Recipe Box, Slow Cooker Collards & Conecuh

the Painted Apron

7 years ago

My sweet neighbor brought me a big bag full, or I should say a “messa” of collard greens last weekend, to thank us for including him on a fishing trip

I have had collards only a handful of times, but do like them

I knew that the secret to collards is cooking a long time, so I got out the slow cooker

Sauteed onion and garlic

Traditional southern collard greens are cooked with bacon, fat back, or a ham hock

I decided to use Alabama Conecuh Hickory Smoked Sausage. Conecuh Sausage is made in Conecuh County Alabama, and is available in a lot of other states. You can see the store locator here or order on line here

Or substitute kielbasa sausage or any smoked sausage

Use a lot of sausage for a main dish or a lesser amount for flavoring a side dish

After a quick stir fry with the onions and garlic, the mixture went into the bottom of a greased slow cooker

While the onions cooked I tore off the leaves from the middle leaf stem

This takes a little time, I can see why people sit on the porch and sip sweet tea doing this task

Fill the cooker to the brim with torn leaves and give it a beer to make everything happy

Top that off with a little chicken broth

Cover and let it go for a few hours. When greens have begun to melt down, give it a stir or two if you’re nearby

Let it cook for a few more hours, stir and serve

This made my snapper fishermen very happy!

Pictured below is simple grilled snapper with butter and blackened seasonings

If you want something a little different see HHjr’s recipe for Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Snapper here

And his Salsa Topped Snapper here

Collards & Conecuh

Course Main Course, slow cooker

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword collard greens, Conecuh sausage, greens and sausage, slow cooker collards

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 6

Servings 4

Ingredients

12-16 cups collard greens*
1 cup beer {or chicken broth}
2 cups chicken broth
1 large onion sliced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 lb smoked sausage cut into 1/2″ pieces
salt & pepper
olive oil

Instructions

Saute onion in olive oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add sausage and cook 1-2 more minutes. Season with salt & pepper.
Place onion mixture in the bottom of greased slow cooker. Top with collards. Pour in beer and broth. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours, stirring halfway through cooking if possible.

Notes

*remove leaves from center stems and tear into smaller pieces

Serve as a side dish or with rice for a main dish

I readily admit that even though I have lived in the South for years, I grew up in California eating artichokes and avocados, so cooking greens Southern style is a foreign trip for me…but I can proudly say that even a non vegetable eating, Southern born and raised, guest at our house last weekend, couldn’t get enough of these collards, and my son raved and took the leftovers home for his Sunday night supper