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Creole Collard Greens

Why This Works: Slow rendering bacon builds a smoky foundation, while acid, heat, and brown sugar are added early enough to mellow during the long simmer,balancing bitterness, deepening savoriness, and allowing the collards to transform into something rich, tender, and cohesive rather than sharp or muddy.
Recipe from March 2025 Food & Wine by Liz Mervosh.
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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 6 center-cut bacon slices chopped (about / cup)
  • 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced (about 2½ cups)
  • 2 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic (about 4
  • large garlic cloves)
  • 3 fresh bay leaves
  • 1½ tsp. Creole seasoning
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt plus more to taste /½ tsp. black pepper
  • 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp. hot sauce such as Crystal
  • 3 Tbsp. light brown sugar
  • 2 Ib. fresh collard greens thick stems removed, coarsely chopped (about
  • 16 cups) see Note
  • 4 cups unsalted chicken stock

Method
 

  1. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium, stirring often, until fat is mostly rendered and bacon is almost crisp, about 10 minutes. Add onion, garlic, bay leaves, Creole seasoning, salt, and black pepper; cook over medium, stirring often, until onion slightly softens, about 4 minutes.
  2. Add vinegar, hot sauce, and brown sugar: cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves and mixture is syrupy, about 30 seconds.
  3. Add greens in 3 batches, stirring constantly and letting leaves wilt slightly before adding each addition. Stir in stock, and bring to a boil over medium-high.
  4. Cover and reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender. 50 minutes to 1 hour. Season with salt to taste.

Notes

MAKE AHEAD Washed, stemmed, and chopped greens can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
NOTE For kale, substitute 2 lb. lacinato kale for the collard greens: reduce the cooking time to 45 minutes. For mustard greens, substitute 2 lb. mustard greens for the collards, and increase the brown sugar to ¼ cup (to offset the greens' bitterness). Reduce the cooking time to 45 minutes.