Smothered Cabbage

  4.7 – 38 reviews  • Cabbage

In this simple dessert that you can prepare in the slow cooker, apples, spices, and bread cubes come together.

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 3 hrs
Additional Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 3 hrs 35 mins
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  1. 4 quarts water
  2. 1 medium ham hock
  3. 1 large pork shank
  4. 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
  5. 1 large head cabbage – washed, cored, quartered, and cut into 2-inch slices
  6. salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  7. 2 ½ cups chicken broth

Instructions

  1. Combine water, ham hock, and pork shank in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until meat is cooked through, about 2 hours. Drain and set meat aside to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
  2. Remove meat from pork shank, chop into bite-sized pieces, and place in a bowl. Remove skin and meat from ham hock, chop into very small pieces, and add to the bowl, omitting skin if you prefer.
  3. Heat bacon drippings in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add 1/4 of the cabbage to the hot skillet and saute until slightly wilted, about 3 minutes. Add 1/4 of the meat mixture. Add another 1/4 of the cabbage, cooking until slightly wilted, about 3 minutes, followed by another 1/4 of the meat mixture. Repeat until all cabbage and meat has been added. Season with salt and pepper. If mixture sticks to the skillet, add 1 to 2 tablespoons chicken broth.
  4. Slowly add remaining chicken broth to the cabbage-meat mixture in the skillet, give it a good stir, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until cabbage is tender, 30 to 45 minutes.
  5. The ham hock skin adds lots of flavor, but feel free to omit if you prefer.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 157 kcal
Carbohydrate 9 g
Cholesterol 31 mg
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Protein 10 g
Saturated Fat 3 g
Sodium 449 mg
Sugars 5 g
Fat 9 g
Unsaturated Fat 0 g

Reviews

Kristina Anderson
Great! Loved it I could not get the pork shank so just used another pork hock and about 15 minutes before it was done added the bacon I had left.
Mr. Bruce Harris
Made as instructed, and turned out wonderful. I love cabbage and this is a novel way, for me anyway, to enjoy it. Really good recipe.
Lauren Edwards
Good recipe, but SAVE the boiled water from ham shank and pork. Use this to cook the cabbage. Also add caraway seeds for a German touch.
Matthew Weber
This is a great recipe! I too, added some more seasoning for our tastes, but that’s an extra star in my book! Much easier to add what you like. I love this recipe. It’s easy to follow, healthy and delicious. I made hubby really happy with this one. ??
Monica Mayo
Blah tasting even after the addition of saluted onions and garlic, apple and use of ham hock broth. Just ok
Eric Cox
Delicious, super savory! My grocery store didn’t have pork shank so I doubled the ham hock. Easy to make for regular dinners but tasty enough for special occasions.
Randy Conner
I used my slow cooker for the pork hocks and meat melted from the bones. Plus the broth was super flavourful. So yummy, looking forward to the next time I make this.
Mr. Brandon Cline
Unable to get pork shank and substituted bacon and link sausage. Added lots of veggies, onion, celery, potato, carrots. It was great but I want to now go back and make it according to the recipe as I now found a good source for ham hocks and pork shanks. I’ll probably still add veggies.
Dr. Katie Brown
No changes perfect!
Kenneth Alvarez
Tried the recipe and loved it.
Melissa Walker
Easy to make and delicious. I added Rotini noodles, sliced mushrooms, and garlic salt. The garlic salt did the trick. I couldn’t find a hamhock or pork shank, so I used chopped ham and pork salt. (I discarded the pork salt after boiling the ham.) Next tine, I’ll add something different. The possibilities are many.
Geoffrey Warner
I used leftover ham and added potatoes and onion. My family loved it!
Frank Davidson
It reminds me of my youth. My Polish grandmother used to make what we called simply cabbage and pig hocks. Mom’s always seemed to be not quite like Grandma’s. One day mom saw Grandma take an apple out before serving. She also used a little vinegar. Apple and pork are like peas and carrots. Try apples and vinegar to boost the flavor.
Mary Landry
Great recipe. I subbed in smoked turkey wings or necks
Ryan Vega
This is an old dish handed down through generations! I remember my great granny cooking pork and cabbage. But it doesn’t make sense to use chicken broth when you have just made a delicious and flavorful pork stock. It also needs some sauteed onions for more flavor. Add some apple slices during the sautee for a sweet addition.
Rebecca Baker
I really like this recipe and followed the recipe exactly except that I couldn’t find a pork shank and used 2 ham hocks.
Christine Robinson
This is such a good, easy recipe to make! The cabbage wilts down to nothing once you add it to the ham and chicken broth. I ended up making more cabbage on the side; I also served it with some small boiled potatoes. YUM!
Ms. Carla Edwards
I enjoyed making this dish. One pot of delicious and warming healthy foods.
Cheyenne Peters
This is delicious and can be really fast and easy to make if you just fry up some bacon or pork sausage and use that as the “meat” in the dish. I made it twice and prefer my 2nd go where I added a little sliced onion and more seasoning (garlic and pepper) to the mix. I also think the 2+ cups of chicken broth is “negotiable”. If you like your cabbage really wilted down and soft, go with the full amount. If you like your cabbage to still have a little crunch in it, use a lot less liquid and don’t simmer it much past cooked.
Crystal Weaver
I followed recipe exactly and found it to be quite bland. Had to punch it up with some Thyme and spices. I DO like the fact that it made a large quantity and is lowcal.
Robert Pace
Best ever

 

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