
Slow simmering green beans in a vitamin-rich savory broth -which we call potlikker or 'pot liquor'- with bits of meat filled their bellies, added calories, and gave them more energy to work.īy the late 1870s, it was common practice in the South to slow cook green beans with some sort of fatty pork parts like bacon, fatback, salt pork, or ham hock, even making its way into 19th-century cookbooks. The enslaved Black folk had to make do with what they could, often scraps of undesirable meat and leftover vegetables. Greens and beans slow cooked in a savory broth is something Africans brought with them when they were kidnapped and brought to the U.S., according to culinary historians. Slow cooked green beans are -yep- a big part of soul food and black culture.

Make Ahead of Time Instructions, Freezing, and Storing.

#Slow cooker green bean recipes full#
Please see my Full Disclosure Policy for more details. They are made in the slow cooker, after all. It's simple side dish made with chicken stock, smoky ham hocks, and a little patience resulting in a lot of flavor. It's saved for special occasions, so these flavorful green beans are only seen around the holidays but they are so good it's one of my all time favorite side dishes. What are the beans for? My grandma's southern green bean recipe. It's a simple tradition, but I hope it'll stick with Grey and his future siblings like it has with me. I was always much slower than her, though I picked up speed over the years, but nothing felt better than knowing I helped make Thanksgiving dinner.Īnd now I do the same with my family: grabbing fresh green beans at the farmers market and snapping them with Greyson while we all watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Some of my best childhood memories are of snapping fresh beans into a big woven bowl with my mama.

Tender green beans slow cooked in a flavorful broth with smoked meat is a classic southern side dish that is perfect to accompany your holiday meals this year. This southern green beans recipe has been in my family for generations.
