These Braised Collard Greens are slow-cooked with bacon, garlic, onions, and shallots until they’re tender and full of smoky flavor. They soak up all that richness from the chicken stock and bacon grease and mellow out as they simmer low and slow. If you’re serving BBQ, this is one of those sides that just belongs on the plate.
Braised Collard Greens
This isn’t a quick sauté. It takes a couple hours, but it’s mostly hands-off and totally worth it. The flavor deepens over time and the greens turn soft without going mushy.
They reheat well too, which makes them great for feeding a crowd or doing prep ahead of time.
If you’re already firing up the smoker or grill, let these simmer in the background. You’ll be glad you did.
Braised collard greens bring that real-deal Southern flavor, and they earn their spot next to any grilled or smoked meat you’re putting on the table. They’re rich, tender, and smoky with just the right amount of bite. Keep this one in your back pocket for holiday spreads, weekend cookouts, or when you just want something that feels like it took all day, even if most of it was hands-off.
Why You’ll Love This Dish
- Smoky and Satisfying – Not just a vegetable side, this one has body and bite.
- Deep Flavor – The long simmer brings out all the savory notes from bacon and aromatics.
- Perfect BBQ Side – Complements smoked meats, ribs, brisket, and pulled pork.
- Make-Ahead Friendly – Tastes even better the next day.
- Low Maintenance – Once it’s simmering, it mostly runs itself.
Try our Cornbread Muffins!
Recipe Shopping List
Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here’s the list of items you’ll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Thick-Cut Bacon – Adds smoky, savory depth. Fry it crisp and save the rendered fat.
- Sweet Onion – Diced and sautéed for a mellow, rich background.
- Shallot – Slightly sharper than onion, adds complexity to the base.
- Garlic – Minced fresh for sharp, aromatic flavor.
- Collard Greens – Washed and chopped. Tough leaves that break down beautifully when braised.
- Salt – Seasons the greens and pulls moisture for better texture.
- Black Pepper – Adds warmth and bite. Use freshly ground for best flavor.
- Chicken Broth – Liquid base for the braise. Use a good-quality stock or homemade if you have it.
Have some Smoked Baked Beans!
How To Make This Recipe
This is just the overview so you can see what you’re actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.
- Fry The Bacon – In a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven, pan fry the bacon over medium to medium-low heat until crisp. Set aside on paper towels to drain. Leave 3–4 tablespoons of rendered bacon fat in the pan.
- Sauté The Aromatics – Add the diced onion, shallot, and minced garlic to the bacon fat. Cook over medium heat until translucent and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Add The Greens – Stir in the chopped collard greens along with salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes, letting them wilt down. Add another spoon of bacon grease if the pan looks dry.
- Simmer Low And Slow – Pour in the chicken broth, stir, and cover. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 1½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Serve Hot – Crumble in the bacon right before serving, or leave it on the side for topping. Serve hot with barbecue mains.
How about Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins?
FAQ
Collard greens are a type of cabbage that doesn’t have a heart like the white cabbage used often for coleslaw. Collard greens are fibrous and work well for braising because they hold up pretty well to cooking, but they are not quite as tough and fibrous as kale for example.
For this reason, many people prefer using collards for braising to spinach, which falls apart and becomes a bit mushy, and kale which requires more cooking time to help deal with the fibrous leaf.
Collard greens are easy to find in some places, but you might have trouble in other places finding them easily if there isn’t a population of Southern transplants in the area. ( AKA, if you go too far north. 😉 ) Look in the greens section by the kale, celery, and spinach which is where you probably will find them.
If you have to go with a leafy green besides “collard” greens, then you can still make “braised collards” with other options.
Kale is the best option for handling the braising. They just take a bit longer to cook.
You can also substitute with kohlrabi, which is another leafy green.
If you can’t find any of those, then you can use green cabbage or Brussels sprouts too.
If you are unfamiliar with collard greens, then you might not know how to pick the best ones for braised collards.
Look for the darkest green leaves with the least amount of wilting. The long leaves have sort of a waxy look similar to cabbage only they are wide and flat and loose. So it sort of looks like a romaine lettuce leaf crossed with a green cabbage.
Like any cabbage, collard greens hold up well in the fridge and keep much longer than greens like spinach and all the varieties of lettuce which wilt so quickly.
If you want to reduce the fat from the bacon grease and use less, then use only half of the amount of rendered bacon fat and replace with olive oil. You will still get the benefit of the bacon flavor but have a healthier alternative.
If you want a completely vegetarian and vegan option, then drop the bacon entirely and just use olive or avocado oil, and sub in some vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
You’ll love this Smoked & Fried Chicken!
Serve This With
If you really want to go all out and make a southern-themed meal, then I would suggest the following dishes:
- Smoked and Fried Chicken Wings – Smoked and Fried wings are something I find pretty regularly on menus in the South, and for good reason. They are the best wings, ever. Ever ever. Make some. You’ll love it.
- Traeger Grilled Pork Ribs – Southern-style barbecued pork ribs give the collard greens a perfect place to sit, side by side on a big plate.
- Toasted Coconut Cake – Coconut and banana desserts are very popular in southern cuisine and this recipe takes the cake.
Braised Collard Greens
Tender and delicious collard greens flavored with bacon, shallots, onions, and garlic are simmered in chicken stock and served alongside your favorite barbecue.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound thick cut bacon, grease reserved
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound collard greens, washed and chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Pan fry your bacon over medium to medium-low heat until it is crispy. Set aside.
- Reserve about 3-4 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat and put the onions, shallots, and garlic in and saute until they are translucent. About 5 minutes.
- Add in the collard greens and the salt and pepper and let them saute for about 5 minutes with the onions and garlic, adding in another tablespoon of bacon grease if necessary.
- Pour in the chicken stock, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, stirring frequently.
- Serve hot with your favorite barbecue.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 179Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 1349mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 13g
Nutrition data provided here is only an estimate. If you are tracking these things for medical purposes please consult an outside, trusted source. Thanks!