"Anyone from the South who cooks can easily spot the error with the water. Three cups of water is adequate for a ham hock, but totally wrong for the collards. This is how my Grandmother made them. I use a piece of ham so the ham hock step is skipped. I use a big pot of water and you don't just dump the sugar and salt into the pot. You add a little, cook, taste and keep adding until you get the right taste. You can always add more salt and sugar but you can't take it out.