Collard Greens - recipe

I love southern food.  I've been on a huge kick recently of cooking gumbo, collard greens, and cornbread, probably 10 times in as many months, and each time with various tweaks to experiment.  Here's the most-recent, and best yet, version of Collard Greens.

1C bacon grease (mmm bacon - read my post on bacon grease)

1C canola oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves  garlic, minced

1 large bunch collard, deveined, cut into roughly 1" strips, and rinsed.

48oz (3#) chicken stock

3C water

1C apple vinegar

1/4C Worcestershire Sauce

3Tbsp Sriracha or Frank's Red Hot (some people are maniacal about the proper/traditional hot sauce to use in southern cooking - I've used both, and probably prefer Frank's for this type of dish)

3Tbsp cajun seasoning

1Tbsp red pepper flakes

1Tbsp salt (add more later, to taste)

1Tbsp pepper

First off, a note: with any recipe I post here, most of the time I'm eyeballing amounts.  I like my southern food salty, spicy, and loaded with vinegar, so when I make this recipe, I typically go crazy with the Vinegar, Hot Sauce, and Seasonings.

Prep the onion, garlic, and collard.  In a large pot, over medium heat, add bacon grease and canola oil.  When hot, add onions, and simmer for 4 minutes.  Add garlic, and simmer for 1 minute.  Add Collard and saute until wilted, 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

Add the remaining ingredients and bring back to a boil.  Turn heat down to low, and let simmer for at least an hour, stirring only a few times throughout.  Test for taste (careful it's hot!), and add additional seasonings, hot sauce, or vinegar as desired.  Serve hot or cold (most people prefer hot, but I love eating these for breakfast on following days, next to a big scramble of eggs and veggies).

Enjoy!