Collard Greens

Y'all, I got my favorite boyfriend here in the kitchen with me today

I was back in the back watching vintage shows that you can find here on the network

and I was talking about my boyfriend, Michael. We weren't married. He was still my boyfriend

and he's still my boyfriend after all these years. So, y'all, I'm going to share with y'all my recipe for collard greens

and this is the way we cook them at the restaurant. Now, I'm going to use some smoked ham hocks

and we're going to cover these with water, And we're going to cook them for a couple of hours

because you want those ham hocks where they tear apart and mix in your collards, don't you

And I always tell people not to drown them. You're going to have to completely cover them when you start cooking them

But that water is going to evaporate. So we'll start with that much water

and we're going to salt and pepper them. And then like I said, we're just gonna let them cook for a couple of hours

All right now look down in there you can see all the waters cooked out of them

So I'm gonna add more water to them and as your ham hocks are cooking

You'll just want to keep an eye on them and just make sure they don't cook completely down

All right, so there we go. And I'm gonna try to just cut these old ham hocks up some

And you know what? I think I better just take these out of the pot. Some tongs

You know what, Mikey? I think I got it. You want those ham hocks to just cook till they come apart

You want all that meat to go through your greens. And do y'all know why we always serve collard greens

or turnip greens on New Year's Day? Why? Why? Money. Money. It represents our financial

success for the new year So Michael I might need to switch with you baby See if you can kind of cut through those some more and if you need to grab one by the rag

All right, now see what you're going to do. You're going to have to kind of follow. I thought we swapped

Well, we did, but see, you can't just cut through it. You're going to have to kind of follow the cracks in the bones

All right, so I've got an extra ham hock left over, But this amount of greens, I think two hawks are going to do nicely

All right, now this is my house seasoning. This is what we always season with because it's got garlic and onion powder in it

So I'm going to add that to it even though, ooh, perfect, Michael

Get all them little tidbits. And I'm going to go ahead and cut that up on high

And now I'm going to step down here and show you all the way my granny taught me to clean collards

I can't stand that old tough stem. So you just want to pick it up and grab it from the back

and just pull it right off. Just like that. There we go

These are much easier to do than turnip greens. What are those dogs doing over there

What is Lulu and Gus doing? Just playing. What are y'all doing

All right, now you just lay them up on top of each other, y'all

Stack up your leaves that you've stripped, and then you roll them like a cigar

All right, now see, Michael's broken that ham hock down in there good for us

So look-a there. Ooh, yeah. So normally, we are home in the bed by 12 o'clock

And we usually bring in the new year very quietly. But on New Year's Day, all the family will pile in

because I insist that they have their black-eyed peas and their collard greens and their hog jowl

Your collards or your turnip greens represent your financial success in the year

Black-eyed peas represent your luck, and your hog jowl represents health. Now, y'all go figure

Hog jowl for health. It sounds good to me, and I love hog jowl

People always ask at the restaurant, what do we do to our collards to give them that little hot twang Well this is what we do We pretty liberal with the hot sauce that we put in our pot liquor

Look at that. Can y'all see over in the pot? Now that we've got those ham hocks broke down

All right, let's take these, Michael. These look like they've kind of been ripped up, but..

What are y'all doing? What are y'all doing

Look at them. Y'all are so cute. Get him, Lulu. Get him

Get him, Lulu. Get him. Get Gus. Now, some people, when they cut their collards up

they cut them in like little ribbons, you know, so thin, but that's not how Grandma taught me to do it

Whoa, y'all be careful. They gonna bring our drapes down. But Grandma taught me to cut mine in, like, one-inch strips

so that's what I've always done. Those look so good, Michael. You ready

Yes, I'm ready. You can just put them in the bowl, or I'll grab them just like this

I've got one more. Oh, my gosh. These are so good. And, you know, they're so good for you

We used to have a T-shirt at the Lady and Sons, and I think it was like my favorite T-shirt

and it said, Our Greens Will Really Move Ya. So we're just going to cover those down

I used to have a man that would come in the restaurant. He was an older gentleman

and when I'd see him come in that door, I would get him a coffee cup and fill it full of pot liquor

and have it sitting at the table when he was seated. And he would dip his hoe cake in that pot liquor and drink that cup

I know he was regular. He had to have been very regular

Not only was he a regular guest, he was a regular, regular

That's it. And in order to make a good green, you have to have plenty of fat for them

They have to be almost slick. and look, I see those ladies right there saying yes, yes

When I was a kid working on the tugboats, we had cooks. They were fabulous southern cooks

Oh I know they were Like you and all And they were men weren they Yeah But most of them were ex or ex marine and all the vegetables were delicious So I was watching them cook the collard greens one time

and they took a big spoon like this, two double scoops of shortening

They were so good. Michael, I have a can that says grease

and that's where all my bacon grease goes. And if I had that can with me

Now, I would reach in there and get me a big old spoonful of bacon grease

But I don't have that, so there you go. One pad of butter

One tablespoon of butter. Let me tell you this, honey. I've been frying chicken in my deep fryer

If they're not slick enough, I have been known to do this

and you know that's the only way to do it if you want to properly cook a southern green

as our grandmothers taught us to. I think I know why they move you now

So I'm going to put the lid on this one, Michael. All right

And we're going to turn them down but usually about 45 minutes will do it

So look at these. Oh, my goodness. Mm. See that hole right there

You pick that up and you suck out that little bit of collard stuck down in there and that Myra. Ooh-hoo

Shut up! Don't it make your lips water and flap

It is time to eat collard greens. I wish I had some hoecakes for y'all

Not the fat hoecakes, but a lace hoecake that looks like lace dipped down in that liquor

Mmm. Will cure what ails you. So you're gonna find more New Year's recipes

right here on the Paula Deen Network. I'm gonna fix you up, honey

You're gonna be so healthy and so rich and so dadgum lucky this year

you're not going to be able to stand it