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The Eater on Collards and Oysters

eaterlogo1This month’s column is on collards and oysters:

How do you cook your collards?
Over the holidays, The Eater followed age-old advice not to wade into conversations about religion or politics with relatives, but don’t let that lead you to believe that means Yours Truly has no stomach for controversy.

For religion and politics are topics easily punched out after only a few rounds. Broach the subject of cooking collards, on the other hand, and you’ve got an evening’s debate in the makings.

It is not as simple as cook ‘em long vs. quick braising. There’s the chemistry of butter and pork fat, the timing and quantity of salt, the use of cider or specific vinegars, water vs. chicken broth and the value, or lack thereof, of potlicker to bicker over.

To stir the pot for your New Year’s Day ritual, we’ve launched a collards outreach program to gather insights into various techniques and timings, which we’ll publish on our MILL blog and on The Eater’s new page on Facebook.

Many of us have techniques long practiced and are quite doctrinaire. For those of you still wandering in the desert or open-minded on this sacred Southern tradition, we offer a few thoughts from masters — both pro and am — on the subject.

In his book Seasoned in the South, Bill Smith of Crook’s Corner addresses the length of cooking:

“There are many conflicting opinions on this. To my mind, collards were not made for quick cooking. Undercook collards and you are asking to be strangled; they can’t be properly chewed. On the other hand, overcook them and they will eventually turn to mush. Two hours seems about right, although this might give nutritionists pause.”

Location, location, location
It remains oyster season, and it looks like a good year to be picky. Just like here, it’s been raining heavily at the coast. And since this state is pretty aggressive about closing oyster beds after big rains, there are fewer local oysters available. That means more imports from other areas, particularly the Gulf Coast.

When it comes to shellfish, it pays to do a little research. As with real estate, it’s all about location. Having several years ago experienced a classic rough night following a less-than-savvy shellfish choice, The Eater advises discretion and informed decision making.
Note that there have been some issues already this year. There was a massive recall in early December on Texas oysters out of San Antonio Bay, and some Louisiana oysters are blamed for a nasty evening for about 40 diners at Raleigh’s 42nd Street Oyster Bar.

If you’re looking for them in the shell around here, you’ve got a couple reliable choices for non-Gulf varieties. Tom Robinson has a good steady source for North Carolina oysters for around $4.99 a dozen. Whole Foods has the large Chesapeake’s for $15.48 a dozen and Connecticut Blue Points for $5.88 a dozen.