This week’s recipe carries with it a tincture of heresy.
In Alabama we know our collards. There’s not a cook south of Huntsville that doesn’t have an opinion on the proper way to braise greens. The real argument comes when deciding which cut of pork best infuses flavor. Bacon has its adherents. Ham hocks are probably the choice of the largest contingent. Pork belly isn’t out of the ordinary. I’ve seen recipes where people try to get fancy with guanciale, pancetta, or other spiced bits of pig. Minor arguments aside, what almost everybody is in complete agreement about is that collards require pork.