Add smoked ham hocks in a large 12 quart size or larger stock pot with 1 1/2 gallons of water, salt, sugar, soy sauce, bacon or fat back grease, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, Louisiana hot sauce and Sherry, boiling hocks with lid on pot two hours or more until the ham hocks fall apart.  Add more water if needed.  Remove ham hocks and discard bone and skin placing ham hock meat back into the pot.  Skim off any excess fat and gelatin.  While ham hocks are cooking, remove each collard green leaf from the main stalk and wash each individual leaf until all dirt and grit is removed.  You can use a razor blade to cut the leaves from the stem for a faster method if desired.  Strip each leaf from the stem or at least from the heavy portion of the stem and roll several collard green leaves together and cut into strips about one inch in width and place collards into a separate large stock pot.  Pre-boil the collard greens in unseasoned water for 30 minutes to help remove some of the collard green's bitterness.  Place pre-boiled collard greens in a colander to drain and add collard greens to the seasoned boiling water with the ham hocks and simmer for one hour.  Add chopped onions and continue to simmer another 30 to 45 minutes until onions are translucent and collard greens are tender.  Stir collard greens occasionally to keep collards from sticking to the pot.  Adjust seasonings as needed.  To serve, use a slotted spoon but reserve the collard green liquid aka  pot liqueur in the pot for later usage for soaking and sopping up some fried cornbread.

YIELD:  8 servings

Above collard greens n smoked ham hocks cooked on 03-21-13 and were "off the chain" according to my bride.  They were served with a batch of my fried cornbread and the pot liqueur aka juice or liquid was so good, it was consumed like fine aged French wine but at a much faster rate.........grin if you must!

Click on thumbnail sequence pixs for a larger screen view:

NOTES:  I read in Justin Wilson's cookbook, "Down Home Louisiana Cooking"  that some of his friends would use a washing machine to get rid of the dirt and grit from bunches of collard greens and my bride "Tweet" and myself tried washing collard greens as above, but our washing machine was far too powerful and the greens looked like that had been in a food processor.  It was a job to get the washing machine cleaned.  Go ahead and grin if you must!  Working smarter not harder did not work in this case.  Circa 1990.

A friend of mine Robert Webster of Hamlet, NC explained a better way to remove the leaves from the heavy stems and that being using a single edge razor blade instead of a knife.  I tried it, of which it is a much faster and much easier method than using a regular knife!

To reduce the ham hock boil time, place ham hocks and seasonings in a pressure cooker for 45 minutes.  Remove from pressure cooker and discard ham hock skin and bones reserving liquid and meat to boil the collard greens in. 

This recipe was inspired by Rachel Myers of Wadesboro, NC who cooks some of the best collard greens and ham hocks around this part of the country, however I do believe these collard greens n smoked ham hocks today will give hers a run for the money.  Our oldest daughter Laura also makes some wonderful collard greens n ham hocks as well.  This recipe is not too far from Justin Wilson's recipe, however Justin Wilson doesn't pre-boil the collard greens.  Pre-boiling of the collard greens does help remove the somewhat bitter taste of collard greens and is the "secret" to preparing exceptional tasting collard greens.  Also, many people do not strip the collard green leaves from the stems of which is a lot of stem to consume in my humble opinion (IMHO).  Sugar is used to help tone done the bitterness, but the pre-boiling removes most of the harshness.  You can add black pepper, cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to heat the collard greens up if you so desire.  My bride cannot tolerate too much heat anymore since her stroke in 2006 and adjust my cooking as needed; you can always add Texas Pete, Tabasco, Louisiana Hot Sauce or hot sauce of your choice at the table as needed for those that want everything to be on FIRE!

Web published in 2008 with updated recipe and pixs on 03-21-13 by Bill aka Mickey Porter.

LEAVING ON A SPIRITUAL NOTE

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please take this moment to accept him by Faith into your Life, whereby Salvation will be attained.   

Ephesians 2:8 - 2:9 8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Open this link about faith in the King James Bible.