Beer-Braised Collard Greens with Bacon

Beer-Braised Collard Greens with Bacon are the ultimate side dish for any Southern BBQ. But these babies so good that you'll find yourself pairing them with everything!

I've been making these collard greens for years and usually just throw this and that into a pot and hope for the best.

But I finally took a minute to write down my basic recipe, tested it a couple times, gave it a few tweaks and VOILA! The very best collard greens we've ever had. They're consistently the most requested side at our family BBQ dinners in the summer.

How to make collard greens taste good:

Collard greens all by themselves can be a bit tough to eat, especially if you're not used to eating dark leafy greens. Leafy greens are so good for you. They're packed with a ton of vitamins and are dense in fiber and potassium. But, they can be bitter and tough.

That's why cooking them down, especially with a little help from our BBQ fan-favorites Bacon and Beer, is immensely helpful here!

By sauteing down a little bacon to start off (as well as some onions for good measure), the collards then get to nestle in with that delicious savory fat for their entire braising period. We don't use a lot of bacon -- a little goes a long way here.

The beer helps to break down the collards and provides a little sweetness to counteract the bitter qualities. If you don't want to use beer for health, religious or other reasons, feel free to use broth or water. A dash of honey or maple syrup won't hurt either!

What to serve these with:

Spicy Honey Bourbon Marinated Steak Tips
Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken
Healthy Vegan Mac and Cheese with Roasted Veggies
Smoked Potato Salad
Quinoa and Brown Rice Salad with Black Beans and Honey-Lime Vinaigrette

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Beer-Braised Collard Greens with Bacon

Collards Greens are the ultimate side dish for any Southern style BBQ dinner! This version is made with beer, bacon and onions and you just can't go wrong!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Southern

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 day 1 hour

Total Time 1 day 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 4

Equipment

• Stock Pot

Ingredients

• 2-3 slices bacon
• 1 small onion sliced thinly
• 1 bunch collards stems removed and roughly chopped into 1-2” pieces
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 8 oz. beer* a basic lager or pale ale
• 1 tablespoon vinegar apple cider vinegar, white or other

Instructions

• Heat a large stockpot over medium heat. Dice bacon into small pieces and add to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes until it starts to render, then toss in the thinly sliced onion. Stir to coat in bacon fat, then cook for 5 minutes until softened.
• Add in the collards, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir to coat, and let soften for 5 minutes, then add in the beer of your choosing, stirring well. Let the bubbles dissipate, then bring to a simmer, cover and let cook down for about 45 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally.
• After 45 minutes, the greens should be softened and most of the liquid should be cooked off, if there’s still a lot of liquid, remove the lid, kick the heat up to medium and let some of the liquid evaporate for another 5-10 minutes.
• At the very end, stir in the vinegar and serve.

Notes

1. If you'd prefer not to use beer for any reason, feel free to substitute with chicken, beef or vegetable stock or just water. You can also add a dash of honey or maple syrup to help impart that slight sweetness that the beer provides, but this is optional!