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Collard greens are a staple of the Southern table, requiring a bit of slicing geometry to prep them for a long, slow simmer. Rolling the broad leaves up tightly like a cigar makes it easy to slice them into thin, ribbon-like strips. This uniform cut ensures that every ribbon cooks down to the same velvety tenderness in your seasoned pot liquor.
Technique Summary
Rolling and slicing collard leaves creates thin, even ribbons that tenderize beautifully during cooking. Removing the tough woody stems first is essential for a pleasant, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Chef’s Checkpoints
- Hear a clean, sharp snap as you slice through the rolled bundle of fresh green leaves.
- Look for long, uniform ribbons that unravel easily when tossed into the cooking pot.
- Feel the leaves become soft and pliable as you roll them tightly together.
How Jorj Does It
- Remove the tough stem: make a little V and take that part out.
- To do a bunch at once, pick leaves of similar size and remove the V from each.
- Stack the leaves on top of each other into a nice pile.
- Roll the leaves together into a cylinder.
- Cut down into slices, as thin or as thick as you like. Jorj likes about half an inch to an inch. Keep going all the way to the end.
- Cut the slices in half, so you have pretty, similar-size pieces.
- Collards take a little time, so slow cook them with a little chicken stock: a couple of hours on the stovetop, or put them in your slow cooker in the morning and come back in the afternoon.
- Season with salt and pepper, and sometimes a little vinegar.
Questions Home Cooks Ask
Why take out the stem?
The stem is tough, so Jorj makes a little V and takes it out before slicing.
How thick should I slice collard greens?
As thin or as thick as you like. Jorj likes about half an inch to an inch, then she cuts the slices in half.
How long do collard greens take to cook?
On the stovetop, a couple of hours of simmering with a little chicken stock. In a slow cooker, put them in in the morning and have perfect collard greens in the afternoon.
How does Jorj season them?
With salt and pepper, and sometimes a little vinegar. That’s a little touch of the traditional South.
Recipes That Use This Technique
- Sautéed Collard Greens with Fresh Ginger (Vault recipe, for members)
- Slow-Roasted Pork Belly with Collard Greens (Vault recipe, for members)
- Southern-Style Chicken Pot with Okra and Collards (Vault recipe, for members)