Cooking Fresh Green Beans Country Style

These Old Fashioned Southern Style Green Beans will have your house smelling amazing and your mouth watering with anticipation.

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Old Fashioned Southern Style Green Beans with ham hocks in a serving dish on a tabletop.

Old Fashioned Southern Style Green Beans with ham hocks in a serving dish on a tabletop. Text overlay for pinning.

My low and slow method for cooking Old Fashioned Southern Style Green Beans with its beautiful, smoky ham hock broth for flavoring, will take you straight to the country no matter where you live!

I shouldn't write this post. I know I shouldn't. Before I write even one word, I know I'm going to be blasted. The green bean patrol is going to be all over me.

Old Fashioned Southern Style Green Beans with ham hocks in a serving dish on a tabletop.

I know that I'm supposed to like my fresh green beans just blanched. All bright green and crispy and crunchy. But I just don't. I don't. They taste like grass to me.

I like my green beans the way I grew up eating them -- country style. That means nice and tender and richly flavored with smoky pork. So there.

Finished green beans with ham hock on a wooden spoon.

Besides, old-fashioned southern cooking gets enough bad press without me adding to it. I shouldn't write this post. Sigh.

But I'm doing it anyway! Besides, you've never had MY southern style green beans before. Who knows, I may just convert you over to the country side. :-)

More Old Fashioned Southern Recipes

Caramel Layer Cake
Southern Butter Beans
Southern Fried Okra
Classic Macaroni and Cheese
Easy Hot Water Cornbread
Southern Streak o' Lean

Jump to:

What Are Southern Style Green Beans?
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients You'll Need
How to Make Old Fashioned Southern Style Green Beans
Make the Ham Hock Broth
Prepare the Fresh Green Beans
Cook the Beans in the Broth
TIP: How to Store and Reheat the Leftovers
FAQs
📖 Recipe

What Are Southern Style Green Beans?

Southern, or country style green beans are slow cooked, fresh string or green beans simmered in a smoky broth made from a ham hock or bacon.

It's worth making them just for the aroma alone. The smell of that smoky pork filling your kitchen and tickling your senses as it spreads through the house will have your family clamoring to get to the dinner table.

After the sweet torture of waiting for them to finish cooking, your fresh green beans will have transformed into a melt-in-your-mouth side dish.

You now have the perfect companion to any southern recipe like my Real Simple Fried Chicken, Salisbury Steaks with Chunky Mashed Potatoes, Country Fried Steak, or Pot Roast with Rosemary and Garlic.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Three ingredients!
Minimal prep time
Classic smoky southern flavors

Ingredients You'll Need

Photo of ingredients needed for the recipes: green beans, salt, ham hocks

The ingredients list for this recipe is really short! Just three things:

Fresh green (or string) beans (look for ones that are firm, not wilted, and without any discoloration)
Meaty ham hocks (or substitute an equal amount of smoked turkey wings or legs)
Salt

That's it! Could it be any easier?

You'll find detailed measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.

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How to Make Old Fashioned Southern Style Green Beans

I always like to show you the photos and step-by-step instructions for my recipes to help you picture how to make them in your own kitchen. If you just want to print out a copy, you can skip to the bottom of the post where you'll find the recipe card.

Make the Ham Hock Broth

Meaty ham hocks in water in a cast iron pot.

The most important thing about making this recipe is to have really good ham hocks. You want nice meaty ones. Some of the ones I see in the store these days are all skin and bones. Leave those in the case and look for big, plump ones.

Now put your lovely, smoky ham hocks in a large, deep pot with just enough water to cover. Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

What you're making is a smoky, pork flavored broth. That's what you'll use to cook your veggies in and all that lovely flavor will go right into them. Delicious!

Prepare the Fresh Green Beans

Fresh green beans on a cutting board with a knife.

While the ham hocks simmer, prepare the green beans. I remove the "tips and tails" and just cut them into pieces. You can leave them whole if you prefer. If you have string beans, be sure to remove the strings as well.

Cook the Beans in the Broth

Cast iron cooking pot with ham hock broth and fresh green beans added.

Add the prepped beans to the pot. Bring the contents to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.

Cover and cook for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until the green beans are tender but not mushy. Start checking them after about 50 minutes.

When they're nice and tender and olive-colored (no, they will not stay bright green), remove the ham hock to a plate and allow them to cool for a few minutes until you can handle them easily.

Shredding the ham hock meat to add back to the beans

Remove and shred the meat from the ham hocks, discarding the skin, fat, and bones. Add the shredded meat back to the pot and stir it into the beans.

This is the simplest method that I know for making old fashioned country style green beans. People do add all sorts of other things like onions, tomatoes, hot pepper, parsley, and I do too occasionally, but I also appreciate just the simply beautiful smoky flavor of this method. Hope you'll give it a try!

TIP: How to Store and Reheat the Leftovers

Southern style green beans reheat really well since you don't have to worry about keeping a crisp texture. You can store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container or resealable bag for 3 to 5 days. Reheat them on medium-low heat on the stovetop or even in a slow cooker (low heat for about an hour).

Closeup of a wooden spoonful of Old Fashioned Southern Style Green Beans

FAQs

Can I use canned or frozen green beans or do they have to be fresh?

Yes, you can use canned or frozen as a substitute. If you just can't source fresh green beans, I'd suggest frozen over canned. The canned ones won't pick up as much of that yummy smoky pork flavor because they've already been partially cooked.

Can I prepare my fresh green beans the night before I want to cook them?

Yes! You can snap (or cut) them the day before you need them. Just make sure to keep them refrigerated until you need them.

Can I use bacon instead of ham hock?

Yes, you can. If you just can't find good ham hocks, you can substitute about a pound of bacon. Here's how:

Brown all but two slices of bacon in the same pot you plan to use to cook your green beans. When the bacon is crisp, remove it and set it aside. Add the green beans, salt, and remaining two slices of uncooked bacon to the pot with enough water to cover. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 to 1 ½ hours. To serve, drain the beans and serve topped with the crumbled cooked bacon.

Any other tips/suggestions/recommendations?

A couple of things I would add: you can also substitute a smoked turkey wing or leg for the ham hock. It gives an equally nice, smoky flavor to the green beans and is suitable for anyone who doesn't consume pork.

Also, don't be afraid of overcooking these green beans. It's nearly impossible :-)

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📖 Recipe

Old Fashioned Southern Style Green Beans with ham hocks in a serving dish on a tabletop.

▢ 1 pound smoked ham hocks (or equal weight of bacon, smoked turkey wings, or smoked turkey legs)
▢ 3 pounds fresh green beans washed, trimmed and cut in 2" pieces
▢ 2 teaspoons salt

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Place the ham hocks (or other choice of seasoning meat) in a large pot with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
While the ham hock simmers, prepare the green beans by removing the "tips and tails." Snap the beans into approximately 2" pieces or leave whole if desired.
Add the beans and salt to the pot. Bring the contents to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.
Cover and cook for 1 hour or until the beans are tender.
Remove the ham hocks to a plate and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Remove and shred the meat from the ham hock, discarding the skin and bones. Add the shredded meat back to the pot and stir it into the beans.

An equal amount of bacon, smoked turkey wings, or smoked turkey legs may be substituted for the ham hocks.
If using bacon -- Brown all but two slices of bacon in the same pot you plan to use to cook your green beans. When the bacon is crisp, remove it and set it aside leaving the rendered bacon fat in the pot. Add the green beans, salt, and remaining two slices of uncooked bacon to the pot with enough water to cover. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 to 1 ½ hours. To serve, drain the beans and serve topped with the crumbled cooked bacon.
Frozen or canned green beans can be substituted for fresh.
Green beans may be cleaned, trimmed, and cut up to 24 hours in advance. Store in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat over medium-low heat on the stovetop or slow cooker.

Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.

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-- This post was originally published on June 6, 2014. It has been updated with no photos and additional information.