How Long Should You Steam Collard Greens To Achieve The Right Texture?

When going through the most traditional meals of the American South, you'll find yourself making a long checklist of its essentials. While black-eyed peas, fried chicken, and cornbread secure top spots on that list, the quintessential Southern dish is reserved for collard greens. This soul food staple boasts a robust texture and flavor, thanks to its inclusion of pork, such as ham hocks or bacon, and dark green leaves topped with apple cider vinegar. Subsequently, the pot likker (broth at the bottom of the pot) from this delectable leafy green dish acts as the linchpin that brings the entire contents of any plate together.

Depending on your desired texture, the steaming process may span anywhere from five minutes to 45 minutes or up to two hours. Nevertheless, patience is a virtue, and the payoff will be substantial when you time your collard greens perfectly. Your guests will sing your praises, and with each preparation, you'll develop a profound appreciation for the time invested in crafting these soulful greens.

When making collard greens, you'll want to do all you can to create a texture that complements the rest of the meal. You may also have a preference that takes precedence over anything. Either way, here's what you need to do. If you want softer collard greens, you'll want to steam them longer, possibly up to two hours. You'll enjoy how smooth these come out, almost like butter. You'll get a great melding of flavors in a soupy mixture of leaves. However, if you want your collards to have more of a pliable and tender texture, then closer to 45 minutes will be your best bet.

Now, if you want to maximize the nutrients you'll receive from your collard greens while making them even chewier, only steam them for five minutes. It all depends on how tough the leaves are and how much of their natural bitterness you want to cook out. No matter which texture you go for, at the end of the day you'll have delicious collard greens that will complete your Southern meal experience.

After preparing your collard greens to your tastes, you might then contemplate additional ways to savor them. Thankfully, there are lots of ideas available. If you have some leftover collards, why not make a collard green melt? This sandwich will give you lots of crunchy bread packed with smooth, buttery, mayo-infused, spicy slaw. For those who love grilled cheese sandwiches, get ready for this delicious combination: Take some of your leftover collard greens and slap them in the middle of your grilled cheese sandwich. You can take it up a notch and use garlic bread for your grilled cheese with collard greens or even Texas toast. This way, you'll get more texture and more flavor.

Now, here's where it gets even more fun. Did someone say "tacos"? Well, you can easily combine your Southern dish with some Mexican flair by throwing some of your leftover collard greens into some taco shells. Throw in some extra pork, and you'll be savoring the juices of this one. So, there you have it. If you want to maximize your collard greens' potential, there's nothing like venturing out of Southern territory and into new regions to create a delicious variation of the meal.