Smothered Cabbage
Cabbage cooked slowly with bacon and onion until it loses all its crunch and turns sweet and silky, a Southern side that bears no resemblance to boiled cabbage. It takes about 40 minutes of patience and rewards it completely.
- Prep15 min
- Cook45 min
- Total1 h
- Serves6
AI-generated illustration
Contains:dairymeat
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the bacon in a wide heavy pot over medium heat until the pieces are crisp and the fat has rendered out, about 10 minutes. Lift the bacon out with a slotted spoon and leave the fat behind.
- Add the onion to the fat and cook until soft and beginning to brown, 8 minutes, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Pile in the cabbage a few handfuls at a time, tossing as it wilts and making room for the next batch, until it all fits.
- Pour in the chicken broth, cider vinegar, sugar, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for 25 minutes, stirring twice.
- Uncover and continue cooking for 10 to 12 minutes, until the liquid has mostly cooked away and the cabbage is completely limp, glossy, and beginning to brown against the bottom of the pot. That browning is where the sweetness comes from.
- Stir in the butter and the reserved bacon, taste for salt and vinegar, and serve hot.
Notes
- Undercooked cabbage tastes sulfurous; keep going past the point where it looks done.
- A smoked ham hock simmered in the broth deepens it further if you have one.
