I’ve post this recipe five years ago (Sous Vide “Smoked” Turkey, Black-Eyed Peas, Collard Greens and Cornbread with Turkey Skin Chips) and again last year (Southern New Year’s Day – “Smoked” Sous Vide Turkey, Field Peas, Sweet and Spicy Collard Greens, Crispy Turkey Skin Chips with Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese Cornbread). They were both very, very good. I won’t include the whole back story of why I originally posted but here is the why we southerners eat greens and peas at New Year’s.

Field peas for luck and greens for money. That is how it goes in the South. A traditional New Years meal, the first meal, should have field peas (usually black-eyed peas) and greens (usually collards). The peas bring luck and the greens bring wealth and together bring a prosperous year. It has been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember. I decided this year to come up with my own version of the classic.

I again made tweaks from the original two posts, the biggest difference was I got a sous vide / air fryer for Christmas. If you are reading this and don’t have a sous vide machine, take a look at the two posts linked above to learn how to do this with out the equipment. I CAN be done without, but I have to admit, after years of doing this meal, I have never had more moist, tender turkey breast than I had this year with the sous vide machine. It was ridiculous. If you are on the fence about purchasing a sous vide, I would highly recommend it. Mine is a combo, air fryer, crockpot, sous vide, etc.

This year I added smoked turkey drumsticks to the collards as well as more sweet and more heat. They turned out just about perfect.

The black eyed peas also turned out great. This year I added bacon (you can NEVER go wrong with adding bacon) and rosemary. They rosemary added that extra herbaceousness.

The cornbread was another tweak. I added the mayonnaise and in half I added brown sugar. What a huge difference those tweak made. They might be a little sweet but they perfectly complimented the rest of the meal.

The last tweak I made this year was deboning the turkey breast before and using those bones to make a homemade stock. It was really, really good and super easy and it made a big difference in both the collard greens and the black eyed peas.

Happy New Year!

Ingredients for a Southern New Year Supper

Ingredients for the Smoky Sous Vide Turkey Breast

• 1 large turkey breast (skin on, bone in)
• 2 tbsp liquid smoke
• 1 tbsp ground aleppo pepper
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp ground chipotle pepper
• 1 tbsp Applewood smoked sea salt
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil

Ingredients for Quick Homemade Turkey Stock

• Turkey bones from the turkey breast
• Onion tops, skins
• Garlic cloves
• Any other aromatics that are about to expire (celery tops/stocks, carrot peels, etc)

Ingredients for Sweet and Spicy Collard Greens

• 1 large or 2 medium smoked turkey legs
• 2 heads collard greens (or mustard, kale), stems and ribs removed, roughly chopped
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 tbsp + crushed red pepper flake
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2-4 cups turkey stock (homemade or store bought)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 3-4 tbsp Sambel Oelek
• 2 tbsp honey
• Olive Oil
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

Ingredients for Black Eyed Peas

• 20 ounces fresh field peas (crowder or black-eyed)
• 2 slices thick cut Applewood smoked bacon, cut in lardons
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2-3 cups turkey stock (homemade or store bought)
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

Ingredients for Brown Sugar Cornbread

• 1 packet Jiffy Cornbread mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• Non-stick spray

How to make a proper Southern New Year’s Day Supper

Directions for the night before serving

1. The night before, add all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and whisk together. Taste and add more or less of each to taste. It should taste more smoky and more seasoned then you might want.
2. Remove the skin from the turkey breast and set aside. Try to keep it intact. Some times they come right off, other times you’ll need a pairing knife.
3. Remove the ribs and bones from the breast. Take your time with a sharp knife. Once you’ve got most off the meat of the bones, set the bones aside.
4. Poke a few holes in the turkey breast with the pairing knife and place in a large zip top bag with the marinade . Fill a large pot with cold water. With part of the bag open, slowly lower the bag into the water to remove all the air. Remove as much air as you can, it should seem like a vacuum seal. Seal the zip top bag and place in the refrigerator to chill over night.
5. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F.
6. Take two baking sheets (preferably one would be slightly smaller than the other), line the top of one (the larger one) and the bottom of the other (the smaller one) with tin foil. Place a piece of parchment paper on the first pan, spread the turkey skin out flat, season with a little salt and pepper, top that with another piece of parchment, top that with the second sheet pan. Finally, place a heavy skillet or oven proof Dutch oven on top and place in the oven for 30 minutes or so. Once the skin is crisp and brown, place between paper towels and allow to cool. Wrap in foil and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.
7. I cut the bones in half and then add them to the stock pot. Add any leftover aromatics in the stock pot and cover with 6-8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cover and reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Allow to cool completely and strain out the stock, place in air tight container and keep in the refrigerator.
8. If you are using dried black-eyed peas, place in water to soak. Skip this if you are using fresh or pre-soaked peas.

Directions for 2 1/2 hours before serving

Sweet and Spicy Collard Greens

1. Heat a stock pot over medium heat and coat the bottom with olive oil, crushed red pepper. Add onion and two smashed garlic cloves. Toss until fragrant.
2. Add the turkey stock and turkey drum sticks. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.
3. Add apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, Sambol Oelek, honey and a big pinch of salt. Stir to until the sugar dissolves . Add the collard greens, toss to coat. Cook about 2 to 2 1/2 hours tossing occasionally until completely tender.
4. Remove the smoked turkey drumstick, disregard the skin and bone. Break up the meat and add back to the pot. Keep warm.

Smoky Sous Vide Turkey Breast

1. Meanwhile, pre-heat your sous vide to 145 degrees F.
2. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.
3. Add the turkey in the zip top bag with the marinade into the sous vide and cook for 2-2 1/2 hours.
4. Heat a large cast iron skillet or grill pan over high heat. Remove the turkey from the bag and pat dry with a paper towel. Sear on all sides for 1 minute, until you have a a nice crust, remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Directions for the day of serving

Black Eyed Peas

1. Heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook the bacon until mostly rendered and add the smashed garlic cloves, toss until fragrant.
2. Add the rosemary, salt and pepper and black eyed peas and toss to combine.
3. Add two+ cups stock to cover, increase to boil then cover and reduce to simmer 15-20 minutes. Cooking until peas are just tender. Don’t over cook them. Keep warm.
4. Before serving drain the stock. You can reuse the stock (potlikker) for soups.

Brown Sugar Cornbread

1. Combine the Jiffy cornbread mix, two eggs, milk, brown sugar, mayonnaise, a pinch of salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Allow to it sit for 20 minutes.
2. Mix the cornbread mixture once more than place in pre-sprayed muffin pan.
3. Place the muffins in the oven and cook until the tops are browned.
4. To serve I put the greens down, then the black-eyed peas, then the sliced turkey and topped with the crushed turkey skin chips. Enjoy!