Collard Greens with Bacon

 

Collard Greens with Bacon, lots of bacon, are a tasty Southern side that pairs well with just about every dish you could possibly imagine.

Ingredients

½ Lb bacon uncooked, diced into small pieces

1 large onion diced

2 cloves garlic minced, or 2 tablespoons already diced garlic

1 to 2 pounds collard greens washed and cut into 2-inch pieces, stem removed (about 4-8 cups packed)

3 cups chicken stock

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions

Cook bacon: In a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot, cook the bacon pieces over medium-high heat until all fat is rendered. As the bacon starts to cook and the fat starts to render and bubble, you may need to reduce the heat to prevent it from burning. Once the bacon is fully cooked and crispy, transfer the cooked bacon pieces to a paper towel-lined plate. Remove almost all the fat from the pan but leave about a tablespoon in the pan to cook the onions.

Cook onions: Sauté the onions in the remaining tablespoon of bacon grease over medium-high heat until they are tender and slightly Caramelized, about 8 minutes.

Add your garlic to the onions, then sauté another couple of minutes.

Add collard greens: Add the prepared greens and sauté just until they start to wilt.

Simmer: Pour in chicken broth and add red pepper flakes, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. About five minutes before they finish cooking, stir in most of the cooked bacon, reserving some to sprinkle on top when serving. Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts from Phoenix University in Business Management, then a degree. Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Phoenix University, then on to Walden University for her master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, Gouche, and pastels. As a political operative having worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 6 blogs that range from art to life coaching, to food, to writing, and opinion or history pieces each week.