Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey Wings

This humble one-pot recipe is Southern home cooking at its finest.

Serves
8–10
Time
3 hours 55 minutes

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MURRAY HALL; FOOD STYLING BY JESSIE YUCHEN

Updated on November 7, 2023

These collard greens with smoked turkey wings are a Southern staple and a testament to the influence of African cooking on American cuisine. The bitter leafy vegetable was one of the few crops that enslaved Africans were permitted to grow and cook for themselves. This rib-sticking recipe is best served with cornbread to sop up the flavorful potlikker. It was adapted from Sylvia’s Family Soul Food Cookbook.

Ingredients

2 smoked turkey wings (2½ lb.)
3 lb. collard greens (3 bunches), stems discarded, leaves cut into 1-in. pieces
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. crushed red chile flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
White vinegar and Tabasco

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Instructions

Step 1

In a large pot, bring the turkey wings and 6 cups of water to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the meat is beginning to fall off the bone, about 1 hour. Add the collard greens, oil, sugar, chile flakes, and salt and black pepper to taste and return to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the greens are tender, about 2½ hours.

Step 2

Using tongs, transfer the turkey wings to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat and skin from the bones (discard the bones), then chop into bite-size pieces and add it back to the pot. Season to taste with vinegar and Tabasco and serve.