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Slow Cooker Greens with Ham Hocks + VIDEO

Slow cooker greens with ham hocks is a classic Southern dish that can be served any night of the week. You can also make this easy greens recipe in your Instant Pot.

I refer to this slow cooker greens recipe as Hattie’s Greens. My Mother is Hattie and this is her greens recipe.  Instead of cooking the greens on the stove-top like my Mother always does, here I will show you how to make greens in your slow cooker or Instant Pot.

What Are Greens

Before we get started, let’s talk about greens. Greens are a stable in Southern cooking. My Mother is originally from North Carolina and I’m originally from Georgia; I have been eating Hattie’s greens for as long as I can remember. Leafy greens is a broad term that refers to a lot of foods like collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, kale, spinach, swiss chard, etc. They have different tastes & textures. This recipe is meant for tough, sturdy greens like collard greens. Greens are a superfood; they’re high fiber, rich in vitamins and minerals, and low in calories.

Eating Greens On New Year’s Day

A popular Southern tradition is to eat greens on New Year’s Day. Since greens are literally green like money, they represent a financially prosperous new year. Greens are usually served along side black-eyed peas.

collard greens

Choosing The Greens

As I mentioned earlier, greens come in different forms. Most people eat collard greens. Collard greens are a personal favorite but I honestly enjoy all greens whether they be collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens or kale greens.  What you see in the pictures here are mixed greens which is a mixture of different types of greens. I used a combination: 16-ounces of collards, 16-ounces of mustards, and-16 ounces of turnips. How you get to your 48 ounces of greens is up to you. You can use all of one type or a combination.

mustard greens

Prepping Your Greens

You’re are either going to use loose leaf bunches of greens or bags of greens:

Bagged greens are usually pre-washed & pre-cut. Even if the greens you buy says they are pre-washed, I recommend you wash them again. I also recommend removing any large stems you might see. After you wash the bagged greens, they’re ready to be added to the slow cooker or Instant Pot.

Loose leaf greens will sometimes have a lot of dirt on them so you will need to clean them properly before you cook them. The way I learned to clean Hattie’s greens is to fill a clean sink with cold water and add the greens. Mix them around with your hands for a few minutes. Remove the greens, drain the water and clean out any dirt that’s leftover in the sink. Repeat the process until the greens are clean and there’s no more dirt. One they’re clean, rinse & pat dry the greens. Next cut off the tough stem & main vein and then chop the greens into one-inch pieces. Now they’re ready to be added to the slow cooker or Instant Pot.

turnip greens

Using A Sweetener

The original recipe for Hattie’s greens uses 2 teaspoon of white sugar. I don’t cook with white sugar but I did have some organic coconut sugar in my pantry so I used that. That makes my version paleo. What sweetener you use will dictate whether these greens are low-carb, paleo, or whole30. Below are some guidelines.

Paleo: Coconut sugar, Honey, Maple syrup.

Low-carb: Use your preferred zero-sugar sweetener.

Whole30: Omit the sweetener completely.

ham hocks (uncooked)

ham hocks (cooked)

What Are Ham Hocks

Ham hocks are a part of the pig. I refer to them as pig ankles since they’re the joints that connect the foot to the leg but technically ham hocks are not pig ankles they’re pig knuckles. Ham hocks are mainly ligaments, skin and tendons. When cooked, the fat & collagen in ham hocks dissolves leaving a nice, smoky taste. The little meat on there will be falling apart tender. Most ham hocks that you will find at the grocery store are cured with salt and smoked. Of course you do not have to use ham hocks in this recipe.

before

Variations To This Recipe

  • Omit the meat use vegetarian broth and this recipe is vegan/vegetarian.
  • Don’t eat pork but want to add meat? I suggest using a piece of smoked turkey like smoked turkey wings.

after (slow cooker)

Storing Leftover Greens

If you have leftover slow cooker greens, you can store them in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. After that, you should freeze any remaining leftovers. Frozen greens can be stored in the freezer for up to 12 months.

add shredded ham hock meat

Other soul food recipes  you might enjoy:

Black Eyed Peas

Soul Food Chili

NO BOIL Mac & Cheese

Red Beans & Rice

To make this recipe, I use a 6-quart slow cooker /or Instant Pot.

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Greens with Ham Hocks

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

  • Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 48 ounces greens
  • 2 ham hocks (approximately one pound total)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons sugar or sweetener of your choice (optional)

Instructions

Slow Cooker

  1. Wash greens & remove stems. Add greens to the slow cooker.
  2. Sprinkle with salt, sugar or sweetener (if using). Pour apple cider vinegar and broth on top.
  3. Rinse off ham hocks. Add ham hocks on top of greens.
  4. Cook HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8.
  5. Remove ham hock, shred meat, and place meat back in the slow cooker. Add salt, pepper,  & sugar to taste.

Instant Pot

  1. Add the broth to the pressure cooker. Stir in greens. Add apple cider vinegar, salt, and sugar/sweetener if using. Add ham hocks on top.
  2. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook for 30 minutes. When cook time is complete, let the pressure naturally  release pressure for 10 minutes then manually any remaining pressure.
  3. Remove ham hock, shred meat, and place meat back in the pressure cooker. Add salt, pepper,  & sugar to taste.
  • Author: Shannon Epstein
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 4 hours

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 84
  • Sugar: 0.9 g
  • Sodium: 231.3 mg
  • Fat: 2.1 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 10.1 g
  • Fiber: 6.8 g
  • Protein: 9.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 6.4 mg

 

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on one of the product links, I might receive compensation. For more about my disclosure policy see here: https://fitslowcookerqueen.com/about/disclosure-policy/.

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Slow Cooker Greens with Ham Hocks + VIDEO
Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 BEST Ham Hock Recipes - Give me a fork

Monday 14th of August 2023

[…] 5. Slow Cooker Greens with Ham Hocks […]

Doris

Friday 3rd of September 2021

What are greens ? Can I use any type of vegetable?

Lauren

Wednesday 6th of January 2021

I made these for New Years and they were amazing! I didn’t change the recipe at all. This is my first time making greens and I will be making them often!

Martha

Tuesday 25th of August 2020

If I want to add in turnip bulbs would I add at beginning or later?

Becky

Saturday 8th of August 2020

This looks great.