Greens have been experiencing something of a renaissance at my house recently. For some reason all we have been eating for the last few weeks are leafy greens, collards, kale, mustard, and dandelion greens. The usual preparation is a quick sauté with some garlic, white wine, and stock, and occasionally a bit of pancetta or bacon thrown in. Served over rice with a poached egg, there is nothing I'd rather eat.
Needless to say I had greens on the brain when I was looking through Chis Lilly's Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book. I love Southern-style braised greens with their porky pot liquor, so I was eager to give this recipe a try. I have always thought that the best way to incorporate bacon into greens was to render it first and then add the greens. This recipe has you add bacon directly to the water in which the greens are boiled, creating a quick bacon broth.
I couldn't find any turnip greens so I substituted mustard greens. The greens wilt into the broth and in go the rest of the ingredients. The bacon plus the natural spiciness of the mustard greens filled the kitchen with a heady aroma that made me wonder why I don't cook mustard greens more often.
The greens turned out wonderfully—toothsome and tender at the same time—and just the right amount of smoke from the bacon. The greens are great on their own but are even better when finished with a few dashes of Just Add Greens Pepper Sauce. Pepper sauce is a standard Southern condiment and a great way to add a bit of spice and tang to greens, black eyed peas, barbecue, or anything, really. It couldn't be easier to make—hot vinegar plus chiles, and that's it. The chiles pickle and the vinegar grows more flavorful the longer you keep it.
As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book to give away this week.
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