How to Cook Poke Salad

4.88 from 8 votes

Basic instructions for safely preparing pokeweed plants. The leaves and stems of young plants or peeled shoots of older plants can be used.

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Southern

Servings: servings

Calories: 26kcal

Author: Alan Bergo

Cost: 2

Equipment

1 2 gallon pot
1 1 gallon pot

Ingredients

1 lb pokeweed greens and shoots or large, peeled pokeweed shoots
1.5 gallons water as needed
Kosher salt to taste
3 tablespoons bacon grease, butter, or cooking oil
lemon wedges for serving, optional

Instructions

Young poke greens and shoots

Cut the leaves and shoots into ½ inch pieces.
Bring the water to a boil in both a large and small pot.
Add the poke greens and stems to the small pot, put a lid on the pot and set a timer for 3 minutes.
Drain the greens, cover with roughly 3 quarts of fresh boiling water, put the lid back on and cook for another three minutes. Repeat the process one more time.
Drain the greens and rinse in cold water to halt the cooking. Now the greens are ready to cook or refrigerate.

Peeled pokeweed shoots

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a pot, add the pokeweed shoots, cover, and cook for 10 minutes at a rolling boil.
Drain the cooked poke shoots and rinse in cold water to halt the cooking. Now the shoots are ready to cook or refrigerate.

Finishing and serving

Heat the greens in the bacon grease or cooking oil, season to taste with salt, and serve with a lemon wedge as a side dish, or however you like your greens.

Video

Notes

Safety note:

If it's your first time preparing the plant, start with a small portion of 2 ounces of cooked greens by yourself before sharing it with others. Wait a few hours after eating, if you feel fine, go ahead and cook up larger portions.

Nutrition