing salts
Wood Chips
- hickory wood chips
Instructions
- Mix together the brining ingredients.
- Place the pork shanks in a gallon sized storage bag with the brine. Brine for 24 hours.
- Pat dry. Place on a rack and leg dry out at room temp for an hour before smoking.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Place your shanks in the smoker.
- Smoke your shanks for 2 1/2 hours.
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