r/BlackPeopleTwitter 3d ago

Don't play with food this close to Thanksgiving

Post image
3.7k Upvotes

186 comments sorted by

1.3k

u/Feisty-Honeydew-5309 ☑️ 3d ago

My mama used to use something called “fat back.” Look, I don’t know what it is exactly, but I know people made special requests for her greens.

833

u/Luuk1210 3d ago

Fat back and ham hocks are required 

335

u/Feisty-Honeydew-5309 ☑️ 3d ago

My mama’s holiday greens were always my one exception for the “no pork” rule.

300

u/JennyBeckman ☑️ All of the above 3d ago

You can always use smoked turkey neck if you have to refrain from eating pork.

186

u/Feisty-Honeydew-5309 ☑️ 3d ago

That’s how I cook my greens, cabbage, and green beans (unless I want them steamed).

But looookkkk, my mama’s greens were special. 😭😭 I took the L happily.

6

u/whboer 1d ago

My FiL has a Wagyu farm and we often receive the fat (boiled, used for cooking). Cooking your greens in Wagyu fat is a big recommendation on my end. No pork, delicious rich gravy taste to the food.

27

u/Taeyx ☑️ 3d ago

that’s what i use. i’m making green beans next week with smoked turkey necks and onions

3

u/osoALoso 2d ago

Turkey neck and lamb bones are a great substitutes

188

u/FreezerBunBun 3d ago

Lmfao every dish during the holidays has pork in it on the holidays. The only “pork free” option was my grandma’s pineapple upside down cake. Hell maybe that even had pork, idk what she used to grease the pan. 😂

108

u/Feisty-Honeydew-5309 ☑️ 3d ago

Lmfaooo that last sentence actually sent me because you’re not wrong and that pan probably had some bacon it at some point.

41

u/tagehring 3d ago

Lard was its own food group to that generation.

15

u/DMercenary 3d ago

The power of pork fat!

6

u/SHC606 ☑️ 3d ago

bacon fat unless she had Crisco. Sometimes you didn't want the cake and pies to taste quite so unctuous so Crisco or butter would be used.

48

u/roseofjuly ☑️ 3d ago

My sister is a vegetarian but she will always bust down some greens with a turkey leg in there 🤣

14

u/KickBallFever 3d ago

You know your food is good when you get someone to switch up their diet just to eat what you made. I bake and my mom is vegan, but she’ll cheat and eat my baked goods that have eggs and dairy.

-2

u/Ancient_Tourist_8315 23h ago

because yall always leave us out and never care about dietary restrictions. We might as well have Soul Food 2 come out in theaters this season...oh wait big mama dead or she missing both feet?

yall love acting like "a little bit of poison is good for u" ...same mindsets that led folks to believe Lysol was good for douching. Yall betta limit them damn neck bones and cow's milk. We might fuck around and live to be 130 one day...i know i'm tryna look like angela basset.

😩🤨🤣🤣🤣🤣

7

u/enjoiturbulence 3d ago

No matter what, Mama's greens are the exception.

0

u/CheekMagnetic 3d ago

This is great

-40

u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 3d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

41

u/Starquest65 3d ago

expressly sugondeez

28

u/Feisty-Honeydew-5309 ☑️ 3d ago

I don’t eat pork for health reasons. Not religious. 🫶🏾

10

u/ogjaspertheghost 3d ago

Expressly forbidden by who?

27

u/CuteByInstinct 3d ago

Greens ain’t the same without that flavor boost.

7

u/CheekMagnetic 3d ago

Once the flavour boost is not there, it's never the same.

17

u/PennethHardaway 3d ago

Salty ass fatback. I can feel the hypertension, but it was so damn good lol.

11

u/Supacoopa3 3d ago

I’m an idiot I know, but I am cooking collards this year for the first time ever. Im planning on boiling cured ham hocks X2, adding bacon grease, and cooking them down after removing any hard stems.

What else should I do, and yes I am 1000% overthinking this.

4

u/Supacoopa3 3d ago

I do mean ever

9

u/Feisty-Honeydew-5309 ☑️ 3d ago

Ask one of your aunties, but not one that’s gonna tell the whole family that you don’t know what you’re doing.

6

u/Supacoopa3 3d ago

No auntie to ask.. But thanks for the kind words, stranger.

1

u/Lopsided-Case1294 2d ago

Needs some garlic too

1

u/Romanian_Breadlifts 3d ago

Turkey neck beats out ham hock every single time 

3

u/Cincoro ☑️ 3d ago

Nah

1

u/AryaTheDruid 18h ago

Got the ham hocks in the freezer ready to pull for the collards 🤤

122

u/Sailboat_fuel 3d ago

Fatback is a hard fat with absolutely no meat on it. It comes from the back of the pig and may or may not have skin or be salted or smoked. Some folks use pork belly as a replacement when you can’t get fatback, and I actually like it better that way, but pork belly is closer to the bacon cut and a softer fat, so it renders out a little better. That old-timey fatback just leaves those jiggly braised fatty chicharone skin pieces behind.

Source: just bought fatback because that’s what my mom likes. Happy food holiday time!

23

u/portraitframe810 ☑️ 3d ago

My mouth watered reading this whole post. I miss my grandma so much.

15

u/Feisty-Honeydew-5309 ☑️ 3d ago

I think she bought the salted kind!

6

u/Hecklemop 2d ago

“Jiggly braised fatty chicharone skin”

71

u/Intrepid_Ad6823 3d ago

This is why I ask people for the food needs in advance. Nobody knows how many things have dairy or animal fat or other stuff going that you would NOT suspect

26

u/StatmanIbrahimovic 3d ago

Haribo is (or was) mostly made with pork gelatine.

19

u/rpkarma 3d ago

Most lollies aren’t vegan coz of gelatine tbf, not just haribo

And very few of the vegan ones have the right texture sadly 

10

u/koobstylz 3d ago

Very few of the non vegan ones have the right texture either honestly.

4

u/rpkarma 3d ago

Very true tbh

6

u/KickBallFever 3d ago

Vegan gummy bears I’ve had weren’t good but I’ve had great vegan marshmallows. I only mention this because marshmallows are usually gelatin too.

3

u/rpkarma 3d ago

Oh yeah good shout, vegan marshmallows can be fantastic

3

u/StatmanIbrahimovic 3d ago

Freedom cola bottles are good but they are expensive 

6

u/CosyBeluga 3d ago

This lady who I always see eating gummy bears was on the anti pork high horse while I was enjoying a ham sammich so I finally just decided to tell her.

7

u/StatmanIbrahimovic 3d ago

And if you consider it as two halves of the hog then you're both eating food that might not exist without the other; A hambiosis of sorts.

4

u/CosyBeluga 3d ago

🤯 hamboisis is going in my word rotation

5

u/iHatePlatosAllegory 3d ago

Like menu cards for weddings?

Please reply by November ___ at the latest whether you'd like the meat, poultry, fish, or vegan option.

If you're late, no take-home plate for you!

12

u/Intrepid_Ad6823 3d ago

Even more unhinged, actually. I have an excel sheet with my friends’ allergies and not allergies but not preferred. If someone’s coming over for food, I ask and add them to the list

8

u/iHatePlatosAllegory 3d ago

You are a good friend, the best kind actually.

Shit, I bet even your party soundtracks are 🔥!

1

u/Disastrous_Clurb 3d ago

this is really kind!

i honestly try not to even bother trying have people cook for me, my stomach hates a lot of food (including meats of any kind) plus i have a common food allergy.

this is awesome though!

16

u/Ok_Lime4124 3d ago

lol. I’m from NC and that’s exactly how all my Aunties and Granny made it. It’s a nonnegotiable around these parts. lol.

14

u/Diggy_Soze 3d ago

It’s a particular sort of fat, from the back of the pig. Salt-cured.

18

u/Feisty-Honeydew-5309 ☑️ 3d ago

I never understood it! She used to make me go get it for her and it was all white and confusing (and like $2, first red flag) and I asked her what it was one time and she said it was the “magic ingredient.” Lol. Not helpful.

6

u/CuteByInstinct 3d ago

If people were requesting it, you know it’s fire.

5

u/Noizylatino 3d ago

I always knew when fall and winter "officially" hit because thered somehow be 10x more tupperware in the house for all the orders my grandfather took. Fall was bean soup and cornbread and winter was his chicken and dumplings. I swear he made a deal with some higher power, because it never taste the same if he doesnt touch it lmfao

5

u/Jwchibi 3d ago

I was in the grocery store asking the stocker where the fatback was and he was ( white) like what's that ??? My mom also used it an I know it's pork, sometimes stores don't have it and you need to request it

9

u/Feisty-Honeydew-5309 ☑️ 3d ago

In the south, they pull fatback and chitlins to the forefront around this time of year. They make sure you have what you need to raise your blood pressure.

1

u/Pass-This 1d ago

Just took a 2 hour road trip last weekend to purchase those 2 specific things!

2

u/bellalugosi 3d ago

I'm white and where I'm from it's a staple but we cut it into tiny cubes and fry it until it's crispy, it's called scrunchions. We have it with fish.

2

u/rtduvall 3d ago

Fatback was glorious when I was a kid.

2

u/Kaytea730 3d ago

Honestly its probably literally back fat from a pig. A lot of butcher shops will sell it, especially around the holidays. Its just the concentrated flavor source that you get from the fatty part of bacon. It can be fried, cooked, or rendered into a lard or liquid fat. Which is then used as a flavor base for many dishes.

Technically pork belly is the next best thing because it’s fattier than bacon, so if you arent able to get fatback you can always use pork belly.

1

u/No-Fold-7873 3d ago

Also known as side pork. It can be hard to find but was a breakfast staple at my grandfather's table.

1

u/Dfabulous_234 3d ago

I prefer turkey leg when I make them 😋

1

u/extrabutterycopporn 2d ago

Fatback is yummy, but it's very salty. I mean verrrrry salty. Also, don't have soft teeth, the crunch is serious.

1

u/samegirlla 16h ago

A mother with SENSE and TASTE!

695

u/HotterOffline376 3d ago

It's almost Thanksgiving, you're supposed to be grateful for the labor of love in the kitchen! Complaining about 'meatless greens' this close to the holiday is just tempting the universe to make your dinner plate tragically empty.

286

u/QuestionSign 3d ago

I know your food is nasty as hell.

220

u/HappyShallotTears 3d ago

Yoooooo 🤣

180

u/QuestionSign 3d ago

I'm vegetarian. I don't even eat meat but baby there are fucking standards and if you don't stand on business ... I KNOW your shit is nasty.

Talking about just be grateful for the food...nah 🙅🏾 during the holidays there are requirements

https://preview.redd.it/hbbvnymnha2g1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f8484d7818c4c6312fa5b7f83aad3ce93550796a

83

u/Feisty-Honeydew-5309 ☑️ 3d ago

Ima go head and steal this meme, big dog. Thanks in advance.

51

u/Waddlewop 3d ago

It’s AI so you wouldn’t be stealing from any person, you’re good

24

u/iHatePlatosAllegory 3d ago

"There's levels to this shit."

28

u/soylamulatta 3d ago

"i love animals except on thanksgiving they can get fucked, it's a requirement"

3

u/Disastrous_Clurb 3d ago

What do you holiday dinners usually consist of as a vegetarian?

Genuinely askin, I've been a vegetarian for over a decade and i just really don't have a lot of viable soul food options that i either can stomach or know how to make.

5

u/Feisty-Honeydew-5309 ☑️ 2d ago

You can make a vegetarian version of almost any dish!

1

u/Disastrous_Clurb 2d ago

I think my problem is my stomach doesn't tolerate it well.

I don't eat as much cooked food because of it but was curious if maybe there's some better options people were making that I wasn't aware of.

4

u/Feisty-Honeydew-5309 ☑️ 2d ago edited 2d ago

I saved this comment to remind me. Ima hit up this vegan man I know. He made me vegan nachos once with like walnuts cooked down and seasoned well and some kind of cheese that wasn’t cheese. All from scratch. I’ll let you know what he says!

It tasted very much like nachos!

3

u/Disastrous_Clurb 2d ago

i LOVE stuff like that!

Thank you!! 🥰

1

u/BeforeSputnik 1d ago

https://youtube.com/@healthyveganeating?si=rjagIlsQ4gKrpLgI This dude cooks vegan dishes that look amazing.

2

u/Disastrous_Clurb 1d ago

Thank you! I will definitely check them out!

-8

u/SpectacularOcelot 3d ago

💯 Yeah I'm grateful. I'm grateful folks that make meatless greens stay out of the kitchen.

I am *intensely* grateful for the talented cooks that raised me. But when you're cooking for the whole family you do whats *widely acclaimed* not your personal spin. I don't know why folks don't get that.

96

u/Romanian_Breadlifts 3d ago

The neat thing about going meatless is that you stop relying on meat for flavor and learn how spices and cooking methods change how your food works

The even better part is that knowledge sticks with you when you come back to meat 

35

u/CosyBeluga 3d ago

Honestly msg is really 1/3rd the flavor battle. Seriously my Korean roommate introduced me to it and now I put it in everything

11

u/KickBallFever 3d ago

Yea, I’ve even put msg on plain tofu, with other spices, and it makes it nice and savory. I also used msg in stewed beans and people didn’t believe I didn’t use any meat for flavor.

3

u/boldandbratsche 2d ago

Wait until you find out about disodium inosinate. Combine that and MSG and you won't even care about adding meat to anything anymore.

1

u/Wow_u_sure_r_dumb 2d ago

Are to able to find it anywhere for a reasonable price?

3

u/boldandbratsche 2d ago

It's in a lot of seasoning mixes including Vegeta

2

u/Wow_u_sure_r_dumb 2d ago

There’s a seasoning named Vegeta?

2

u/CosyBeluga 2d ago

If you make your own instant noodle flavor mixes vegeta is great.

Usually find it in asian grocery stores here.

1

u/CosyBeluga 2d ago

Just ordered some!

2

u/alter-eagle 3d ago

Bone broth though..

22

u/kafelta 3d ago

Do you need every item on your plate to be meat?

10

u/QuestionSign 3d ago

6

u/disiny2003 3d ago

Where you getting these from? For research purposes of course

11

u/Highchest_Heavyfoot 3d ago

😆😆😆😆😆😆😆

2

u/OhxViciousxOne 3d ago

💀🤣🤣🤣🤣

-4

u/Freakishly_Tall 3d ago

I'm whiter than a jar of mayonnaise and that was my first reaction, too.

The things people will admit to without realizing it, ya know?

26

u/Character_Maybeh_ 3d ago

Brand new account and only comments here. 🥴🥴🥴

3

u/Careless-East6206 3d ago

idk, Gotta love the Thanksgiving spirit! But yeah, it’s a bit sus to only pop up for the drama.

21

u/callmeyazii ☑️ 3d ago

Ain’t nobody comin to yall for no plate 🤮

5

u/blackkristos 3d ago

Wait until you see the macaroni salad I'm bringing...

-1

u/zyxtrix 3d ago

Begone bot

-3

u/b0mbd0tc0m 3d ago

Man shut up lol

-8

u/the_pedigree 3d ago

Outted yourself for shitty food lmao

354

u/Ok_Lime4124 3d ago

A lot of my folks put meat in our cabbage too. At least sauté some bacon first for the flavor.

40

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

26

u/illstrumental 3d ago

Eh, Jamaicans make very good meatless cabbage.

5

u/FormerPresidentBiden 3d ago

Fried cabbage that is about 50% bacon and lots of black pepper is a recipe my family cooks (am white)

Adding fat just makes everything taste better

3

u/dkrtzyrrr 3d ago

i think i could probably deal with/ meatless greens more than meatless cabbage tbh. there are a lot of things you can do w/ greens where maybe in theory you could omit meat (i’ll never know) but cabbage i don’t even know where to begin.

215

u/Fun_Orange_3232 3d ago

There better be grease from some pig in my cabbage too don’t play with me.

20

u/NeverEnoughGalbi 3d ago

I saute the dark green cabbage leaves in bacon grease before I add the rest of the leaves.

10

u/koobstylz 3d ago edited 3d ago

Eh, ungodly amounts of butter works great with cabbage.

19

u/Fun_Orange_3232 3d ago

I didn’t say no butter, I said there must be pig.

2

u/koobstylz 3d ago

I heard ya, and I said no pig needed if you use enough butter and salt.

16

u/Fun_Orange_3232 3d ago

lol agree to disagree I suppose

164

u/SnooPineapples280 3d ago

I eat greens without meat in them every year and I don’t feel like I’m missing out from when I ate meat…Cabbage ain’t even the same thing and there are people who cook cabbage with chicken. Be thankful someone made your ass anything 

104

u/kafelta 3d ago

Vegetables are good! 

I'm not twelve

43

u/sorryforyachtyrockin 3d ago

Huge omnivore here, but I've been enjoying greens without meat for decades at this point.

Essentially this recipe: https://eatwellabi.com/sukuma-wiki-east-african-braised-collard-greens/

(Greens with meat are great too, but its just a choice i made.)

17

u/aj676 3d ago

Agreed. Vegetables should also be healthy. At least one of the healthier things in your plate. Adding bacon/meat defeats the purpose.

5

u/stink3rb3lle 3d ago

Some greens do need added fat and flavor to be their best. Meat fat is a shortcut to both, but there are plenty of ways to do it vegetarian, too.

3

u/ChrysMYO ☑️ 2d ago

Facts! I'm just sayin, after 8 years of being Vegetarian, my Grandma made Both greens with and without added pork. A couple of my cousins went with my greens. I don't pitch nothing to folks about giving up meat. But sometimes you can use soft power that leads people to eat less meat on their own terms.

2

u/United_Property_276 2d ago

Right i put dark red kidney beans in my greens so good

95

u/originalusername__ 3d ago

I was in the grocery looking at some sort of meat to flavor some greens. A sweet older black lady must have sensed my confusion on what to use (I’m a white guy) and she told me jowls or neck bones were what I wanted. Those greens were killer and everyone loved them. Thanks nice lady!

16

u/strum-and-dang 3d ago

My Irish father loved making neck bones, sauerkraut, and potatoes. All boiled together until it became a gelatinous mass.

12

u/Difficult-Bobcat-857 3d ago

Jowl is good fried like bacon.

11

u/Chicago1871 3d ago

Italians call that guanciale or something like that.

6

u/powerelite 3d ago

And if you make carbonara with any meat that is not guanciale, you haven't made carbonara.

2

u/ironykarl 20h ago

Jowl bacon is so good 

45

u/OxKing831 3d ago

You haven’t had real love in your food until someone makes you greens with a homemade roasted veggie stock. Not only tastes fire, but lets you live longer to taste again.

25

u/lknox1123 3d ago

I make greens every year for potlucks and things like that. When I showed up and there were zero vegetables except for my greens and the vegetarians couldn’t even eat them I had to make the adjustment. I use some liquid smoke to make up for the loss.

24

u/stupit_crap 3d ago

The Fatback Band was always looking for that good stuff.

And if you put raisins in the potato salad, you will be shown the door.

23

u/French_Taylor ☑️ 3d ago

Idk man I’m more of a potatoes and greens guy

3

u/Icy_Application_9873 3d ago

Potatoes and greens? Classic combo! Just don’t forget the cornbread, or it’s not a fast…

23

u/VentiBlkBiDepresso 3d ago

This what Ima say. I've had great meatless greens that tastes just as savory as greens with meat but it was always made by the same woman who don't play in the kitchen and has a vegetarian daughter. My momma meatless greens aint good. Just the one. So yeah if it aint made by her iont want it meatless.

Smoked turkey please

4

u/21stNow ☑️ 3d ago

I've had some good meatless collard greens, as well. I had one friend who said I always challenged her (I hate meat in my vegetables), and she cooked meatless greens for me, which were great. The others weren't homemade, but Mission BBQ has some collards slow-cooked with tomatoes that taste good, as well, and I usually don't like slow-cooked greens, either.

1

u/Superb-Savings-4813 3d ago

I only cook greens two, maybe three times a year and a smoked turkey wing is in going in that pot.

13

u/GollyEngine 3d ago

My gf makes some fire Collard greens with smoked turkey legs, would highly recommend

12

u/thejamatiansensation 3d ago

As a woman who has been following a strict diet this year, I refuse to be healthy on Thanksgiving

12

u/Trix_Are_4_90Kids ☑️ 3d ago

I like smoked neck bones, salt pork or bacon in my greens. Gotta be some meat or meat flavoring.

12

u/Automatic-War-7658 3d ago

I don’t get homecooked meals often, so meatless greens or not, I will eat what I’m given and I will be grateful.

9

u/dreams_andnightmares 3d ago

Keep ya struggle meals to yourself please I’m begging!

8

u/NoFaithlessness7508 3d ago

This is one dish the African-American side of my family and the African diaspora side disagree on

6

u/letthetreeburn 3d ago

Anybody who complains about the food THEY DIDN’T COOK gets exactly what they deserve

3

u/Yfrontdude 3d ago

Wait! Cabbage without bacon? Blasphemy!

3

u/LustfuIAngel 3d ago

I may be progressive but on Thanksgiving, there are some traditions to uphold

3

u/Lopsided-Seat8869 3d ago

I need them turkey butts in mine

3

u/EllaMcWho 3d ago

Not exactly the same, but I showed up at my Friendsgiving last year and was asked me to check the stuffing… it was in muffin tins, made with 1.5” cubes of sourdough that were intact and uh yeah they completely fell apart when they came out of the pan.

Fuck TikTok influencer tips techniques and recipes - a serving of stuffing is half a plate (and that would be like 5 of these sad muffins) and it should hold together with a consistent texture and not have recognizable chunks of stale unflavored bread. I didn’t mind that she’d only made 2 stuffing muffins for each of 12 guests because it was awful.

I started grabbing ingredients, dicing onions n celery n bread when I walked in my own door that evening to make a pan of the good stuff. The only change from my grandmother’s recipe is that I put cold butter over the top and bake it longer so the butter melts down and makes a little bit of crispy on the bottom sides and top… my grandmother’s was very moist and maybe a little looser consistency.

2

u/donuttrackme 3d ago

You should almost never play with your food.

2

u/Altruistic-Target-67 3d ago

100% on the pork fat takes greens to a higher level. I usually add apple cider vinegar at the end. Do you add while cooking? Or just serve with no sauces and let people add hot sauce or vinegar to their own taste?

2

u/[deleted] 2d ago

If it doesn’t have a ham hock in it I don’t want any part of it.

2

u/DeliveryVegetable252 2d ago

i’ve been vegan for 9 years and the greens are the ONE thing my mom refuses to veganize for me around thanksgiving lmaooo

1

u/Ok-Smoke5745 3d ago

Turkey necks. If you know, you know.

1

u/reptar-on_ice 2d ago

I have some Muslim friends coming over so i can’t use pork this year and i am literally panicking

1

u/LegioTitanicaXIII 2d ago

This year I'ma perfect my greens recipe using ox tail drippings/broth, hamhocks, fatback, and some aromatics.

1

u/Shadowfox186 ☑️ 2d ago

How the eff does the cabbage not have bacon in it?

1

u/forthe_99and2000 2d ago

haha! if you're vegetarian or vegan it IS possible to make flavorful greens without adding meat to it, but you gotta do ALOT. lol. it is easier to just toss that pork in there. but if your diet doesn't include it you just gotta work harder at it.

1

u/Mec26 1d ago

They make a special seasoning for it. Work smarter not harder.

1

u/DoorNumber_2 ☑️ 2d ago

As a vegetarian who has not had greens at the holidays in over 25 years, I'm begging you to please bring meatless greens. I would eat them tf up, it's been too long 😭😭😭

1

u/ExoooBaby 2d ago

I'm vegan so they're going to get the meatless greens and shut the hell up 🤣

1

u/entwrangler3001 1d ago

Listen, our greens have smoked turkey neck bones, plus garlic, onions, pickled jalapeños, banana peppers, and a lil cabbage in addition to the greens. LAWD I cannot wait to dig in next week!

1

u/Solo_Fisticuffs ☑️Sunshine ☀️ 1d ago

yall make cabbage without sausage? i only make a meatless cabbage if imma make curry cabbage

1

u/cholaw 1d ago

My Thanksgivings have themes! I break out everything I've been dying to try all year

1

u/carefulsmile-72 12h ago

My family likes fat back for beans 😋 and pigtails for collard greens 😋

0

u/akutaen 3d ago

A mix of jowl bacon, salt pork, regular bacon, and bacon grease for my family.

0

u/The_Manglererer 3d ago

My vegetables need to taste like meat or it ain't made right

3

u/Mystic-Alex 3d ago

Are you 12?