Mustard Greens
Mustard Greens w/ smoked neck bones
Mustard greens are a true staple of southern cuisine. The strong flavor of the greens are enhanced by the salty, smokey neck bones. I always use a mixture of mustard greens and turnip greens. The tartness of the mustards and the strong flavor of the turnips make this a great combination. Most people let their greens cook for a short amount of time but I let mine cook for hours. That is why the texture looks more like spinach than the normal greens you are probably use to. I promise, these are better. Anyone can confirm that I make the best pot of greens, not trying to brag, buuuutttt they are delicious! Before you start cleaning your greens, you want to make sure the meat you are using is tender and flavorful. In this recipe I am using smoked neck bones but you can use smoked turkey or ham hocks. Just make sure to use a meat that is on the bone. The bone adds more flavor. In a pot, fill it half way with water and add your smoked meat, garlic powder, onion powder and cajun seasonings. Cook for about 1-2 hours or until the meat has completely fallen off of the bone. While your meat is cooking, you can start by cleaning your greens. Remove them from the stem and rinse them with warm water.
Once all of the greens are cleaned and you have removed them from the stems, put them in the sink with hot water. Sprinkle salt throughout the greens. This will NOT make them taste salty, the salt causes the dirt to slide off of the greens. I learned this trick from my mom.
Let the greens soak for at least 1 hour. Once they are done soaking, rinse them again. You want to make sure all of the dirt is off of the greens.
While the greens are still soaking, remove the meat from the bones in the pot. Make sure to remove any gristle or bones. Add the greens to the same pot. You can add more water in the pot if you need to.
Cook the greens for 1-2 hours or until they are tender. Add seasoning and taste to make sure they are seasoned to your liking.
Serve in your favorite bowl with some hot sauce. ENJOY!
Mustard Greens
Ingredients
- 7 bushels of mustard greens
- 3 bushels of turnip greens
- 1 pound of smoked neck bones (optional: smoked turkey or smoked ham hocks)
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp Accent seasoning
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- In a 12 quart pot, fill with 7 quarts of water. Add to the pot, the smoked meat, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp cajun seasoning.
- Cook for at least 1 hour or until the meat is tender and falls off of the bone.
- While the meat is cooking, clean the greens by removing them from the stems and rinsing with warm water. Once the leaves have been removed, place them in the sink with warm water. Sprinkle salt on top to help remove the dirt from the leaves.
- Once the meat is tender, remove all of the meat from the bones and add to the pot. Make sure there are no bones or gristle remaining in the pot.
- Add the greens to the pot with the meat.
- Add 1 tbsp of garlic powder, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbs cajun seasoning and 1 tsp of Accent seasoning. If most of the water has evaporated, add more water to the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Make sure it is seasoned well.
- Cook for an additional 1-2 hours.
- The greens will become extremely tender and a dark green color.
- ENJOY!
Hi there, I’m Shauntra! My blog is full of recipes made with simple ingredients for delicious food. Read more about me.
