Culinary Explorer
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Ham Hocks and Greens
Created by Chef Remy
Smoky ham hocks simmered until the meat surrenders from the bone, tangled with pot liquor-braised collard greens and brightened with a splash of cider vinegar, the kind of honest cooking that feeds both belly and spirit.
Some dishes carry the weight of history in every bite. Ham hocks and greens is one of those dishes. This is food born from resourcefulness, from cooks who knew how to coax extraordinary flavor from humble cuts. The smoked hock gives up its soul to that pot liquor, and the greens drink it all in.
My grandmother Evangeline made this every New Year's Day without fail. She believed the greens brought money and the pork brought luck, but I think she just loved the way her kitchen smelled when that pot had been simmering for three hours. The whole house filled with smoke and garlic and the promise of something good.
At Lagniappe, we serve this as a side, but at home it stands alone with nothing but cornbread to sop up the liquor. That pot liquor is liquid gold. People who pour it down the drain are throwing away the best part. The fat from the hocks, the essence of the greens, the vinegar cutting through all that richness. You want to drink it from a cup.
Ingredients
smoked ham hocks
Quantity
3 pounds (about 4 hocks)
collard greens
Quantity
3 large bunches (about 3 pounds)
vegetable oil or bacon drippings
Quantity
2 tablespoons
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| smoked ham hocks | 3 pounds (about 4 hocks) |
| collard greens | 3 large bunches (about 3 pounds) |
| vegetable oil or bacon drippings | 2 tablespoons |
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